Traffic paparazzi contributes to massive slowdown on I-5

A bad backup was made worse on I-5 through Everett Monday morning as passing drivers took photos and video of a rolled-over truck carrying cement.

Washington State Trooper Keith Leary told KIRO Radio he grew suspicious when he saw large gaps in the line of cars.

“I started looking at the cars and people are actually holding their cell phones with both hands up against the windshield with the bright flashing light coming on when they’re taking their photo or video. There’s no hands on the steering wheel,” he said.

Trooper Leary said this was a real problem for traffic as crews were trying to upright the overturned truck and reopen the lanes.

“People were swerving, jerking the wheel from the left to the right, almost hitting the concrete jersey barrier at times, coming over and just barely skirting the edge of the cones,” he said.

Leary stopped at least a dozen people who slowed down traffic before the crash. He said one person, whose van was drifting onto the rumble strip, tried to deny it. But most drivers he stopped acknowledged it wasn’t safe behavior.

It’s not only dangerous for drivers and the troopers working to keep people safe, but Leary said that risky behavior could cause another crash and make traffic far worse. In fact, KIRO Radio traffic reporter Danielle Knight said there were five crashes in the area after the truck rolled.

“When we’re behind the wheel of a moving automobile, these things should not be in our hands. Today was an absolute eye-opener,” Leary said.

He didn’t write any tickets on Monday, but said they might consider adding troopers ahead of crash scenes to begin ticketing the paparazzi.