Crime & Safety
Seattle Crashes Cause Major Backups On Interstate 5
Two major crashes in Seattle had southbound traffic backed up for several miles Wednesday afternoon.
SEATTLE, WA — Two major crashes on Interstate 5 in Seattle left southbound traffic moving at a crawl Wednesday afternoon. According to Washington State Patrol, two separate collisions near Pike Street blocked three lanes. One of the crashes involved two semi-trucks and required Seattle Fire crews to rescue a person trapped in the wreck. Seattle Fire medics took a 30-year-old man to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries.
Photos posted by SDOT showed southbound backups building far beyond the crash scene. WSDOT estimated backups stretched at least five miles by 1 p.m., nearly doubling the average drive time. The scene was fully cleared shortly before 1:30 p.m. Seattle's crashes added to a hazardous day on the roads in our region, including a deadly head-on collision near Preston, almost 60 crashes in King County and close to 40 in Pierce and Thurston counties.
#Seattle update: Here's a visual of southbound I-5 at Union St. The 3 center lanes are blocked due to a major collision, but the right and left lanes are still open. Fire, Aid, WSP and IRT are all on scene. Expect delays and use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/g6W5mGj6Hh
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) October 16, 2019
Seeing major backups on I-5 SB due to the collisions at the Convention Center downtown. Please consider using alternate routes and expect delays. @wsdot_traffic pic.twitter.com/UtSA9rjHaC
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) October 16, 2019
#Seattle update: Seeing an approx. 5-mile backup on southbound I-5 due to a collision at Union St and a slight backup on westbound SR 520. Travel times from Lynnwood to Seattle are 53 min, double the average time. Continue to use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/aSZGdEUFyL
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) October 16, 2019
Pierce and Thurston county troopers have handled 25 collisions since 5am this morning... they handled 11 in the same time frame yesterday. Please drive appropriately for the weather and roadway conditions! #Slow4H2O increase your following distance #WipersOnHeadlightsOn pic.twitter.com/W8LBZVYwXg
— Trooper Johnna Batiste (@wspd1pio) October 16, 2019
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