Two drivers died in unrelated crashes Friday morning when a driver slammed into oncoming traffic on I-5 near Marysville and a train struck a pickup north of Stanwood.
Two other people escaped injury when a slow-moving freight train hit the front of a semitruck near Maltby.
The three accidents all happened within 90 minutes of one another.
A 67-year-old Oregon man was killed on I-5 about 10:15 a.m. when his southbound Subaru Legacy veered across the median and crossed a three-cable barrier about a mile south of the Smokey Point interchange.
The Subaru smashed almost head-on into a large Chevrolet Silverado pickup traveling northbound in the far left lane, then collided with two other compact cars — a Volkswagen and a Honda — before coming to rest.
The Silverado’s engine was pushed in beyond its front tires by the impact. The driver, a 63-year-old Marysville man, suffered serious injuries, including a broken leg and arm, and was taken to Providence Everett Medical Center’s Colby Campus, said Lt. Jeffrey Sass of the Washington State Patrol.
Investigators were still trying to determine why the Oregon man crossed the median and how fast the cars were moving. The posted speed limit is 70 mph.
All northbound lanes on the freeway were closed for about an hour.
Man killed when train hits truck
The second fatal crash occurred about 11:10 a.m. when an Amtrak passenger train traveling from Bellingham to Seattle hit a pickup straddling a rural crossing north of Stanwood.
The truck was headed to a farm on the other side of the tracks, said Gus Melonas, spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
The train was traveling at its normal speed of 60 to 70 mph when it hit the truck, said Capt. David Bales of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The collision was so forceful that it threw the pickup’s engine into the southbound lane of Pioneer Highway, which runs alongside the railroad tracks. The pickup landed upside down in the drainage ditch below the tracks.
A maroon van traveling parallel to the train smashed into the engine, skidding across the center line and coming to rest just shy of the 5-foot deep drainage ditch on the opposite side of the road.
The van stopped with a significant piece of the engine wedged beneath it. The van’s driver was not injured.
Investigators were still trying to piece together how the crash happened. The pickup appeared to have stopped on the tracks, according to some accounts, Bales said.
"Witnesses say the train blew its whistle more than once," he said. "We don’t know why the truck didn’t move. As you can see, it’s a long, long, straight stretch with a lot of visibility here."
The crossing is marked by a road sign but does not have an electronic signal.
Rob Handshumaker was driving a few cars behind the van when the accident occurred.
"You could hear the train squealing, trying to stop," Handshumaker said.
He said he did not know the man who was killed, but others in the area did. "He was on his way to pick spuds," Handshumaker said after talking to neighbors.
None of the passengers or crew aboard the train were injured.
The train continued on to Seattle after an hour’s delay, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.
No injuries in second train incident
A second train-vehicle collision occurred about 11:40 a.m. Friday near Highway 524 and Broadway.
A semitruck had stopped on the tracks and was backing up when a freight train bumped the front of the truck, Sass said.
The train, which runs freight between Maltby and Woodinville, was going about 10 mph, Melonas said.
The two men inside the semitruck were not injured, nor were the three people aboard the train.
The train was slightly damaged and delayed for about two hours, Melonas said.
All three accidents remain under investigation.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner contributed to this report.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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