CAMAS, Wash. – One person was killed and two others were sent to the hospital following a seven-car collision that blocked a portion of State Route 14. According to Washington State Patrol District 5, the collision occurred when a vehicle attempted a U-turn after being stopped behind an excessive cargo.
The large load was a prefabricated home being delivered by flatbed truck, which became trapped on the West Camas Slough Bridge late Thursday morning, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). It halted westbound traffic on State Route 14 between Camas and Washougal for almost two hours.
To cross the bridge, the roadway narrows to one lane in each direction, with only a few feet of shoulder space on either side. A photo taken by WSDOT appears to demonstrate that the prefabricated house was just too broad for the bridge and became jammed between the outer and center barrier rails when the westbound vehicle attempted to pass.
The city of Washougal announced on Facebook at about 1 p.m. that cops were assisting with the collision and that the westbound lanes might be blocked for many hours.
WSDOT initially tweeted about the collision just after noon Thursday, urging westbound vehicles to take Exit 14 to exit the highway near Washougal before crossing the bridge.
Around 2:30 p.m., WSDOT traffic cameras showed traffic moving again on both sides of the bridge, with what seemed to be the home trailer removed off the bridge and parked on a nearby shoulder.
A separate accident blocked both lanes of SR-14 near Washougal about the same time, roughly two miles east of the bridge, resulting in a shorter detour. Following the crash, all lanes were opened.