SEATTLE — Two people were injured Tuesday night in separate reports of large chunks of concrete and rocks being thrown onto passing cars driving on I-90 near the Mt. Baker Tunnel, according to the Washington State Patrol and Mercer Island Fire Dept.
“It was very unnerving and scary,” said Aynne Ingram, who was one of the drivers whose vehicle was damaged in the incident. “It seemed like heavy objects were raining out of the sky,” she said. “It was a reaction like Oh my God, someone’s throwing things at us!”
Mercer Island EMTs told KIRO-7 both eastbound and westbound drivers along the I-90 I-5 merge were hit with rocks and concrete. One passenger had to be rushed to the hospital for a significant shoulder injury after the heavy object crashed through their windshield, and another driver called 911 after crossing the floating bridge onto Mercer Island. That driver refused medical treatment, according to the Mercer Island Fire Department.
Ingram said she saw other cars pulled over with severe damage, and she called 911--saying she didn’t feel safe stopping, and was going home. She was told by a dispatcher that an investigator with the State Patrol would call her back.
She says after making three calls, the next day she still had not received a call back to make a report.
“You know this is ridiculous that nobody seems to care and it’s like raining projectiles onto unsuspecting motorists,” she said.
If these reports sound familiar, they are part of a recent increasing trend of objects--from rebar rods to rocks--even rental scooters and bikes being tossed from overpasses onto drivers on both I-5 and I-90. WSP reports 46 recent incidents in the Seattle area.
Ingram said she was frustrated at the difficulty she had making a report for insurance.
“If I call three times to talk to somebody about making a police report for something that could have really endangered my life, they should take it more seriously and get back to me,” she said. “And I don’t think you should have to jump through so many hoops to make a police report.”