Man who died in wrong-way crash on I-5 in Thurston County has been identified
A 41-year-old man who drove the wrong way on northbound Interstate 5, crashed into another vehicle and died in Thurston County has been identified, the county coroner said Friday.
Identifying him was delayed because the coroner’s office needed to consult dental records after the man’s vehicle burned in the collision.
About 5:30 a.m. March 16, Timothy J. Small of Puyallup was headed south in the northbound lanes of I-5 near the Scatter Creek rest area when he crashed into a vehicle carrying two women from Tumwater who were driving north.
Both women died at the scene. They were Valerie Thompson, 38, and Thunder OBrien, 28. OBrien also was known as Amelia Garner.
A third driver, also headed north, also crashed into the car occupied by the two women. That driver, a 21-year-old University Place woman, was not injured or impaired, Trooper John Dattilo previously told The Olympian.
She was allowed to leave the scene after providing information and a statement to the State Patrol, he said.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 1:57 PM.
