Semi-truck rolls over on I-5 near DuPont on Tuesday, blocking traffic all afternoon
A large semi-truck rolled over on Interstate 5 near DuPont on Tuesday after attempting to avoid a collision. The crash impacted traffic for several hours.
The rollover occurred at about 11:45 a.m. in the southbound lane near Mounts Road, according to a State Patrol press memo. First responders found the truck on its side with its cargo of large paper rolls falling out onto the roadway.
The driver of the truck, a 31-year-old Auburn man, was not injured, but his passenger, a 45-year-old SeaTac man, was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia with injuries.
State Patrol determined the driver of another vehicle caused the collision, according to Trooper Robert Reyer. This driver, a 78-year-old DuPont man, reportedly entered Interstate 5 south from Mounts Road and merged onto the highway in front of the semi-truck.
The DuPont man then slowed his vehicle, prompting the Auburn truck driver to take “evasive action,” the memo says. The Auburn man drove his semi-truck into the embankment on the right, stuck a barrier, rolled over and then came to a rest on the right shoulder.
After the collision, the DuPont man remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation, according to Reyer. The memo says he was not injured.
The right lane of Interstate 5 near Mounts Road was closed until about 7 p.m. At one-point, southbound traffic was backed up north of Joint Base Lewis McChord, according to Reyer.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 1:09 PM.
