A young man's stroll onto a freeway ended in a violent encounter with a moving semi-truck this morning on Interstate 5 in Mountlake Terrace. KOMO News reports that the incident took place near 220th Street SW, when the 22-year-old from Marysville was struck by the truck while allegedly under the influence.
The collision occurred around 1:30 a.m., according to HeraldNet. Originally thought to be a hit-and-run, the truck driver, identified as a 29-year-old from Covington, had swerved to avoid the pedestrian but, despite this effort, the trailer hit the man. Swerved to avoid hitting the man, the driver lost control of his semi.
KIRO 7 obtained a statement from Trooper Kelsey Harding of the Washington State Patrol, who clarified that the semi driver did pull over following the accident, moving the large vehicle out of the way before walking back to assist the injured pedestrian. They initially suspected different vehicles due to initial misreports, but the driver had indeed stopped to help.
While the full extent of the pedestrian's injuries was not immediately clear, he was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries. The freeway, compromised by the necessary investigation that blocked the two right lanes for hours, returned to its regular flow around 4:30 a.m., waiting for the authorities to clear the scene and reopen the lanes.
