Driver pronounced dead at scene of I-5 fiery car wreck Wednesday morning
First responders pronounced a 67-year-old driver dead at the scene of a fiery crash on Interstate 5 in south Thurston County Wednesday morning.
The crash occurred at around 6:30 a.m. on northbound I-5 at milepost 88, just south of Grand Mound, Trooper Kameron Watts said.
Witnesses told dispatch a Buick sedan went off the roadway, flipped onto its top and became fully engulfed in flames with the driver still inside, Watts said.
A trooper responded to the scene but was unable to remove the driver from the vehicle. West Thurston Regional Fire Authority crews later arrived on scene, extinguished the fire, extricated the driver and attempted life saving measures, according to a WTRFA Facebook post. First responders had a helicopter prepped to airlift the driver, but Watts said fire crews pronounced him dead at the scene. No other people were in the vehicle, he added.
The cause of the crash and how the driver died is unclear. Watts said troopers were still investigating as of Wednesday morning, so he did not have a cause to share.
Troopers closed the far-right lane of northbound I-5 for just under an hour, he added.
Though the cause of the initial crash remains under investigation, Watts advised the public to drive cautiously, especially as the weather gets colder and wetter.
“Everyone can do their part,” Watts said. “By being safe all together, we can prevent things like this from happening.”
A semi-truck reportedly swiped a fire engine at the scene of the incident. No one was injured in this separate incident, but the fire engine was moderately damaged, the WTRFA shared in its post.
Watts said the driver of the semi-truck will not face charges for swiping the fire engine. He said troopers treated it as a typical wreck and issued minor infractions.
