Here’s how I-5 crash that injured two and stopped traffic south of Bellingham occurred
Two motorcyclists were injured and traffic was backed up seven miles after a multi-car crash south of Bellingham near the Alger exit that was believed to be caused by inattentive driving.
The crash was first reported at 12:26 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, according to the Washington State Patrol report on the incident.
The injured motorcyclists were a 39-year-old man from Modesto, Calif., and a 79-year-old man from New York City, according to the report, and both were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital.
The crash occurred near a zone where the Washington State Department of Transportation was replacing some guardrail, Trooper Jacob Kennett told The Bellingham Herald.
The two motorcyclists, who were believed to be a father and son, were following behind a white pickup truck in the left lane, while a black pickup was in the right lane, Kennett reported.
According to the incident report, a 2019 Ford Transit van driven by Kevin A. Maroquin Guevara, 21 of Bellingham, did not slow for traffic congestion and struck the two motorcycles from behind. It then continued and reportedly struck the two other trucks.
The rider of the motorcycle that was struck first suffered injuries that Kennett said were “severe,” while the other motorcyclist’s injuries were more “moderate.”
Both motorcycle riders were wearing helmets, the report states, and seat belts were worn by the other three drivers. Though drugs or alcohol were not believed to have been involved, the report states that inattentive driving caused the crash and charges are pending for Maroquin Guevara.
WSDOT reported via Twitter at 1:12 p.m. that northbound traffic was being diverted to Bow Hill Road. At approximately 1:40 p.m., crews were able to open the right lane, but by then, the backup was nearly six miles long, well beyond the Skagit Casino.
At 2:44 p.m., WDOT tweeted that both northbound lanes had been reopened, “However, the back-up is still about seven miles long.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 3:44 PM.
