Another crash raises cable-barrier issue

A fatal crossover collision Sunday morning on Interstate 5 near the King-Pierce county line backed up northbound traffic for six miles and fueled new questions about the safety of cable-median barriers.

An Acura traveling south at speeds up to 100 mph drifted to the left shoulder about 8:30 a.m., hit cable barriers and went through the median into the northbound lanes south of Porter Way, according to the State Patrol. The Acura struck a Nissan in the left lane and then a Blazer in the middle lane. The Blazer, in turn, was thrown into an Oldsmobile.

The driver of the Acura, a 21-year-old male, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and the Blazer's driver was taken to a hospital with neck pain. The drivers of the other vehicles were not injured, police said. The State Patrol closed all northbound lanes for about four hours, diverting traffic to 54th Avenue East in Milton.

Sunday's fatal accident — the first in the state involving a cable-median barrier outside the Marysville area — triggered fresh questions about the barriers, a highway-safety strategy that Washington and at least 24 other states have adopted.

A review of freeway cable barriers ordered by Gov. Christine Gregoire and issued July 2 concluded that except for a 10-mile stretch of I-5 in Marysville, they "have performed excellently and saved many lives on state highways in Washington."

Cliff Pratt, a state trooper, said it appeared at least one of the cables was severed in Sunday morning's crash.

"We're seeing too many cable-barrier crossover fatal accidents," Pratt said. The cable barriers cost less than concrete barriers, but "if the money saving is coming at the cost of lives, that's not going to work for us," he said.

The state Department of Transportation is in charge of the cable barriers. Paula Hammond, the incoming interim transportation secretary, said her agency would investigate Sunday's crash to learn more about how the crash occurred. Hammond, who visited the crash scene, said she was not aware of any cable being cut in the accident.

"The cables themselves remained intact but seven posts were wiped out," she said. "Anytime you have an individual that's driving at that speed, we're concerned that no amount of cable barriers, concrete or guardrails could have stopped him."

The cable barrier is tested to handle impacts of up to 62 mph.

"It was the driver error that caused the death, not the cable-median barrier," Hammond said in response to Pratt's comment.

Cable barriers were installed in 2001 where Sunday's crash took place, Hammond said. Before Sunday, there had never been a fatal crossover collision there, she said. By contrast, there had been three fatal crossover accidents along that stretch during the five years before the installation of the cable barriers, she said.

Interest in cable barriers has risen after a series of crashes.

Since 2000, eight people have died in crossover crashes along a 10-mile stretch of I-5 in Marysville, and seven of those deaths involved going through cable-median barriers. Family members of at least three victims are suing the state for $10 million, citing the cable barrier as a contributing factor in the collision.

Median-crossover collisions account for about one-fifth of disabling injuries and fatalities on state highways, according to the July 2 report.

State officials say a cable barrier works 95 percent of the time.

By the end of last year 135 miles of cable barriers had been installed, and an additional 50 miles will be completed by 2008, state officials say.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com