Chehalis Man Charged With DUI After Hitting Two Women Parked on I-5 Shoulder in Tacoma

A 37-year-old Chehalis man is facing a driving under the influence charge after Washington State Patrol troopers say he drove down the right shoulder of southbound Interstate 5 near 56th Street in Tacoma early Friday, striking a woman's car while she sat parked with her hazards on. The crash sent a 45-year-old Renton woman to the hospital and forced a lengthy shutdown of the freeway during the overnight investigation.

According to a Washington State Patrol release cited by The News Tribune, the crash happened around 12:25 a.m. Friday. Troopers say the Chehalis man was driving southbound on the right shoulder when he hit the Renton woman's idle car, which then struck a third vehicle occupied by a 43-year-old Seattle woman who was also parked on the shoulder. The Renton woman sustained injuries and was transported to a local hospital, the outlet reports.

Washington State Patrol listed driving under the influence as the cause of the crash, per the same account. The Chehalis man was booked into Pierce County Jail and later released around 7 a.m. Friday on $1,000 bail, the report notes.

Freeway Shut Down for Hours During Investigation

The roadway was blocked for two and a half hours while troopers worked the scene, according to the newspaper's report. Overnight closures like this one are a familiar headache for I-5 commuters through Tacoma, where the stretch near 56th Street has seen repeated serious crashes in recent years.

In November 2025, a late-night pickup truck rollover on southbound I-5 near South 56th Street blocked three freeway lanes and ended in a DUI arrest, as reported by KIRO 7 News Seattle. And back in June 2024, a wrong-way driver suspected of DUI caused a head-on collision on northbound I-5 near the same stretch, forcing full lane closures on a night when three separate DUI-suspected crashes in the Tacoma area left two people dead and three hospitalized, KIRO 7 also reported. An even earlier multi-vehicle crash near South 56th Street in August 2022 shut down southbound I-5 for nearly seven hours and backed traffic up three miles to the Tacoma Dome, according to KING 5 News Seattle.

What Charges Could Follow

As it stands, the Chehalis man was booked on suspicion of standard misdemeanor DUI. Under Washington law, a first-offense DUI is a gross misdemeanor carrying up to 364 days in jail, fines up to $5,000, and a minimum 90-day license suspension, according to a legal explainer from Schroader Law. But if the Renton woman's injuries are ultimately classified as substantial bodily harm — which can include broken bones, internal bleeding, or injuries requiring extended hospital care — prosecutors could elevate the case to felony Vehicular Assault under state law, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines, per an analysis from LaCross Law.

Separately, drivers facing DUI arrests in Washington also confront an administrative license suspension process through the state Department of Licensing that moves forward independently of any criminal case, according to Burg DUI Defense. Drivers generally must request a hearing within 20 days to contest that suspension, regardless of whether criminal charges are later modified or delayed.

A Persistent Problem on Pierce County Roads

Washington's Move Over Law also applies to situations like this one, requiring drivers approaching stationary vehicles with hazard lights on multi-lane highways to change lanes or slow to at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit — a rule enacted to protect stranded motorists, according to Carl's Towing. Violations carry a non-waivable $214 fine.

The crash adds to a troubling pattern in Pierce County, which has averaged more than 90 traffic fatalities annually in recent years — a 47% increase over historical baselines — with I-5 through Tacoma identified as a primary crash corridor, per an analysis from The Ye Law Firm. Statewide, preliminary data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission released in May showed traffic fatalities dropped 10.5% in 2025 to 659 deaths, even though impaired driving remained a factor in roughly 45% of all fatal crashes, as reported by the Renton Reporter. Nationally, alcohol-impaired driving crashes killed 11,904 people in 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — on average, one such fatality every 44 minutes across the country.

Friday's crash is the latest in a string of Tacoma-area DUI incidents Hoodline has tracked in recent months, including a Tacoma Democrat's DUI arrest earlier this month and a wrong-way collision on I-5 in May that left three people hospitalized. It remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue enhanced charges against the Chehalis man once toxicology results and a full assessment of the Renton woman's injuries are complete.