Semi Plunges 30-Feet Down Onto Dearborn Street

WA DOT, Jan 27, 2005

It was a mess. At 6:05 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, a 50-foot truck carrying bags of soybean powder failed to negotiate the ramp connecting Interstate 90 with Interstate 5. The truck plunged 30 feet down onto Dearborn Street in the middle of Seattle.

"Unbelievably, nobody else was involved," said Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelly Spangler. No other cars were underneath the ramp on Dearborn, and no other cars were involved on the ramp from I-90 and damage to the ramp was minimal. Even the two people in the truck, while seriously injured, survived the 30-foot drop.

But, Dearborn Street was another matter. The remains of the truck lay mangled against a jersey barrier and the soy powder was strewn across the entire street. To make the situation worse, rain began to fall transforming the cargo into a sticky, slippery muck.

Stepping cautiously through the goo was a Northwest Region Area 5 maintenance crew whose task was to clean up the mess after the accident investigators had worked the scene. The clean-up crew was supervised by Vern Johnson and included Maintenance Technicians Ed Simpson, Dan Kerr, Chris Beller, Mike Bradley, John Kronig, and Brent Morgan.

By the beginning of the afternoon rush hour, all accident debris and soybean mush was cleared from the roadway and normal traffic was flowing along Dearborn Street.