Medical examiner identifies truck driver killed in collision with semi on I-5 in Tacoma

A 35-year-old man killed in a collision with a semi truck on Interstate 5 in Tacoma last month was identified Tuesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.

Justin Roberts of Tacoma died Feb. 15 of multiple blunt force injuries, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release.

Roberts was killed when his work truck rear-ended a semi-truck on southbound Interstate 5 just north of 84th Street. Roberts’ death was ruled an accident.

The collision occurred about 2:41 p.m. Washington State Patrol troopers said traffic was slowing for an accident, and the semi-truck was slowing down in the far right lane. Troopers said the work truck appeared to be moving more than 60 miles per hour when it hit the semi.

Roberts was the only person in the work truck. Fire crews extricated him from the vehicle, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 8:16 AM.

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