EVERETT — A crash involving six vehicles and 15 people just after noon Thanksgiving Day sent one woman to the hospital with serious injuries.
None of the other 14 drivers and passengers involved in the crash were badly hurt, though one elderly woman was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, Washington State Trooper Mark Francis said.
The crash happened on northbound I-5 near the Boeing Freeway. Traffic had slowed to about 20 mph when a Dodge Caravan traveling at a faster speed reached the backup in the HOV lane. It’s unclear how fast the van was going. The driver tried to switch into a lane on the right and clipped the back of a Toyota Camry, sending it another lane over where it struck a third vehicle.
The impact with the car flipped the Dodge van onto its roof. It skidded back into the HOV lane, striking at least two more cars. A third car in the HOV lane was hit either by the Dodge or one of the other vehicles, Francis said.
There were 15 people total in the six cars involved in the crash. All were wearing their seatbelts. The driver of the Dodge Caravan, a 35-year-old Kirkland woman, was taken to Providence with serious head injuries.
“The seatbelt actually helped save the driver’s life,” Francis said.
The woman is under investigation for second-degree negligent driving. Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
Traffic was backed up for about six miles while police and medics cleared the scene. All lanes were reopened by 2 p.m.
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