Military transport vehicle rolls on Interstate 90 in Spokane Valley, injuring two passengers

A small convoy of Army Reserve troops had to engage in maneuvers they did not expect Wednesday when a large transport vehicle left Interstate 90 and rolled onto its top in Spokane Valley.

Capt. Nathan Pfeifer said the small convoy of military vehicles was traveling from Hayden when the rollover occurred.

"The Army will initiate an investigation, but it sounds like a mechanical failure," Pfeifer said.

The driver and a passenger in the vehicle, mostly known by its acronym, HEMTT, were transported to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center to get checked out. Pfeifer said he could not speculate as to the seriousness of the injuries.

"That's my next mission, to get to Sacred Heart," Pfeifer said at about 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday. "I don't like my guys getting injured."

A Washington State Patrol trooper at the scene declined to provide details and said his agency would be issuing a news release.

The HEMTT, which stands for Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, was traveling to the Yakima Training Center, which is part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Pfeifer said he was limited about what he could say, but indicated that the Army Reserve unit from Hayden was headed to Yakima for training when the rollover occurred.

The HEMTT, which comes in several configurations from tanker to wreckers, is a 10-ton, eight-wheel, diesel-powered vehicle. Crews were busy at about 1:25 p.m. loading crates from the crashed vehicle into other support vehicles that were part of the original convoy.

A second HEMTT, equipped with wrecker-towing equipment that was part of the original convoy, was used to help roll the wrecked vehicle and get it back on its wheels.

The incident occurred just past the two westbound offramp lanes for Sullivan Road, with the HEMTT coming to rest upside down on the earthen berm just past the offramp.

Emergency crews from the Washington state Department of Transportation and WSP Troopers lined the median of the interstate. Traffic was able to flow past the crash site, although several motorists slowed as they passed.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.