Another crash raises cable-barrier issue

A fatal crossover collision Sunday morning on Interstate 5 near the
King-Pierce county line backed up northbound traffic for six miles and
fueled new questions about the safety of cable-median barriers.

An Acura traveling south at speeds up to 100 mph drifted to the left
shoulder about 8:30 a.m., hit cable barriers and went through the
median into the northbound lanes south of Porter Way, according to the
State Patrol. The Acura struck a Nissan in the left lane and then a
Blazer in the middle lane. The Blazer, in turn, was thrown into an
Oldsmobile.

The driver of the Acura, a 21-year-old male, was pronounced dead at
the scene, police said, and the Blazer's driver was taken to a hospital
with neck pain. The drivers of the other vehicles were not injured,
police said. The State Patrol closed all northbound lanes for about
four hours, diverting traffic to 54th Avenue East in Milton.