White 1998 Dodge Ram pickup on Interstate 5 near Labree Road. / Courtesy photo by Washington State Patrol
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A 54-year-old Centralia man was the driver of a pickup truck that struck the center barrier on Interstate 5 south of Chehalis and was hit by two different semi trucks on Tuesday morning. James P. Holmes was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the Washington State Patrol.
State patrol spokesperson Will Finn said the 1998 Dodge Ram pickup rolled and caught fire.
Firefighters called about 4:10 a.m. to the southbound lanes near Labree Road arrived to find an off-duty Seattle firefighter already on the scene helping the driver.
The collisions shoved the jersey barrier into the oncoming lane where it was struck by a northbound Honda Civic driven by 40-year-old Tony C. Kim of Olympia. Kim was injured and transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.
Both the Dodge and the Honda were described as totaled. Both semi trucks were damaged and towed. Each of the big rigs was pulling two trailers, according to the investigating trooper.
The driver of one of them, from Vancouver, was also transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, according to the state patrol.
The cause of the southbound collision is under investigation.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter