SOUTH TACOMA, Wash. — The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were fully blocked in South Tacoma early Friday morning after a multi-car crash involving a semi-truck.
According to Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Kameron Watts, the collision happened around 2 a.m. and involved 8-10 cars. Luckily, WSP confirmed there were no major injuries to report, but the ETA for when this will clear up is still unknown.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) specified that all northbound lanes of I-5 at milepost 129 near South 72nd Street/South 74th Street were blocked until further notice.
All northbound traffic was being diverted off the highway to South 72nd Street/South 74th Street.
One southbound lane in the area also remained blocked at 5 a.m., but traffic was still able to get by.
WSP Trooper Kameron Watts confirmed the chain of events to KIRO 7 later that morning.
According to the WSP report, the causing vehicle in this collision struck a light pole, which fell into the roadway. The causing vehicle then entered the opposing lanes of traffic, where it ended up in a ditch.
During this ordeal, it started a chain of other collisions. Multiple SUVs, sedans, a pickup truck, and a semi truck were involved, with seven of the involved vehicles having reportable (significant) damage. Other vehicles were involved, but did not have any reportable damage and drove away from the scene.
Nobody was arrested, WSP confirmed.
As of 7 a.m., crews were still working to remove debris and one of the involved vehicles, as well as fix a barrier that was knocked out of alignment.
WSDOT and WSP crews say they’re working to reopen as soon as possible, with no ETA yet.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the morning.