I-5 near Tumwater delayed 4 hours after crash triggered by speeding, passing, troopers say

A 40-year-old man faces felony hit-and-run and DUI charges after an attempt to pass a vehicle triggered a crash on northbound Interstate 5 near Tumwater that delayed traffic for four hours, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Despite the seriousness of the crash, troopers say only one person was injured: A 37-year-old Chehalis woman who was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

According to the State Patrol:

About 10 p.m. Saturday, the 40-year-old Tacoma man was headed north on I-5 at milepost 99. Troopers say he was traveling at a high rate of speed and attempted to pass another vehicle.

He struck the vehicle he was trying to pass — a Chevrolet Express van — which caused the van to hit another vehicle. After the van hit that third vehicle, it rolled and blocked a lane of I-5.

Meanwhile, troopers say the Tacoma man fled the scene in his 2016 Dodge Challenger but was located at 78th Avenue Southwest, just west of Center Street Southwest in Tumwater.

This story was originally published June 2, 2019 at 11:19 AM.