One dead, several injured in chain reaction crashes on I-5

A 23-year-old Tacoma man died and a five-year-old boy was critically injured in a multi-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 5 Monday night that began when the man and another driver swerved to avoid a large tarp in the roadway, setting off a chain-reaction collision. The boy and three other people were taken to local hospitals.

According to the State Patrol, Sandy James Harmon was just north of 56th Street in Tacoma around 7:30 p.m., when he swerved to avoid the tarp; his vehicle collided with another car whose driver, Mathew Duran, 18, also swerved, said Trooper J.J. Gundermann. The collision sent Harmon's vehicle spinning off to the left, where it was struck by a large tow truck that was towing a Sound Transit bus, he said.

The tow truck, driven by Jerry Hawbaker, 38, of University Place, pushed Harmon's vehicle into the concrete jersey barrier and then veered to the left, striking a pickup driven by Pat Davis, 37, of Spanaway. Hawbaker's truck went through the jersey barrier, pushing one of the barriers into northbound lanes and causing it to hit a car driven by Carla Levell, 51, of Fife, Gundermann said.

Harmon was fatally injured in the crash and died at the scene, Gundermann said. The five-year-old boy, who was seated behind Harmon, was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital with life threatening injuries; an infant girl, who was in a baby seat in the backseat with the boy, appeared to be uninjured, but was also taken to the hospital as a precaution, he said.

Christina Wheeler, 24, who was in the front passenger seat of Harmon's vehicle, was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Gundermann said. The relationship between Harmon, Wheeler and the children was not clear.

Levell, the driver who was on northbound I-5 and was struck by the jersey barrier, was also taken to St. Joseph's with non-life threatening injuries, he said.

Two lanes of both southbound and northbound I-5 were closed until early this morning as the collisions were investigated.

Accident investigators believe the large maroon tarp that was in the roadway came from a commercial truck and had probably been used to cover a load, Gundermann said. The Patrol is asking anyone with information about where the tarp came from to call 253-536-4386.