All lanes are back open on northbound I-5 near the King/Pierce County Line after a 21-car pileup caused backups for hours during the Monday morning commute.
According to Trooper Kameron Watts with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), there was debris in the roadway that originally caused a 10-car pile-up, but that quickly escalated to approximately 20 vehicles being involved.
The crash was first called out around 5 a.m. this morning, according to Trooper Watts.
As of 5:51 a.m., WSP says that multiple cars with flat tires were pulled off to the right shoulder with tows and WSP troopers en route, and that only one involved party had been taken to the hospital so far.
Traffic was only getting by in the far right lane. At around 6 a.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported there was about a 4-mile backup from the King County line to the Puyallup River due to the collision. WSDOT told drivers to pack their patience as the incident would likely take a while longer to clear.
By around 6:30 a.m., Trooper Watts confirmed that the total number of vehicles involved was 21, with just one person taken to the hospital. Nobody else complained of injuries, the trooper added.
According to Trooper Watts, most of the collisions were car vs. debris, and some were minor car-to-car collisions. For context, he added that the debris on the roadway was a car part, such as a muffler or bumper, that was lost from a car from a previous collision that happened before 5 a.m.
Just before 7 a.m., WSDOT reported that three lanes were reopened, but the HOV and left lane remained closed. WSDOT asked that drivers please slow down and give crews the room they need to work.
By 9 a.m., all lanes had reopened.