Updated on: 6/15/2018
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) says a 23-year-old woman was killed in a three-car crash on Interstate 5 that was believed to have involved a drunk driver Wednesday night.
According to WSP officials, troopers received calls about a high-speed collision just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday that occurred in the southbound lanes of I-5 near the Michigan Street exit. Officers responded to the scene to find three vehicles with serious damage and multiple injured people, some of whom were trapped in their vehicles.
Investigators say the three vehicles – a Chevrolet SUV, a Dodge Neon, and an Infiniti G35 – were all headed in the same direction on I-5 when the SUV suddenly slowed down, causing it to be rear-ended by the Neon. That collision then led to the Infiniti rear-ending the SUV.
A female passenger riding in the Neon was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, and the driver of that vehicle was also badly injured. The driver of the SUV and his passenger were also injured in the collision. They were all transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of their injuries.
Drivers in Crash May Have Been Drunk
First responders reportedly attempted to resuscitate the woman at the scene, but she was pronounced dead shortly after they arrived. Medics had to extricate several of the other injured parties from their vehicles before they could be transported to the hospital.
It was reported that WSP Troopers believe the driver of the SUV and the driver of the Neon may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Officials say the two men are likely facing charges of DUI and vehicular homicide for their roles in the fatal crash.
It was also reported that road rage may have played a role, though officials did not elaborate on any specifics. It took WSP investigators nearly 5 hours to collect and process evidence and clear the scene for traffic.