I-5 lanes reopened after series of crashes near Centralia
Aug 27, 2017, 11:30 AM | Updated: 10:59 pm
Traffic crawls at the Lewis-Thurston county line. (WSDOT image)
(WSDOT image)
A deadly crash early Sunday morning caused a series of smashups that shut down northbound I-5 near Centralia.
State trooper Brooke Bova said the incident unfolded around 4 a.m. when there were four crashes in a row within a roughly 10-mile stretch along I-5. The freeway reopened just before 1 p.m.
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Bova said the first crash involved a semi-truck and three other vehicles. One or more people were injured in that crash.
The second collision, which also caused minor injuries, happened in the backup caused by the first accident. A truck towing a trailer went down an embankment.
Bova said the third crash happened in the backup at milepost 93 when a semi-truck tried to slow and struck two vehicles. The 61 -year old driver of a Hyundai Accent was killed. The semi swerved again and struck three more vehicles. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone else was injured in that crash.
A fourth crash occurred around 10 a.m. in the traffic backup. The driver was arrested for investigation of DUI, according to Bova.
Over a hundred gallons of diesel fuel was spilled on the roadway. A detour is set up at Exit 88. Authorities are asking people to avoid the area if possible.
