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Wrong-way driver causes fatal 7-vehicle crash on SR 167

By KIRO 7 News Staff
By KIRO 7 News Staff

PACIFIC, Wash. — The Washington State Patrol says a wrong-way driver caused a fiery crash involving seven vehicles that killed two people on northbound SR 167 in Pacific and closed that direction of the highway for hours.

The crash happened just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. WSP got a report that a pickup was headed southbound in the northbound lanes of SR 167 from South 180th Street.

Several miles away, the pickup crashed into a double dump truck semi, a motorcycle and a second semi.

>>PHOTOS: Wrong-way driver causes fiery crash, killing 2

The motorcyclist was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. The wrong-way driver in the pickup was also killed.

Dashcam video from Dimitry Ignatev shows a car merging into the northbound HOV lane, then moving right back to avoid a wrong way driver.

“It was very scary for everybody,” he said.

Several drivers reported close calls.

Pasha Yakovlev’s fiancée, Jennifer, was driving them home from her parents’ house.

“She realized it was an oncoming car, before we got a chance to think about it she just switched lanes very calmly, peacefully and that black truck just flew by us. He wasn’t even slowing down as he was coming

on us,” Yakovlev said.

It happened, he said, in about a second.

“I swear if she was looking down for a second longer we would have not made it, that would have been it,” he said.

They’re now praying for everyone affected, as they reflect on a close call.

“Honestly, I think it was just the grace and mercy of God because it was so sudden. I don’t know what caused her to look up and quickly switch lanes, but honestly it was just his protection over our life. That’s the only conclusion I can come to.”


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Washington State Patrol says a wrong-way driver caused a fiery crash that killed two people on northbound SR 167 in Pacific on Dec. 2, 2020.

NB SR 167 in Pacific blocked after wrong-way driver causes fatal crash Washington State Patrol says a wrong-way driver caused a fiery crash that killed two people on northbound SR 167 in Pacific on Dec. 2, 2020. (KIRO 7 News)

RAW: Trooper Rick Johnson explains events in double fatality crash Washington State Patrol Trooper says a wrong-way driver caused a fiery crash involving seven vehicles that killed two people on northbound SR 167 in Pacific.


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