Wrong-way crash blocks all lanes of southbound I-5 in Tacoma, WSP says

A 24-year-old Texas man is facing driving under the influence and vehicular assault charges for his role in a wrong-way crash Sunday morning on southbound Interstate 5 near Tacoma, according to updated information released by the Washington State Patrol.

About 8 a.m., the man was headed north in the southbound lanes of I-5, just north of state Route 512, according to the State Patrol. Troopers say he then crashed into a southbound vehicle with two occupants.

Both the driver, a 48-year-old Renton woman, and her passenger, a 14-year-old girl from the same city, were hurt and taken to area hospitals.

The adult woman was transported to Tacoma General Hospital, while the girl was taken to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, also in Tacoma.

The Texas man was hurt, too. He was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, according to the State Patrol.

The wreck blocked all lanes of southbound I-5 for more than two hours Sunday morning.

During the delay, southbound traffic was diverted off the freeway at 72nd Street and back onto the freeway at state Route 512, Trooper Kameron Watts said.

There also was a wreck in the northbound lanes of I-5 that was unrelated to the wrong-way crash, he said.

This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Wrong-way crash blocks all lanes of southbound I-5 in Tacoma, WSP says."