3-car crash involving WSP patrol car causes miles-long backup on I-182 in Richland
A three-car crash has snarled traffic in the westbound lanes of Interstate 182 and left two people hurt Friday afternoon.
People were being asked to avoid the westbound lanes of the interstate between the George Washington Way entrance and Interstate 82 until 4 p.m. Friday.
The crash started at 2 p.m. when a Washington State Patrol trooper stopped to help a broken-down semi truck about one mile east of the Interstate 82 junction, Trooper Chris Thorson said.
The trooper parked his unmarked car behind the truck and turned on his emergency lights while he waited for a tow truck.
A white van stopped behind the trooper and a Subaru slammed into the back of the van, forcing it into the trooper’s car.
The van’s driver and the trooper suffered minor injuries.
With wreckage in the median and on the right side of the road, there was only a single lane open for the evening rush and holiday weekend travelers.