Seattle man falls asleep behind wheel, rams into State Patrol car

A 20-year-old Seattle man fell asleep at the wheel early this morning and rear ended a State Patrol cruiser that was parked on a shoulder on Interstate 5.

Around 1:20 a.m., a 27-year-old trooper was waiting at a long, triangular shoulder next to a freeway on-off-ramp on northbound I-5 to the Northeast 85th Street exit after receiving a 911 call about a possible drunk driver, said Trooper Kelly Spangler.

The 20-year-old driver, who was in a Chevy Cavalier, fell asleep and slammed into the back of the trooper's cruiser, Spangler said. Both men suffered minor injuries. The crash is being investigated and so far, there are no pending criminal charges, Spangler said.

The suspected drunk driver was never caught, she added.

Last year, three troopers who had parked on freeway shoulders were injured when they were struck by other vehicles traveling on I-5 and Interstate 405, Spangler said.