Semitruck driver killed in crash near Federal Way rest area was not wearing a seatbelt
Jul 28, 2026, 6:35 PM | Updated: 6:36 pm
A photo of the semi-truck crash site in Federal Way. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Patrol)
(Photo courtesy of the Washington State Patrol)
A semitruck driver killed in a crash near the Federal Way rest area on Tuesday was not wearing his seatbelt, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).
A car slowed for traffic, and the semitruck driver was unable to slow down fast enough and hit the car in front of him, the WSP report stated.
#CollisionAlert The two right lanes are blocked NB I-5 near the Federal Way Rest Area. Sadly, this is a Car/Semi fatal collision. Expect a lengthy closure. The semi driver is the one deceased. More info to come.
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 28, 2026
The collision occurred at approximately 10 a.m. The road was blocked for around four hours.
The two right lanes of northbound I-5 reopened after being closed due to the crash. At approximately 1:30 p.m., all lanes of northbound I-5 at SR 18 had been cleared, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced.
At the peak of the closure, there was a more than five-mile backup extending into Fife.
CLEARED: This incident on NB I-5 at SR 18 has cleared. All lanes are now open. https://t.co/0p4h1ZeuG3
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) July 28, 2026
Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest
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