All lanes were blocked on NB I-5 at Steilacoom-DuPont Road after a semi truck collided with a barrier early Wednesday morning, spilling up to 100 gallons of diesel fuel across the highway, according to Trooper Kameron Watts with the Washington State Patrol.
WSP confirmed that nobody was seriously injured, but traffic congestion extended into Nisqually during Wednesday’s morning commute as crews worked to move the semi and clean up the spill.
The collision was first reported just after 3 a.m.
Northbound I-5 approaching DuPont was down to a single left lane for much of the cleanup, while the area to the right was a closed construction work zone.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, “crews were able to separate the double trailers from the semi-truck. While the trailers were moved out of the way, the truck was pushed over into the closed median.”
By 5:30 a.m., all northbound lanes had been reopened, but WSDOT confirmed that there were remaining traffic backups extending into Niqually.
A Washington State Patrol (WSP) report released later that same morning stated that the driver, a 42-year-old man from Ferndale, was injured after the semi truck struck multiple concrete barriers. WSP states the man was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center and is now facing charges of second-degree negligent driving.
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