November 27th, 2009
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Author: MARYSVILLE, Wash. – A Washington State Trooper had to be extricated from his vehicle after being rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver on Interstate 5 near Marysville.
Lanes of northbound I-5 are being shut down intermittently for the investigation, about two miles north of the Seattle Premium Outlets mall.
A state patrol spokesman says the trooper suffered non life-threatening injuries to his leg and back in the accident that happened just before noon.
The driver who hit the trooper is in custody.
It’s not clear when I-5 will be completely reopened.
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skippythedog said on November 27, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Is it really necessary to shut down the entire freeway for an accident on the shoulder that involves only relatively minor injuries?
david5198 said on November 27, 2009 at 1:06 PM
I know that it seems overkill to shut down the freeway for what appear to be minor injuries. One must keep in mind that what at first appear to be minor injuries can, over a short time period, become serious to fatal.
The fact that this involved an allegedly intoxicated driver and a state trooper’s vehicle calls for a very complete accident investigation and scene reconstruction. The only way to do this is to shut down the traffic through the area. There is a lot of potential evidence that is strewn all over the place and this stuff has to be seen in place, photographed, listed and gathered. While this is being done the safety of the investigators must be attended to and this also means a closure to traffic.
What we should all hope for at this point is that the trooper will recover and the delays will be as short as possible.
washingtonapple said on November 27, 2009 at 2:12 PM
May seem like overkill? If it was one of us who got hit the investigation would include a couple photographs, a short written report, and several questions about if we have insurance or were wearing our seatbelt in hopes of giving us a citation as well as the person who hit us. Been there, done that, and this is just another case of police expending massive resources and inconveniencing hundreds if not thousands of people whenever they feel they are protecting one of their own. But never for the average Joe.
midwestcoast said on November 27, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Shutting down the whole highway is b/s. It seems pretty clear cut to me, either the guy’s drunk or he’s not, and clearly either way he hit the cop…so what does shutting down the entire highway have to do with anything.