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聽of smashups that shut down northbound I-5 near聽Centralia.
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聽the first crash involved a semi-truck and three other vehicles. One or more people聽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聽crash happened in the backup at milepost 93 when a semi-truck tried to slow and struck two vehicles.聽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聽set up at聽Exit 88. Authorities are asking people to avoid the area if possible.
