Semitrailer driver killed in I-5 crash identified

A semitrailer driver who died in a crash that shut down Interstate 5 for nearly five hours Thursday has been identified as Bradley John Donovan.

Donovan, 46, of Kalama was traveling north when his rig rear-ended a box truck just south of 72nd Street. The box truck then spun and hit a sedan and an SUV, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The semitrailer hit a barrier separating north- and southbound lanes, and the container it was carrying separated from the chassis and hit the semitrailer’s cab. The chassis slid into the northbound lanes while the cab and container came to rest in the southbound lanes.

Donovan was pronounced dead at the scene. The other drivers reported minor pains but did not want to be taken to the hospital. Troopers do not know what caused Donovan to rear-end the other truck.

The collision snarled traffic in both directions until all lanes opened at 4:15 p.m.

This story was originally published May 12, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Semitrailer driver killed in I-5 crash identified."