A lost mattress was believed to be the cause of a fatal accident on northbound I-5 in Mountlake Terrace Saturday morning. (Washington State Patrol)

A lost mattress was believed to be the cause of a fatal accident on northbound I-5 in Mountlake Terrace Saturday morning. (Washington State Patrol)

Woman identified in deadly I-5 crash caused by stray mattress

Yohana Ayele swerved to avoid a mattress that fell off an unidentified vehicle. She then crashed into a semi truck.

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A woman killed Saturday in a crash on I-5 in Mountlake Terrace has been identified.

Yohana M. Ayele, 20, of Edmonds, was driving north in a Nissan Maxima around 6:30 a.m. when a mattress fell off of an unidentified truck in front of her. Ayele’s car struck the mattress, then swerved in front of a semi truck. She was killed. No one else was reported injured.

Ayele’s cause of death was blunt-force injuries, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Wednesday.

Police were still searching for the truck that lost the mattress. They believe it could be an older dark blue pickup truck with wooden bed racks. To report a tip to Washington State Patrol, call 360-654-1204.

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