A massive crash left I-5 blocked after a semi truck spilled powdered milk over the interstate. The multi-vehicle crash occurred in the southbound lanes near Olympia shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Washington State Police arrived at the crash scene and found a semi truck flipped onto its side and blocking the entire southbound lanes of I-5. The crash involved two other vehicles, a sedan and a FedEx delivery truck. The semi truck was carrying a payload of powdered milk that spilled across the interstate, leaving a huge mess for WSDOT workers to clean up.
“As that vehicle rolled, the container itself was split open when it struck the center median,” said Johnna Batiste, a trooper with the Washington State Police. “It was hauling bags of powdered milk. We’ve got bags of powdered milk, powdered milk, and a busted container.”
The powdered milk crash took place after a fourth vehicle, a pickup truck, seemingly lost control due to excessive speed, swerved suddenly, and caused the semi truck to veer about uncontrollably to avoid another vehicle. The semi truck ended up smashing into the steel barrier between the northbound and southbound lanes before crashing into the FedEx truck. The semi truck then flipped onto its side, spilling the powdered milk across the southbound lanes.
SOUTHBOUND I5 just before 113th is FULLY BLOCKED! And will be for awhile.
Southbound traffic is being diverted to 93rd. Troopers and @wsdot_tacoma will be working to clear out cars that are stuck between the collision scene and 93rd. pic.twitter.com/wBHtx4SXg9
— Trooper Johnna Batiste (@wspd1pio) November 28, 2018
The driver of the FedEx truck was rushed to a local hospital to treat the traumatic injuries he suffered. The occupants of the semi truck and sedan suffered only minor injuries and left the scene of the powdered milk crash by their own cognition. The status of the FedEx driver is unknown at this time.
The powdered milk crash wasn’t cleared until Wednesday afternoon. Southbound traffic was diverted to 93rd Avenue Southwest while the cleanup operation was underway.
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