Collision caused nearly-5 hour back-up on westbound SR-18

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 21, 2023

A westbound collision on State Route 18 caused a traffic backup that last just under five hours.

At 9:43 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20 a box truck heading eastbound on SR-18 attempted to use an emergency turn-around before the Southeast 256th exit near Maple Valley in order to continue onto westbound SR-18.

The box truck was struck by a semi-truck and the driver, a 29-year-old Auburn woman, was ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the box truck sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Harborview in Seattle.

The driver of the semi-truck was left uninjured but the collision caused his vehicle to block the westbound lanes and back up traffic for over a mile. The roadway was blocked for four hours and 44 minutes, though passing vehicles were able to slowly move past the semi-truck.

According to the Washington State Patrol, the box truck was a stolen vehicle and the female driver has been charged with reckless driving.