State trooper injured when his car hit by suspected drunken driver on I-5

A Washington State trooper was injured today when his car was hit by a suspected drunken driver on Interstate 5 near Marysville.

The accident occurred about two miles north of the Seattle Premium Outlet Mall at milepost 204 about 11 a.m. today.

According to trooper Keith Leary, the trooper, on speed patrol, had pulled his unmarked car over to the left shoulder when a car driven by a Ferndale man, 50, lost control of his car, crossed lanes of traffic and hit the right side of the trooper's vehicle.

The driver was arrested on charges of suspected drunken driving and was taken to Providence Medical Center in Everett before being booked into the Snohomish County Jail on charges of vehicular assault.

The man's wife and two daughters were in the car with him but weren't injured, Leary said.

The officer had to be extracted from his vehicle and was taken to Providence hospital with neck and back pain. The accident closed one lane of Interstate 5.