I-5 in Tacoma reopens after fatal truck crash

Authorities investigating after semi struck barrier early Tuesday

Part of I-5 was closed in Tacoma, Washington, for several hours Tuesday after a truck driver struck a barrier. (Photo: Washington State DOT)

A fiery crash in Tacoma, Washington, early Tuesday morning killed a truck driver, and part of Interstate 5 in the city was closed for several hours.

Crews had reopened all lanes as of about 2 p.m. PDT.

The driver struck a barrier, Trooper John Dattilo, Washington State Patrol District 1 public information officer, said in a post on X.

Traffic was diverted to off-ramps for several hours, and the Washington State Department of Transportation advised motorists to take alternate routes during that time.

The semi was on its side after the 4:45 a.m. crash, and images from the scene showed it was ripped apart and engulfed in flames.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. The truck driver has not been identified.

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A copy editor for FreightWaves since 2019, Steve Barrett has worked as an editor and/or reporter for The Associated Press as well as newspapers in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Nebraska. He also served as a senior managing editor for a medical marketing company, collaborating with some of the nation's most respected health care organizations and specialists in major markets in New York and Pennsylvania. He earned a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish from the University of South Dakota.