TUKWILA — Traffic on northbound Interstate 5 was backed up for hours after a semi-truck loaded with vegetables hit a guardrail and came to a stop under the South 178th Street overpass.
Around 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, the Washington State Department of Transportation alerted drivers about the right lane being blocked just north of 188th Street due to a crash.
At the scene, a semi-truck was found under the overpass after taking out the guardrail.
By 9 a.m., police had closed the two right lanes so that emergency services could have room to help the driver.
The semi-truck was heavily damaged and its cargo of vegetables spilled out from the damaged trailer.
According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson, the crash resulted in a serious injury.
Here is a picture from the scene NB I-5 near 178th. This is a one semi serious injury collision. Truck was carrying vegetables. Expect long delays through the area. pic.twitter.com/PwJlUbtqQx
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 7, 2024
By 10:45 a.m., WSDOT announced that only the right lane was closed but traffic was already backed up close to 2 miles.
Eventually, another semi-truck arrived to help transfer the rest of the cargo and begin the cleanup.
There is currently no information on whether the overpass sustained any damage and remains open to traffic.
©2024 Cox Media Group