2 dead after wheel flies into van on I-5 in Lakewood. Investigation underway
Two men died in Lakewood on Thursday when a loose wheel flew into the windshield of the van they were passengers in on Interstate 5, state troopers said.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reported the incident on social-media platform X about 5:37 a.m.
Trooper John Dattilo said a 15-passenger van carrying eight people, all residents of Shelton, was northbound on I-5 near the Bridgeport Way Southwest exit when a wheel flew through the windshield. Dattilo said investigators are unsure where the wheel came from.
The wheel struck several passengers.
Martin Mendoza Matias, 55, and Denilso Tomas Lopez, 18, were pronounced dead. They were sitting in the second and fourth row of the van. They were the oldest and youngest of the van’s occupants.
Another passenger was taken to a local hospital and was listed in stable condition Thursday morning. The rest of the people in the van were uninjured, including the driver, Dattilo said.
Traffic through the area was jammed for much of the morning while investigators and first responders were on the scene, with traffic backing up past DuPont.
This story was originally published September 21, 2023 at 8:29 AM.
