LYNNWOOD, Wash. – Two semis got into accidents on Western Washington freeways Thursday as the region was plunged into a deep freeze following record snowfall.
The driver of a UPS truck ended up going sideways on northbound Interstate 5 south of Tumwater in Thurston County around 12:30 a.m. and took out several sections of the jersey barrier. The gas tanks on the side of the cab were ripped open, spilling diesel fuel onto the road.
Both directions of I-5 were shut down while environmental teams cleaned up the fuel and Department of Transportation workers replaced the jersey barriers. Northbound traffic is being detoured off at 93rd Avenue to Littlerock Rd. to North Tumwater Blvd and then back to I-5.
In Lynnwood in Snohomish County, another semi ended up on its side in a ditch on the northbound Interstate 405 ramp to northbound I-5. That happened around 3:30 a.m. The cab itself was almost upside down.
Troopers say the driver was taking the big, arcing ramp at 55 mph – too fast for the icy conditions.
The truck was carrying 40,000 pounds of oranges, but none of them spilled out onto the freeway. Diesel fuel from the truck spilled out into the ditch, which environmental teams planned to clean up.
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