EVERETT — Washington State Patrol troopers responded to two fatal crashes on I-5 Thursday morning.
Around 4:20 a.m., a woman reported she was driving southbound and exiting at 236th Street NE, near Silvana, when she struck a 27-year-old Marysville man in dark clothing. Initial reports indicated the man had run in front of the woman’s vehicle, said Washington State Patrol trooper Heather Axtman.
Then, a little after 6:30 a.m., there was a four-car crash on northbound I-5 in Everett, just north of Marine View Drive. Orlando Venturareyes, of Everett, was driving a 1998 Toyota Corolla when he reportedly lost control and crashed into the barrier. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from his car, according to a news release. He died at the scene. He was 30.
A 50-year-old Tacoma woman was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett with injuries. She was driving a Honda CR-V and crashed into the Toyota.
Another driver tried to avoid the collision and hit a guardrail. A fourth swerved around and was able to drive away from the scene. They were not injured.
The causes of both crashes were under investigation.
With temperatures dipping below freezing overnight, Snohomish County residents awoke to frost Christmas Eve morning — the fourth day of winter. Axtman cautioned drivers to slow down and be careful when roads could be slick.
“If you have to scrape ice off your windshield in the morning, that is a good indicator there will be ice on the road,” Axtman said.
She couldn’t say whether ice played a role in either of the fatalities, but she noted there had been an unusual number of crashes Thursday.
“We have been extremely busy this morning,” Axtman said.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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