SEATTLE, WA — A 35-year-old Everett man was arrested early Tuesday after a multi-vehicle crash that killed one person on Interstate 5 in north Seattle, reports King 5.
The wreck occurred on the southbound interstate at Northeast Northgate Way, in the city’s Northgate neighborhood. It was first reported by the Washington State Department of Transportation at 3:25 a.m.
According to Washington State Patrol trooper Rick Johnson, two semi-trucks and two passengers were involved. The four vehicles were going southbound on the interstate when the suspect’s vehicle, which had been traveling at a high rate of speed, lost control.
The WSP said the speeding vehicle collided with other vehicles and came to rest in one traffic lane before it was struck by another vehicle. The impact of that crash sent the causing vehicle out of control until it slammed into a Jersey barrier and then a light pole.
Officials confirmed one male driver, a 47-year-old resident of Surrey, British Columbia, died as a result of the crash.
No other injuries have been reported.
The causing driver, who was found to have two cases open in Seattle Municipal Court for “speeding in a school zone” and an HOV lane violation, was taken into custody. Authorities learned he also received multiple charges in Snohomish County for DUI and “driving with a suspended license.”
A section of the southbound interstate was blocked for nearly five hours during the response and investigation, causing a six-mile traffic backup.
The WSP, WSDOT, and Seattle Police were all at the scene.
By 12:30 p.m., only a right lane remained blocked, and by 3:20 p.m., all lanes were reopened to normal traffic.
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