I-5 lanes reopen after semi-truck hits overpass in Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — An eye-popping semi-truck crash into an overpass on northbound Interstate 5 early Thursday snarled traffic in Lakewood for hours.

The crash at the exit to eastbound State Route 512/South Tacoma Way was reported by the Washington State Department of Transportation at 2:51 a.m. Three of four lanes were closed until about 6:30 a.m.

All lanes reopened by 6:45 a.m., but traffic was backed up for about four miles at one point.

Photos from the scene showed the semi-tractor in a vertical position against the overpass.

Trooper Robert Reyer said the semi-truck veered off to the right, went up an embankment, flipped onto its side, and hit the overpass, causing its cab to jackknife into a vertical position.

Though the semi-tractor is mangled, Reyer said there were only minor injuries and that driver fatigue may have played a role in the crash.

There is no structural damage to the overpass.

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RAW: Semi-truck crash on I-5 in Lakewood on 6/1/23 The crash happened shortly before 3 a.m. on northbound I-5 in the Lakewood area at the eastbound SR 512 exit.

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