24-vehicle crash closes EB I-90 near Vantage, injures 13

VANTAGE, Wash. — Thirteen people have been hurt in a crash involving 15 cars and nine semi-trucks that closed Interstate 90 near the Vantage Bridge in Eastern Washington.

The crash occurred on eastbound I-90 about 11 a.m. The eastbound lanes are closed at milepost 115 near Kittitas and the westbound lanes had been closed near the Vantage Bridge. The westbound lanes reopened shortly before 1 p.m., but the state Transportation Department said the eastbound lanes would remain closed until smoke from wildfires clears and there is better visibility.

See photos of the crash scene here.

The state Department of Transportation said there was limited visibility from smoke and dust over the interstate when the chain-reaction crash occurred, but the Washington State Patrol said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

Trooper Darren Wright said the crash happened around milepost 127. Wright said the dust storm was caused in part by a fire that happened two days ago.

Wright said, “We had a brush fire that started in the median that was started from a motor home fire the other day, two days ago. That caught the brush on fire, and now there’s no vegetation to hold the dirt down. And the wind’s picked up and has blown the dirt from that ground across the roadway.”

Five women, two girls and two men were transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center.  Four others are at Kittitas Valley Healthcare in satisfactory condition.

Wright said five of the 13 people had serious injuries.

One woman, Sharon Glockner, said she and her husband were in a car in the middle of the wreck, but they escaped unharmed.

“All of a sudden, there was all this smoke and dust. You couldn’t see two feet in front of you,” Glockner said.

She said she then heard brakes screeching and the sound of cars crashing. Glockner sent KIRO 7 pictures of semi-trucks that had jackknifed behind her.

“I thought I was dead,” Glockner said. “I felt thankful to be alive, because there were a lot of people that they were cutting out of vehicles – a lot of major injuries.”

Drivers at the milepost 115 exit  are being detoured onto the Old Vantage Highway.  Once drivers are on the exit they will experience about a two-hour delay due to the amount of traffic using the detour, the State Patrol said.

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