On December 5, 2017 the Washington State Patrol (WSP) released a collision report detailing the multi-car collision that brought eastbound I-90 traffic to a halt near SR 18 during the December 4th evening commute.
A 27-year old North Bend man is facing a vehicular assault charge after WSP determined DUI as the cause of the three-car collision that sent a 56-year old Auburn man to the hospital. WSP reported from the accident scene that the man suffered possible head, chest and back injuries.
Around 3:40PM, the causing vehicle, a white van, was reported as driving erratically between Issaquah and the accident scene, where WSP said the van was in the second right lane when traffic came to a stop near SR 18. The van attempted to change lanes at the last second and struck a Mini Cooper and then a Dodge Ram truck.
According to the collision report, the van came to rest in lane three facing the wrong direction. The Mini Cooper driven by the Auburn man came to rest in the right shoulder and the pickup truck ended up in lane one facing eastbound.
The causing driver was uninjured and booked into King County Jail. A 28-year old Kent man driving the truck was injured but refused aid. There is no information at this time about the condition of the other injured man. All three drivers were wearing seat belts.
The roadway was blocked for approximately two hours, and traffic took even longer to clear in the usually congested area of the I-90/SR 18 interchange.
WSDOT is in the process of starting a multi-year, $150 million project to improve the interchange in order to alleviate peak commute traffic backups onto eastbound I-90. Weekday evenings, traffic typically backs up on I-90 for about a half-mile to one mile as vehicles wait to merge onto westbound SR 18.
