Semi Crash Near Kennewick Slows Down I-182 Morning Commute

This morning, just outside of Kennewick, you might’ve noticed traffic crawling near Exit 114 on I-182, and this is why.

Get our free mobile app

A semi traveling eastbound collided with the median, creating one of those scenes that makes you instantly hit the brakes, even from the other side of the freeway.

A Jackknifed Trailer in the Ditch South of Kennewick

The Washington State Patrol shared dash-cam video from a trooper driving past the crash, and it really shows how rough the situation was this morning. First, you see WSDOT incident-response trucks blocking off the left westbound lane, creating a safe buffer. Then comes a WSP cruiser and another WSDOT truck parked just ahead.

Then, the semi itself was with its nose in the ditch. The cab stayed upright, but the empty flatbed trailer swung all the way around and jackknifed into the ditch. In the video, the trailer is actually farther left than the cab, its back end resting in front of the truck. It almost looks like it folded onto itself. Thankfully, despite how dramatic it looks, WSP confirmed there were no injuries.

Slow Going, but I-182 Traffic Got Through

The left westbound lane remained blocked while crews worked on pulling the rig out, but the right lane was mostly open during the cleanup process. Traffic was squeezed by slowly until it was cleared a few hours later.

Get our free mobile app

With icy mornings and unpredictable winter road conditions, these kinds of crashes can happen fast and sadly happen too often.