WSP says driver in custody, another badly hurt after street racing leads to I-5 crash in Des Moines
DES MOINES, Wash. – Troopers believe two cars that were street racing caused an accident that backed up traffic on southbound Interstate 5 near Des Moines on Tuesday afternoon.
Washington State Patrol trooper Rick Johnson said the driver of a Ford Mustang is in custody and facing felony vehicle assault charges after the crash, which sent another driver to the hospital.
Johnson said the driver of that car, a BMW, is believed to have been racing with the Mustang. That driver’s condition wasn’t immediately available.
The accident had a severe impact on the afternoon commute, with the travel time between Seattle and Federal Way hitting nearly two hours.
Shortly after 4 p.m., the backup stretched 12 miles. All lanes were open by 5 p.m., but WSDOT expected traffic to be miserable as congestion slowly cleared.
The crash happened at about 3 p.m. on I-5 at 216th.
A flatbed truck was also involved, but trooper said nobody in the truck was hurt.