The Edmonds/Kingston ferry route has reopened following an incident that sent a log truck and its load sliding off its loading ramp, blocking ferry traffic.
The incident happened between Edmonds and Kingston, Washington on Monday, December 28th at around 10:55 a.m.
According to King 5 News, the log truck was attempting to exit the ferry when the back end hit a girder on the ferry, causing the rig to partially lose its load of 80-feet-long logs.
“He was trying to corner and center himself,” said Michael Galligan, who was a passenger on the ferry at the time of the incident. “The first half of the truck made it up. The back half hit the side right where the ramp meets the boat and tipped over.”
Luckily, no one was hurt in the accident, but more than 150 motorists and their passengers were stranded on the blocked ferry for nearly four hours as the logging company brought in equipment to remove the dislodged timber from the ferry.
“We’re really lucky no one was seriously injured or even killed,” said Washington State Ferries spokesperson Ian Sterling. “Obviously, those were really big, heavy pieces of timber.”
Won’t be getting off this ferry soon…#ferry #Edmonds #WashingtonState #pnw #logging #trucks pic.twitter.com/VSLLSiW0H8
— Michael Galligan (@thelastgalligan) December 28, 2020
During the cleanup, those looking to ride the ferry had the option to wait, try the Seattle-Bainbridge route, or drive around from the south end, which takes about two hours.
“Nobody can really remember this ever happening before,” said Galligan. “Everybody’s really bummed out about having to wait so long.”
The incident has since been cleared and the ferry is back in service, but officials are still investigating the incident and have yet to determine whether or not the truck driver will be cited for the accident and subsequent delay.