A Washington State Patrol trooper escaped injury early Sunday when a suspected impaired driver slammed into an unmarked patrol vehicle on southbound Interstate 5 near Des Moines. The incident represents the third time a state patrol vehicle has been struck along the freeway corridor in just ten days, underscoring ongoing hazards for emergency responders working along major roadways.
The collision occurred as the trooper was positioned behind a stalled vehicle to shield it from oncoming traffic. Two teenage girls, who were the driver and passenger of the disabled car, were standing safely on the highway shoulder while the trooper assisted them.
According to the Washington State Patrol, a 21-year-old driver stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord crashed a Honda Civic into the trooper’s unmarked Ford Explorer. The force of the rear-end impact pushed the patrol vehicle directly into the disabled car. While the trooper and the two teenagers avoided injury, the 21-year-old driver and two passengers in the Civic sustained injuries and were transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Immediate updates on their medical conditions were not available.
Sunday’s crash follows a rapid succession of patrol-vehicle strikes across the Puget Sound region. Troopers have documented two other vehicle strikes in the past ten days alone: one on southbound I-5 near state Route 520, and another on northbound I-5 near South 272nd Street. Agency data indicates that across the first nine months of the year, 64 Washington State Patrol vehicles were struck during traffic enforcement stops or collision investigations, resulting in 19 injured troopers. Those figures exclude incidents recorded in October and November. The extreme dangers associated with secondary highway collisions turned fatal in December, when Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting was struck and killed outside her patrol vehicle while investigating a two-car crash.
State law mandates specific precautions for motorists approaching emergency vehicles, tow trucks, and highway work zones displaying flashing lights. Under Washington’s “Move Over” law, drivers traveling on multi-lane highways must safely vacate the lane closest to an emergency vehicle. If changing lanes is not safely possible due to traffic or weather conditions, motorists are legally required to reduce their speed to at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit.
