WSP responds to 86 collisions in King County across 20 hours on rainy Wednesday
Sep 24, 2020, 12:03 PM
A semi slid off the side of the express lanes Wednesday. (Trooper Rick Johnson, Twitter)
(Trooper Rick Johnson, Twitter)
Rainy weather and slick roads led to a difficult day for Washington State Patrol on Wednesday, with troopers responding to 86 separate collisions across King County in a 20-hour period.
Trooper Rick Johnson described the sheer volume of collisions as “a pretty high number,” and that he doesn’t remember a day like Wednesday since January.
“Eighty-six is a lot,” he told KIRO Radio. “We had collision after collision — troopers were just responding from one to the other.”
Johnson believes that poor weather conditions were the main contributor to Wednesday’s rash of collisions, with storms blanketing the region for much of the day. That weather has persisted into Thursday, with the National Weather Service in Seattle issuing a warning for rain “heavy enough to cause travel difficulties.” Water is likely to begin ponding on roads as precipitation continues.
Among Wednesday’s traffic incidents was a collision that saw a semi-truck sent off the side of the I-5 express lanes near Mercer Street in Seattle. That had the express lanes entirely closed for the better part of at least six hours, as crews worked to tow the trailer and mitigate a fuel leak from the tractor fuel tank. There was one minor reported injury from the collision to the driver of the semi.
#TrafficAlert SB I-5 Express at Mercer. One semi collision over the barrier hanging over the ramp at Mercer. Minor injury to driver. Avoid Express lanes. Extended ETA to open. @SeattleFire heavy rescue just arrived to secure semi. pic.twitter.com/3CQ9120ltc
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) September 23, 2020
The NWS advises drivers to slow down, use headlights, and leave plenty of space in the event a sudden stop becomes necessary.
