British Columbians travelling south to Washington state faced major traffic delays after a serious multi-vehicle crash shut down I-5 near Mount Vernon, Washington on Saturday morning.
According to Washington State Trooper Mark Francis, seven people were injured when a semi travelling south on I-5 at around 8:45 a.m. crossed into northbound lanes after the driver suffered a medical emergency. Two were airlifted to hospital.
Three Canadian vehicles–two from B.C. and one from Alberta–were involved. One B.C. trucker had the back of his trailer clipped by the out-of-control truck.
Authorities say the truck was hauling a mixture of clay and gravel and traveling southbound when it broke through a cable barrier in the median into the northbound lanes.
“It was bumper-to-bumper traffic, and then … it was like the semi just flew over the whole median and there was dirt everywhere,” witness Bobby Grace told KOMO-TV. “So much dirt, it was like a sand storm. It was astonishing.”
Before the crash, traffic was slowed for the shooting investigation. Troopers were called to the area and found two men in their 20s dead inside a vehicle just after 3 a.m., the Seattle Times reported.
Northbound traffic on I-5 was closed for much of the day, but was re-opened around 6 p.m.
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– With files from The Associated Press
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