Family hurt in alleged street racing crash on I-5 in Tacoma
TACOMA. Wash. - A driver was arrested after a family was sent to the hospital follwing an alleged street-racing crash on I-5 in Tacoma on Friday morning.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes at East McKinley and L Street, near the Tacoma Dome just before 8 a.m.
According to Trooper John Datillo they received several calls saying two white BMWs were allegedly racing each other when one of the cars crashed into a pickup truck.
"That pick up truck rotated onto a concrete barrier and then flipped several times before coming to rest," Trooper Datillo said.
The aftermath was devastating as airbags deployed, there were mangled parts and a tire popped off. Washington State Patrol says a mother and her two kids, one of them just one-month-old, the other nearly two were in the car. They're ok but the father, who was driving, took the brunt of the impact.
"One of the people who witnessed the collision he’s a doctor, he was able to stop and render aid immediately," Trooper Datillo said.
WSP says he's one of the reasons the family is OK; seatbelts played a role too.
"Both children were properly belted in child safety restraints and both mom and dad were belted as well," Trooper Datillo said.
The car who caused the crash came to a rest just north of incident. An 18-year-old driver was arrested and is facing vehicular homicide, a felony charge.
As summer rolls around, WSP says they see an increase in aggressive drivers. "People who just want to go out and have some fun on the roadways," Trooper Datillo said.
President of Evergreen Speedway, Doug Hobbs, says he and his team are concerned about the safety of the community and welcome all drivers to their track.
"It's the place to be a closed circuit safe environment," Hobbs said. "All of us have friends, family, moms, dads, brothers, sisters and friends; and that could be us, that could be ss that's in an accident. It only takes a blink of a second driving erratically speeding."
They're the only NASCAR track in the state but for the last nine years they've been trying to be a part of the solution, catering to those for the need for speed. Twice a month they host drifting and autocross classes hoping to prevent accidents like this.
"Slowdown keep it on the track, we want to live to see another day and and be respectful of everyone else," Hobbs said.
WSP wants zero deaths on Washington Highways they're doing emphasis patrols every month this summer across the region.
"Leave the public roadways for the public who wants to get to their destination safely," Trooper Datillo said. "There's consequences for everything whether that’s physical like being injured or on the legal side of things being prosecuted for a crime."
Saturday the racetrack is hosting their Figure 8 Nationals from 6 to 10 p.m. For more information you can visit their website.