Driver killed in fiery crash at Mountlake Terrace transit station
Apr 21, 2026, 5:42 AM | Updated: 10:59 am
Screenshot of WSDOT cameras capturing the fiery fatal crash at the Mountlake Terrace transit station. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A driver died after crashing their car into the Mountlake Terrace transit station early Tuesday morning.
The driver, a 43-year-old man from Ferndale, allegedly drove on a bus-only offramp from I-5 and slammed into the building. According to Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Kelsey Harding, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames after the crash.
The northbound ramp of I-5 to the transit station at 236th Street was fully blocked, WSP reported, before reopening later that morning. The crash also disabled the elevator at the Mountlake Terrace transit center, which returned to service before 11 a.m.
🚨N5 ramp to the transit station at 236th St in Mountlake Terrace is fully blocked for a one vehicle fatality collision. The vehicle was previously fully engulfed by fire. Please be patient as troopers on scene investigate this tragic collision. No ETA for the ramp to reopen.
— Trooper Kelsey Harding (@wspd7pio) April 21, 2026
“We don’t know what led up to that,” Harding told KIRO Newsradio. “We don’t have any witnesses who have independent reports of driving behavior prior to or even reports of witnessing the actual collision.”
The transit station has burn scars high up on the structure and an incinerated hunk of metal crumpled below. Sound Transit will soon provide an update on potential damage/impact to the transit center.
“Engineering and facilities folks are on scene to assess any damages and determine operability,” Sound Transit stated at 11 a.m. Tuesday. “Nothing firm yet.”
This is a developing story, check back for updates
Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here.
