I-90 accident caused by bucket in road

A loose bucket rolling around in the left lane of Interstate 90 was a factor in a six-vehicle collision at the start of Monday's afternoon rush hour, the State Patrol said.

The pileup sent six people to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Traffic was backed up for miles.

About 3:35 p.m., the driver of a small car slammed on his brakes after spotting a bucket rolling around in his westbound lane on the floating bridge, troopers said. That caused a chain reaction involving a semi truck, two pickups, and three cars.

Troopers said one pickup ended up on top of a car, trapping the driver. The driver of the car was one of four drivers who were trapped in their vehicles and had to be rescued by Mercer Island and Seattle fire departments.

The other pickup was hauling about 20 gallons of paint when it was rear ended by the semi truck, troopers said. Paint splattered all over the roadway and other vehicles.

The vehicle that lost the bucket on the freeway did not stop, troopers said. The State Patrol is asking anyone who might have seen a black 10-gallon bucket fly off a westbound 3:30 p.m., or anyone who can provide any information about the incident, to call 425-401-7788.

The left two lanes of I-90 were closed for about three hours while troopers investigated the collision and the state Department of Ecology cleaned up the paint on the roadway and about 5 to 10 gallons that ran down the storm drain into Lake Washington.

About an hour into the patrol's investigation, traffic was reported backed up about four miles, to Interstate 405.