Yakima, WA : One dead, one seriously injured in chain-reaction crashes on I-90 Saturday afternoon, January 7, 2017

A series of multiple-vehicle crashes on Interstate 90 Saturday afternoon killed one person, seriously injured another, and brought eastbound traffic to a halt for hours in the middle of a winter storm.

Trooper Brian Moore, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol district that includes Ellensburg, said drivers must slow down and heed the weather in order to avoid a repeat of Saturday’s collisions.

“These collisions are a direct result of drivers that are driving too fast for the snow and ice conditions on the highway,” Moore said.

The first pileup on eastbound I-90 was reported about 1:45 p.m. Saturday, 10 miles west of Ellensburg. Moore said about 10 vehicles were involved, either directly in the crash or because they slid off the road.

An 12-year-old boy who was not wearing a seat belt was thrown from one of the vehicles when it rolled over, Moore said. No information was available Saturday evening about his condition.

The state Department of Transportation said crashes were spread over a 2-mile section of the highway in that area, with multiple tow trucks called to remove vehicles.

At about the same time as the crash west of Ellensburg, troopers received reports of a three-car pileup about a mile west of the ?Cle Elum exit.

One person died in that crash. Another was seriously injured in a six-car pileup in the traffic backup related to the fatal crash.

More information about the dead and injured occupants was not available late Saturday.

Moore said the Transportation Department closed the eastbound interstate at North Bend in order to avoid clogging the Snoqualmie Pass area with additional traffic as troopers investigated the earlier crashes.

Transportation officials said the interstate was fully reopened shortly before 8 p.m.

A winter storm warning remains in place through early Monday for Central Washington.

As forecast, snow started falling midday Saturday in the Yakima Valley. Forecasters said the bad weather would continue today, with a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

As much as 7 inches of snow is possible through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to rise into the lower 30s late Sunday and into Monday.

Source :
One dead, one seriously injured in chain-reaction crashes on I-90