Trucker Dies After Container Detaches From Chassis, Crashes Into Cab

A truck driver lost his life yesterday during a multi-vehicle crash on I-5 in Tacoma, Washington.

The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. on I-5 at 72nd Street. The Washington State Patrol says that a semi truck driver was driving north on I-5 when he failed to brake for slowed traffic and rear ended a box truck. The box truck then crashed into two passenger vehicles.

The crash with the box truck caused to semi to collide with a Jersey barrier separating northbound I-5 from the southbound lanes. This collision with the Jersey barrier then caused the container to dislodge from the truck’s chassis and to crash into the semi’s cab, fatally injuring the truck driver.

The cab of the truck and the container came to a rest in the southbound lanes while the chassis was in the northbound lanes.

The truck driver died at the scene. Several other people suffered minor injuries in the crash.

I-5 was shut down in both directions for the crash, causing miles-long traffic backups. Transportation officials reopened all lanes around 4:30 p.m.