Benton deputy hurt in crash on icy highway — one of 16 wrecks in 3 hours
A Benton County deputy and another man were hurt after early morning fog mixed with freezing temperatures sending cars skidding Thursday.
Deputy Randy Loyd blocked the left lane in the westbound lanes of Interstate 182 shortly before 5 a.m. as police investigated another crash near Keene Road, the Washington Patrol said.
Lloyd was sitting in the patrol car when Michael K Householder, 56, of Benton City, slammed into it in a Hyundai Elantra.
Both men were wearing their seat belts.
Loyd was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and Householder was taken to another hospital. Householder was cited for driving too fast for the conditions.
The crash closed the Interstate for nearly an hour, and was one more than a dozen across the Tri-Cities.
In three hours, the Washington State Patrol investigated 16 crashes, said Trooper Chris Thorson.
Many of them were on rain-slicked bridges and off-ramps in Richland, which froze as the temperatures dipped.
People are driving too fast on icy roads, said Thorson.
The National Weather Service expected the rain to taper off in the Tri-Cities overnight Thursday. Then, partly sunny days are predicted into next week, with highs in the mid- to high-30s.
Snow was starting to stick to the roadway on Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 at nightfall Thursday evening.
A winter storm warning was issued for the west slopes of the north central Cascades and its passes.
White Pass could get 18 inches of snow through Friday, with similar heavy snow forecast for Stevens Pass.
Snoqualmie could get several inches Thursday night and Friday.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 9:36 AM.