A Tenino man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center and a Chehalis woman was hospitalized in Olympia following a crash involving seven vehicles in Thurston County on Wednesday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The crash on northbound Interstate 5 in Tumwater occurred at about 9:35 a.m. and blocked the freeway for four hours and 40 minutes, the state patrol said in a news release. Troopers initially blocked the entire northbound lanes of the freeway and later allowed a single lane to open as they investigated the scene, The Olympian reported.
Trooper John Dattilo told The Olympian the wreck happened after traffic built up behind a separate two-vehicle collision. He said the two-vehicle collision did not result in serious injuries, fatalities or arrests, The Olympian reported.
"We are grateful for the patience of the drivers that were caught in the backup," Dattilo said.
"Thank you to all the motoring public for allowing us to investigate and we really do hope for a quick and full recovery for the person that was injured."
Daniel G. Curulla, 38, of Elma, was traveling north at mile marker 103 when his Nissan van struck the back of a Subaru driven by Sheryl L. Rogers, 62, of Chehalis, as she was stopped for traffic. Her passenger, Knut I. Larsen, 61, of Tenino, was injured and transported to Harborview following the crash. Rogers was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.
After their Subaru was struck, it collided with a stopped 2023 Ford Escape driven by David C. Pucalik, 35, of Pennsylvania. Pucalik and his passenger, Dequan D. Barnes, 30, of Pennsylvania, were not injured.
The Ford Escape then crashed into a Nissan Versa driven by Daniel T. Gillum, 47, of Fairview, Oregon. He was not injured.
Gillum’s vehicle struck the rear of a Toyota Corolla driven by James A. Casey, 31, of Centralia, and a Freightliner driven by Ivan Muntian, 31, of Gresham, Oregon. Casey and Muntian were not injured.
Katie Scherz, 34, of Olympia, was in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 when her Dodge Journey was struck by debris from the northbound crash. She was not injured.
The northbound vehicles all came to rest in the two left lanes.
All motorists involved were wearing seat belts. Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash, according to the state patrol, which listed the cause of the crash as negligent driving.
Curulla faces possible second-degree negligent driving charges, according to the state patrol.
The Nissan van, Subaru, Ford Escape and Nissan Versa were all totaled while the other vehicles all had reportable damage, according to the state patrol.
