Motorcyclist injured when he crashes into construction zone

A 34-year-old Seattle man sped by the signs, arrow boards and bright orange barrels — all meant to alert drivers that two lanes of northbound Interstate 5 were being closed for construction — and smashed his motorcycle into the back of a state Department of Transportation truck on Tuesday night.

Nathan Rolfson, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash, was arrested on investigation of DUI, according to the State Patrol. He is being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

King County Jail records show that Rolfson spent six days in jail last month for a separate alcohol-related driving arrest.

Just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, construction workers were preparing to close two lanes of I-5 in Seattle to begin another night of road work when Rolfson's 2007 Suzuki motorcycle bypassed multiple signs and arrow boards indicating drivers should merge left, and ran through a row of barrels, said Trooper Dan McDonald. Troopers don't know if he was merging onto I-5 from the West Seattle Freeway/Columbia Way onramp, or if he was already driving north on I-5 at the time of the crash, he said.

Rolfson crashed into the back of an attenuator truck, which is used to protect highway workers from errant vehicles, according to the Department of Transportation Web site.

The truck did its job: None of the workers were hit by Rolfson's motorcycle.