Deadly crash on southbound I-5 near West Seattle Bridge exit

(WSDOT traffic-camera image)
MIDNIGHT: A day that began with a deadly crash near the West Seattle Bridge ended with another one. Right now emergency crews are at the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash on southbound I-5, described as “near Tully’s,” which would mean near the West Seattle Bridge offramp – we’re not sure about the precise location yet. At least one death has been reported via radio communications, and at least three medic units have been summoned for survivors. More as we get it.

12:12 AM: Medics have said via radio that six people were involved – one dead, five hurt (at least three of them seriously).

1:29 AM: The two right lanes, and the 6th Avenue S. exit, remain blocked by the crash. No further details about the victims – we’re likely to get some info about ages, vehicles, etc., in a few hours.

ADDED: Seattle Fire photos of the crash scene have been added to the department’s Fire Lines website.

Sam May 2, 2013 (12:08 am)

Was one of the first to the scene. Saw a body on the ground. Five other people in a car. Looks like they slammed into the divider. Lots of injuries

New2WS May 2, 2013 (12:13 am)

Just drove past this… So many fire trucks and emergent medical workers. At least one semi and 3 cars I noticed. One was pretty mangled.

New2WS May 2, 2013 (12:15 am)

And yes– it was right by the Tully’s building. Enough room after to make the exit for our bridge though.

i'mcoveredinbees May 2, 2013 (12:17 am)

Geez. Too much death. :( So sorry for everybody involved. Hope the rest are okay.

J Martin May 2, 2013 (12:19 am)

The car that appeared to have sustained the majority of damage is on the 6th ave exit. The barrier is heavily damaged as well.

mb May 2, 2013 (12:22 am)

Praying for all involved!!!!

Lindsay May 2, 2013 (12:23 am)

Just passed this as medics were still arriving. Worst crash I’ve seen and people were being taken out and on the ground. Right at the exit/Tullys

themightyrabbit May 2, 2013 (12:34 am)

A horrible day. A seasoned bicyclist dead and now this. And idiot protesters downtown. Looking forward to a better day.

TK May 2, 2013 (12:34 am)

Prayed as I passed for all involved. Life is precious

JB May 2, 2013 (12:44 am)

Just passed the site. Huge police scene and fire trucks ambulances at the scene. With Kiro news cameras filming. So, so terrible. Praying for those involved. So sad :(

Bill May 2, 2013 (1:12 am)

Was one of the first on scene…pulled 5 out of car…one dead ejected out of car on ground…bad….one other very badly injured…praying for recovery & for families.

Kristian May 2, 2013 (3:04 am)

I was the first on the scene. It was a horribly sad sight. I saw six in the car and the young girl who was ejected. It appeared that no one had seatbelts on. The car was going so fast when it struck the median. I pray for the family of the girl and am releaved that there were survivors!

Alki Resident May 2, 2013 (5:48 am)

Would that person ejected still be alive had a seatbelt been on or does it matter? I’ve always wanted to know that answer.

WSB May 2, 2013 (6:57 am)

Alki Res – we don’t have specifics of this crash yet. It certainly differs depending on the circumstances. For example, last weekend there was a deadly crash on Highway 99 just south of South Park – we wrote about it for our SP site. A woman in a van was hit and killed by a wrong-way driver. She was wearing a seat belt, according to the State Patrol’s media memo on the crash (one for this one hasn’t come in yet). But there are circumstances in crashes I, or crews working with me in my legacy-media days, covered, in which the seat belt WAS a lifesaver because it meant the person was not ejected, and had a fighting chance because of the air bag, or some other circumstance. I know there is certainly a reason why seat belts are required by law – TR

G May 2, 2013 (7:24 am)

Just horrific. I remember a young woman slamming into the divider at that very place, as she tried to jump in ahead of the line of cars taking the WS exit. Ended up richoting into me, and near totaling my car. A long time ago, but I remember thinking “so this is how it ends.” Be careful at that spot.

Pauline Aldrich May 2, 2013 (8:12 am)

this is a very bad spot always a lot of cars trying to jockey over to exit. we all need to slow down.

NE May 2, 2013 (8:51 am)

For “Alki Resident”: Your chances of surviving a car crash are much higher if you stay inside the car. That is why it is important to wear your seat belt AND lock your doors. Seat belts can fail, and if the doors are unlocked you can be ejected. Because the risk of fatality in a crash is over three times as great for an ejected occupant compared with a non-ejected occupant (i.e., person retained in the vehicle), ejection remains a significant traffic safety problem. The odds of somebody dying when being ejected from a moving vehicle is 85% and increased at faster speeds.

enough May 2, 2013 (9:44 am)

I agree G and Pauline. A lot of gore point violations at these exits, at all times of the day and night. Dangerous, be vigilant.

So sorry to read of another death in Seattle.

Alki Resident May 2, 2013 (10:32 am)

Thank NE .

paparock6969 May 2, 2013 (11:28 pm)

I’m afraid to say I saw this happen. I was on my way from 1 job to another. They were in the left lane. We were doing the speed limit (60mph) in the middle lane. 2 cars in the right lane flew by us. No less than 70mph. When I looked to the left to see how fast we were going, the vehicle flew by us(70-75mph). They hit a depression in the road. I remember seeing the car bounce, the driver lost control, over corrected to the right, came across all 3 lanes directly in front of us and hit the ramp divider. We started to slow down to pull over. As we passed them, the car was still in motion and I saw that poor young girl fly out of the car. By the time we had stopped we were 150 yrds up the hywy at the next exit. We called 911, but we were so far up the hywy, I didn’t want to chance running back thru traffic and saw others had stopped to help. 911 released us to go. My prayers go out to the young girl and her family. I am soo sorry. I feel like I should have done more but it wasn’t in my control to do so. I have actually contacted a counselor because when I am alone in my thoughts I keep replaying that 5 seconds in my mind over and over.

Kravitz May 3, 2013 (11:09 pm)

@paparock6969 – you did the best you could, and the outcome probably wouldn’t have changed if you’d done anything differently. It is a sad and terrible thing, but it is also a reminder to everyone to slow down, pay more attention, and enjoy life in the moment each day. Thoughts go out to all involved.

Elsa May 4, 2013 (10:15 pm)

What was the woman’s name who was ejected from the car? I know she worked at the Fred Meyers in federal way… My heart breaks into pieces because everyone spoke about how kind hearted she was.

Rest In Peace Asha Salim May 11, 2013 (11:37 pm)

@paparock6969 I’m so sorry that you had to witness that. It isn’t fair for you to harbor these thoughts when you couldn’t do anything about it. I personally knew the victim that passed. Her name was Asha Salim, she was probably one of the happiest souls around. I went to school with her, and used to see her daily. Another friend of mine was in the front seat during the accident, his face had to be reconstructed. There were so many factors that led to this accident. There was the the alcohol, the lack of seat belts, and distractions. If a detailed story of what happened from the perspective of those in the car will help you, let me know. I hope that you can let go of this soon and find closure.

Sorry, comment time is over.