Semi-truck collision on I-5 in Tacoma leaves 1 dead

A semi-truck collided with a barrier on Interstate 5 early Tuesday morning, killing the driver and starting a vehicle fire that burned the truck.

Crews from Tacoma Fire Department were on the scene of the crash about 2:15 a.m. on northbound Interstate 5 near Portland Avenue East, according to a tweet from the department. The Washington State Department of Transportation reported the crash at about 2 a.m.

Photos from the scene showed flames coming from the semi-truck. Fire crews said the driver, who has not been identified, was located inside the vehicle and pronounced dead.

The crash blocked the right three lanes of Interstate 5 and the ramp to Portland Avenue for several hours. WSDOT reported the lanes were cleared by 7:10 a.m.

This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Semi-truck collision on I-5 in Tacoma leaves 1 dead."

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription