Update: Overturned semi-truck cleared from Tacoma highway as backups linger
Update:
The semi-truck wreck on eastbound state Route 512 has been cleared, but traffic backups will take time to ease, the Washington State Department of Transportation posted on X just after 5:30 p.m.
Traffic backups on southbound Interstate 5 approaching state Route 512 extend for about 5 miles, the post said.
Initial post:
All lanes of eastbound state Route 512 are blocked after a semi-truck and trailer crashed at the Interstate 5 interchange, per the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Drivers should use alternate routes to get to eastbound state Route 512 and “plan on long waits” on westbound state Route 512 to get to South Tacoma Way, the department posted on X at 5:05 p.m. Medical aid and towing services responded to the scene.
There were no other vehicles involved in the wreck besides the semi-truck, Washington State Patrol spokesperson John Dattilo said. Medical responders didn’t transport anyone to a local hospital and the driver is OK, he added.
Dattilo said that the “truck may have experienced a mechanical failure” leading to the wreck. The vehicle’s “brakes may have locked up while negotiating the curve” as the driver made a left turn, he said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information about those involved in the wreck and a mechanical failure that may have led to the crash.
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM.
