Fatal semi-truck collision on I-5 ramp near JBLM closes lanes, causes miles of backups
Update, 2:45 p.m.: The man killed in the collision was a 57-year-old Tacoma man, according to the Washington State Patrol. Lakewood police said a 16-year-old boy in the car that crashed into the semi-truck was booked into Remann Hall, Pierce County’s Juvenile detention center, on suspicion of vehicular homicide, first-degree robbery, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Police said the second person in the car, also 16, remained at a hospital Thursday afternoon to be treated for injuries.
Just before 2 p.m., crews finished removing the largest of the cargo that spilled from the semi-truck, four large rolls of aluminum tin foil that each weighed more than 14,000 pounds, according to transportation officials. Crews still need to move the vehicle before the on ramp is reopened.
Update, 9 a.m.: Lakewood police said the deadly collision occurred when two boys suspected of armed robbery in Tacoma fled from Lakewood officers and crashed into the semi-truck, ejecting its driver. The boys were taken into custody.
Assistant Chief John Unfred said there were three suspects in the robbery, and officers spotted the suspect vehicle in Tillicum at about 5:30 a.m. He said officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled at high speed and collided with the tractor-trailer within 10-15 seconds. The driver was thrown from the ramp onto the interstate below, according to Unfred. He said the person was transported to Madigan Army Medical Center and pronounced dead.
Original story: A fatal semi-truck collision Thursday morning on a ramp to southbound Interstate 5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord led to lane closures and miles of backups, snarling traffic for commuters.
The crash was reported at about 5:37 a.m. on the ramp from Berkeley Street Southwest to southbound Interstate 5, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Two right lanes were closed until about 7:15 a.m. Officials said exits to Berkeley Street and Thorne Lane remained closed, and access to JBLM’s Madigan and Logistics gates was cut off.
Commuters should expect long closures due to the incident. Traffic was stop-and-go for nearly seven miles, with backups extending past 96th Street South in Lakewood, according to WSDOT’s travel map.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the collision occurred. The Washington State Patrol said the semi-truck driver was pronounced dead, and photos showed the vehicle slightly hanging off the on ramp.
Transportation officials estimated the collision investigation would be done by about 10 a.m. Then, they have the complicated task of removing the vehicle and clearing debris. First responders were containing a fuel spill, and they’ll have to clean up the spilled contents of the vehicle.
This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 7:49 AM.
