Suspected-DUI crash critically injures one, delays I-5 in Seattle for hours

SEATTLE — Interstate 5 heading northbound had multiple lane closures this morning after a suspected DUI crash injured two people.

The Washington State Department of Transportation first shared the information, reporting that the three left lanes were blocked on the freeway just south of North 85th Street around 3 a.m.

According to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol, a black Tesla carrying two unrestrained passengers struck the barrier on the left shoulder, before crossing multiple lanes to the right side of the road and striking a Volvo with a trailer attached.

A spokesperson with the Seattle Fire Department said that the driver of the Tesla was a 35-year-old woman from Everett who was transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Her passenger was a 36-year-old man from Everett who was also transported to Harborview but in stable condition. Neither one was wearing a seatbelt.

The sole driver of the Volvo was a 28-year-old man from Kent who was wearing a seatbelt, and was uninjured.

While the cause is still pending investigation, drugs or alcohol were reportedly involved in the crash. The woman driving the Tesla is facing charges of vehicular assault and DUI.

All lanes reopened around 6:45 a.m., approximately four hours after the crash first happened.

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