UPDATE: I-82 reopens near Prosser after driver hits a semi, blocking part of highway
A collision on Interstate 82 left one person seriously injured and snarled traffic near Prosser on Thursday morning.
John W. Henning, 57, of Yakima, was heading east on Interstate 82 in a GMC van just after 7:35 a.m. when when he ran into the back of a semi truck and trailer heading in the same direction about three miles east of Prosser, the Washington State Patrol said.
Firefighters needed to use machinery to pull Henning out of the van. The eastbound lanes were closed while he was rescued, and a Life Flight emergency helicopter was called in.
Henning was flown to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland where he is in satisfactory condition.
The truck driver, Victor G. Torres Gonzalez, 34, of Grandview, was not hurt.
Both men were wearing seat belts. The state patrol hasn’t determined what caused the crash, and are still investigating.
The crash stopped eastbound traffic for nearly two hours until 9:30 a.m., leading to a 3-mile-long backup on the highway.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 9:10 AM.