Crash between a car and 2 semis blocked I-5 for hours, spilled oil near Olympia
Troopers arrested a driver on Interstate 5 early Thursday following a semi-truck wreck that spilled oil onto the road.
The wreck occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on northbound I-5 at milepost 104 near Custer Way, Trooper Cameron Watts said. It involved two semi-trucks and a 2014 Honda Civic, he said.
The Honda driver stopped in the middle of the northbound lanes, according to a Washington State Patrol press memo. A truck driver in the same lane then struck the Honda from behind and struck another truck in an adjacent lane, per the memo.
The Honda and the truck blocked the middle lane while the second truck stopped on the right shoulder, according to memo.
About 10–15 gallons of oil spilled from one of the trucks across multiple lanes, Watts said. Troopers and road crews blocked lanes two and three for about three and a half hours for a clean-up operation, he said. The oil spill reportedly spanned an area of about 5-feet by 20-feet. Traffic got by on the right lane during the closure.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation, per the memo. However, troopers suspect the Honda driver caused the collision while driving under the influence, Watts said.
The Honda driver, a 20-year-old Lacey man, was injured in the collision, per the memo. First responders reportedly transported him to MultiCare Capital Medical Center in Olympia.
The Thurston County jail log shows troopers booked the driver on suspicion of driving with a suspended license early Thursday.
Neither truck driver suffered injuries, per the memo. One truck driver drove away from the scene, but the other needed a tow, Watts said.
Road crews cleared the scene before 5 a.m. Thursday, the Washington State Department of Transportation shared on X. The roadway was blocked for just over four hours in total, per the memo.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include information from a Washington State Patrol press memo.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 9:44 AM.
