Overturned car, 4-vehicle collision on I-5 snarls traffic in Tacoma area

Traffic incidents on Interstate 5 backed things up Tuesday morning for drivers commuting out of Tacoma to the north and south, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The first incident was a four-vehicle collision on northbound Interstate 5 at Porter Way that blocked three lanes. That occurred at about 6:30 a.m. About an hour later, a car overturned on southbound Interstate 5 near Lakewood and blocked two lanes. No one was seriously injured in the incidents, Washington State Patrol trooper Robert Reyer said.

Both incidents were cleared from 8:30-9 a.m., according to WSDOT tweets.

The northbound incident near Milton backed up traffic to South M Street in Tacoma, according to WSDOT. Reyer said a driver in a pickup was going too fast and slammed into a car that started to slow down. The car was pushed into the HOV lane and was struck by another vehicle. Reyer said the pickup also went into an adjacent lane after the initial collision and was struck.

All four vehicles were towed. Reyer said the pickup driver was cited for speeding.

The southbound incident happened just past the state Route 512 exit, snarling traffic on both the interstate and the state highway. Reyer said the driver of a car with two passengers was going too fast and was “nodding off” just before the car overturned. He said a passenger noticed the driver was drifting out of his lane, so she tried to turn the steering wheel and likely over-corrected, causing the vehicle to turn onto its side.

Reyer said there was no indication the driver was impaired, but he received an infraction for second-degree negligent driving. No other vehicles were struck.