Crash on northbound I-5 near Nisqually River Bridge sends motorcyclist to hospital
A motorcycle-versus-vehicle collision sent the motorcyclist to the hospital with injuries and caused congestion on northbound Interstate 5 near the Nisqually River Bridge Wednesday morning, Washington State Patrol says.
About 6 a.m., the motorcyclist, a 32-year-old soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was riding in the far left lane of I-5 just north of the bridge when traffic slowed in front of him, Trooper Ryan Burke told The Olympian. He failed to brake in time due to a combination of blinding sun and speed, Burke said.
He was no longer on the motorcycle by the time it slid into the Honda CRV that had been driving in front of him, according to Burke. The distance from where skid marks started on the freeway to where the bike came to a rest was about 200 feet.
The rider suffered scrapes and cuts to his legs and right arm, Burke said, and a possible broken rib. Medics transported him to Madigan Army Medical Center for care.
The two left lanes of I-5 were blocked initially, then the far left lane, Burke said, and the scene was cleared about 7:20 a.m. The bike was heavily damaged and towed from the scene.
About 7:40 a.m., Washington State Department of Transportation said in a tweet that the collision was causing backups and possible delays from milepost 109 near Martin Way East to milepost 115 near the bridge. It considered the situation cleared in another tweet sent just before 8 a.m.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 8:32 AM.
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