Traffic & Transit
2 Dead In 3 Puget Sound Crashes Thursday
Serious crashes on major roadways tangled up commutes around the region well into Thursday morning.
BELLEVUE, WA — Thursday morning was a mess for commuters as multiple crashes snarled traffic for hours on several interstates and highways.
⚠️It's been a morning filled with collisions, stuck trucks, you name it. All over the place. We can't tweet out information for everything, but you can get updated details on anything blocking lanes on our roadways from our real-time travel map! ✅Here: https://t.co/z7ZzejWwii pic.twitter.com/2uEpyRADBi
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 3, 2022
First, an early morning crash near Northgate shut down northbound lanes on Interstate 5 from 1 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. Washington State Patrol said the person responsible drove off an overpass and struck two vehicles, leaving one passenger in critical condition. Troopers said the causing driver had minor injuries and was being investigated for suspected impairment.
ALL LANES NORTHBOUND I-5 REOPENED IN SEATTLE ✅We are CLEAR! All lanes on northbound I-5 at Northgate Way in #Seattle and beyond have reopened. Thank you for your patience during this extended closure.@wspd2pio pic.twitter.com/T8fWn8T9no
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 3, 2022
Around 6 a.m., WSP said an SUV collided with a semi truck in the northbound lanes of State Route 167, sending the vehicle over a barrier and onto State Route 18. The driver was ejected and died at the scene. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but detectives said they suspected the driver was impaired.
Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Just before 8 a.m., a crash on Interstate 405 blocked three northbound lanes in downtown Bellevue for nearly an hour.
Later in the morning, troopers rushed to another deadly crash in the southbound lanes of Interstate 405 in downtown Bellevue, just north of Northeast 8th Street. Troopers said one vehicle was involved in the crash, and two lanes would remain blocked while investigators worked at the scene.
Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
HAPPENING NOW We have a collision on southbound I-405 just north of NE 8th Street in downtown #Bellevue. Right now, the off-ramp lane from SR 520 and the right lane on southbound I-405 is blocked. Due to the nature of the collision, this will take a while to clear.@wspd2pio pic.twitter.com/e2bmBoyRFf
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 3, 2022
Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead spoke on the crashes Thursday evening. His statement reads in part:
"Overnight and into this morning were the 54th and 55th deaths in addition to having a young woman still fighting for her life resulting from traffic collisions on local freeways and state highways. These are 55 families forever changed as they grieve the loss of a mother or father, brother or sister, a child or grandchild. These are 55 people that won’t be at the holiday table this year. This is, simply put, 55 deaths too many. And in nearly all of these tragedies, a poor choice on the part of a driver either while driving or leading up to their driving resulted in their death of themselves or the death of someone they didn’t know. These tragedies have to stop, but the only way they can is by drivers making better choices. Choosing not to drive impaired. Choosing not to speed. Choosing not to drive distracted."
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