Vehicle flips on its side in Thurston County crash. Driver and child injured
A driver with two kids in the vehicle crashed on northbound Interstate 5 in south Thurston County Wednesday morning.
The crash occurred at around 6:30 a.m. on northbound I-5 just north of state Route 121 near Maytown, according to the Washington State Patrol Department of Transportation.
The driver was traveling in the middle lane when they got fatigued, fell asleep and lost control, Washington State Patrol Trooper Kameron Watts said. The vehicle went off the roadway into a grassy area and flipped on its side, perpendicular to the roadway, on the right shoulder, he said.
A 42-year-old woman was driving the vehicle. She and an 11-year-old girl inside the vehicle suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, Watts said. A second passenger, a 9-year-old child, was “surprisingly” not injured, he added.
“The right lane was blocked for approximately one hour until the tow cleared the scene,” Watts said.
Watts said the driver’s speed was too fast for conditions and that she was cited at the scene.
The crash occurred amid a period of strong rainfall with two hazard advisories in effect – a flood watch set to expire 4 p.m. Friday as well as a wind advisory slated to end 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Watts said troopers have been “saturated” with calls for service and have had little time for enforcement actions.
“We’ve been pretty busy,” Watts said. “We’ve seen a lot of spin outs, a lot of people losing control and speeds too fast (for conditions).”
On Monday, WSP responded to 48 collisions between Pierce and Thurston counties, Watts said. A quarter of those collisions resulted in injuries, he added.
WSDOT crews have been trying to get ahead of standing water complaints, Watts said, but it’s an ongoing battle as rain continues to pour.
If a driver does hit standing water, Watts advises they switch their car to neutral and let their car ride out the situation until the wheels regain traction.
“As soon as you regain traction again, pop the car back into Drive, and then take control of the wheel again,” Watts said.
That said, WSDOT advises drivers to not drive through standing water if it's hard to tell how deep it is.
About “6-inches of water is enough to knock a person down” and stall most vehicles, according to WSDOT, one foot of water can make a driver lose control of their vehicle, and “two feet of water can sweep a vehicle away — even SUVs and trucks.”
WSDOT also advises drivers to follow detour and closure signs and never drive around a barricade.
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM.
