Speeding caused the crash that blocked southbound I-5 for 5 hours and injured 4
Motorists driving too fast triggered a crash on southbound I-5 in Lacey on Wednesday that delayed traffic for more than five hours, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The state patrol released the crash details on Thursday. Four people were injured and sent to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.
“Speed too fast for conditions” was cited as the cause of the crash in a Washington State Patrol news release. Charges are pending.
About 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, a 58-year-old Puyallup man was southbound in a tractor-trailer when he allegedly crashed into a 50-year-old Olympia man driving a truck. That collision set off a series of crashes that ultimately involved two more tractor-trailers.
Both the Puyallup and Olympia men were taken to the hospital. A passenger in the Olympia man’s truck — a 48-year-old Tumwater man — also was injured, as was a 46-year-old Vancouver man driving a tractor-trailer.
The state patrol said the southbound lanes of I-5 were blocked for five hours and 39 minutes. Traffic was diverted off the freeway at Martin Way, but backroads between Pierce and Thurston counties also were clogged during the afternoon and evening commute.
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 11:44 AM.
