Multiple crashes snarl Tuesday morning commutes through Shoreline, Redmond

One driver caused multiple hit-and-run incidents on northbound I-5 through Shoreline Tuesday morning, causing massive backups and prompting the closure of northbound I-5 for hours.

Northbound lanes reopened to traffic at around 7:40 a.m.

Trooper Rick Johnson said that Washington State Patrol received reports of a crash at 2:36 a.m. on the freeway just north of NE 145th Street. A second crash happened near NE 155th Street.

“The causing driver traveling northbound rear-ended a Camaro,” Trooper Johnson said. “The causing vehicle then continued northbound and ended up getting involved in a collision with a semi, on the left side, just north of the initial scene. The causing driver got out of the vehicle and fled on foot … the King County Sheriff’s Office located that individual pretty quickly. He is in custody for hit-and-run.”

Should drivers be banned from the road for filming crash scenes?

Johnson said that impairment is suspected, so the driver is also in custody for that. Investigators are determining the level of injuries, which will further determine whether the charges are misdemeanors or felonies.

“We do have two scenes, but it’s all one investigation,” Johnson said. “….We do have two separate collisions that occurred, caused by the same vehicle and neither one of those, the individual stayed at the scene. So technically you have two hit-and-runs, but I’m not sure how that will be charged. That is up to the prosecutor.”

After the causing driver drove away from the Camaro, that car’s driver exited the vehicle and was struck in the roadway by a Scion at low speed. That driver’s injuries are not life threatening.

Investigators used drones to map the extensive hit-and-run scenes.

Traffic was directed off I-5 at the Metro bus base and back on I-5 north of the crashes. KIRO 7 Reporter Rob Munoz saw people turning around and going the wrong direction on the shoulder to get off the freeway.

Seeing people pull this dangerous maneuver right here because of backups — someone else is gonna get hurt on NB I-5 near 145th @KIRO7Seattle @TracyTTraffic pic.twitter.com/Gzg9A6iXCy

— Rob Munoz (@RobKIRO7) July 16, 2019

Second crash snarls morning commute

Another traffic incident was reported Tuesday morning in Redmond, shortly after 4:50 a.m. KIRO 7 TV reports that a man was killed in a crash on Redmond Fall City Road.

How long does it take to clear a crash scene?

It happened just west of Northeast Ames Lake Road at about 4:50 a.m. As of 6:45 a.m., the crash was blocking all lanes in both directions of SR 202. The crash investigation lasted for several hours.

The crash east of Redmond involved a semi-truck and a car. The driver of the car, a Renton man, died at the scene.

Troopers said the car was heading eastbound when it went into the westbound lane and struck the semi head-on. The semi came to rest against a guard rail and is leaning over but being supported by a bank of trees.

The semi truck driver was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

It is not known what caused the driver of the car to cross the center line.

KIRO 7 TV, KIRO Radio, and MyNorthwest contributed to this article.

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