By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A Rochester man is dead after a multiple vehicle collision on Interstate 5 about five miles north of the Grand Mound interchange occurring just before 3:50 a.m. today.
Troopers called to the scene near milepost 93 in the northbound lanes indicate the 61-year-old was driving a 2011 Hyundai Accent that was totaled. His name was not released.
A 2013 Volvo tractor-trailer was approaching stopped traffic because of an earlier blocking collision ahead and struck another semi truck in front of him, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The Volvo continued to hit the Hyundai and three more vehicles in the adjacent lanes, according to the state patrol. Nobody else was injured, the investigating trooper reports.
Seven vehicles in all were involved and some were able to be driven away from the scene; others were towed.
The roadway was blocked for eleven hours. The wreck is under investigation.
West Thurston Regional Fire Authority reports the earlier collision – approximately 2:10 a.m. – near northbound milepost 94 involved multiple vehicles, including a semi, at least one injury and also a car that caught fire.
Trooper Brooke Bova tweeted there were multiple crashes in the backups including a motorist who was arrested for driving under the influence.
Meanwhile, firefighters responded to a three-vehicle collision on state Route 6 near Curtis Hill Road about 9:30 a.m. today. Lewis County Fire District 6’s DJ Hammer tweeted that one patient was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital.
And yesterday, the driver of a Honda Accord was airlifted after a two-vehicle wreck on southbound Interstate 5 near milepost 68, the Avery Road and U.S. Highway 12 interchange in Lewis County.
Troopers called at 1:23 p.m. yesterday say a 2008 Honda Pilot was traveling at a reckless speed when it struck the Honda in the rear.
Gold E. Obi, 26, of Tacoma, was injured and flown to St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The driver of the Pilot, Kim C. Mao, 50, of Longview, had a 3-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl in his car, but none of them were hurt, according to the state patrol. Charges of vehicular assault are possible for Mao, according to the patrol.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
We drove by the accident just south of the Exit 68 interchange very shortly after it happened and it was amazing anybody in that little Honda car survived! The person in the driver’s seat was still in the car and appeared to be talking to the officer there. That Honda pilot was literally parked in the back seat of the little Honda sedan! The front wheels were up into the trunk of the little Honda sedan and the bumper was in the back seat right against the front seat. If anybody has been in the back seat of the little Honda, they would have been crushed flat for sure. That lady driving the Honda pilot should be tossed in jail and the key thrown into the Columbia River! What an idiot to be driving like that with 2 children ages 5 and 3 in the vehicle!!! I hope CPS is paying attention here!!! How can a person put children in jeopardy like that? She is a monster!