I-5 crash backs up traffic for 7 miles; boy seriously hurt

A seven-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 just south of the King-Pierce county line Saturday morning left a 14-year-old boy seriously injured and closed all southbound lanes of the freeway for more than five hours.

At its worst, traffic on southbound I-5 was backed up seven miles, nearly to Kent, said Lauren Penning, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation. Highway 18, to which traffic was diverted, was gridlocked in both directions between I-5 and Highway 167, and northbound I-5 was backed up for three miles, she added.

The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. when a northbound car swerved to avoid a car stopped in traffic, State Patrol spokeswoman Brandy Kessler said. It rolled and jumped the median into southbound traffic, creating a chain-reaction crash that eventually involved seven vehicles.

The 14-year-old boy, a passenger in the northbound car, sustained life-threatening head injuries and was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. He was not wearing a seatbelt, the State Patrol said. Six others were injured less seriously

Investigation and cleanup of the accident was finished at 3:40 p.m., when all lanes reopened, Penning said.