A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault after a deadly seven-vehicle pile-up on Interstate 5 in South King County.
Washington State Patrol is also searching for the driver of a white Infiniti sedan believed to have been involved in the crash, which happened at about 9.30pm on Thursday and caused a mile-long tailback into Friday morning.
Dashcam footage captures apparent racing before crash
Investigators said witness dashcam footage appeared to show the Infiniti and a black Lexus racing roughly a mile before the collision. The Lexus was allegedly travelling at more than 100mph with its headlights switched off.
The Lexus then struck the rear of a Toyota Sienna, sending the vehicle spinning the wrong way into the HOV lane. At least two other vehicles collided with the Sienna.
Troopers initially responded to reports of a four-car crash but discovered seven vehicles had been involved. A passenger trapped inside the Sienna died at the scene.
Driver disputes account of collision
The man arrested told troopers he had been travelling at 70mph and claimed the white car had hit him. Investigators said dashcam footage and a Toyota logo imprinted on the left side of the Lexus’s bonnet contradicted his account.
He recorded a 0.0 reading on a breathalyser test at the scene. He was taken to the South Seattle state patrol office for questioning and remains in custody.
Authorities are appealing for information to help identify the driver of the white Infiniti as the investigation continues.
