A Tuesday crash in Washington state involving a semi truck and a mangled passenger vehicle was both nightmarish and miraculous as the motorist somehow survived what could have easily been a fatal crash.
The crash happened around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 16, on northbound I-5 at the Skagit River Bridge in Mount Vernon, Washington.
According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rocky Oliphant, “the car was struck from behind, folded the car in half, and semi came to rest on top of the car.”
Remarkably, Oliphant said that that the motorist somehow survived with “believed to be minor injuries.”
Oliphant said that he was stunned by the level of damage at the crash scene. “There’s really not a word to describe this collision … In my 14 year career, I have never seen anything like it,” he said.
Police did not provide additional information on the cause of the crash.
Visual of the Crash On NB I-5 on the Skagit River (Trooper O’Connell Memorial Bridge) in Burlington. The Semi is on top of a small red passenger car. pic.twitter.com/S199YfoPw7
— Breaking Skagit (@BreakingSkagit) November 16, 2021
Both directions of I-5 were closed as a tow truck worked to move the semi off of the car. All lanes were reopened around 12:30 p.m.
The crash happened as flooding and severe weather caused road closures and made driving dangerous in many parts of Washington.