SEATTLE — A semitruck and a pickup collided and burst into flames near Federal Way on Highway 18 Tuesday afternoon, according to police and fire officials.
Drivers on Highway 18 experienced significant delays Tuesday afternoon while both eastbound and westbound lanes were closed between Interstate 5 and the Weyerhaeuser Way South exit as crews extinguished the fire.
All lanes reopened just before 4 p.m.
South King County fire crews responded to the collision, near the Weyerhaeuser exit, around 1:30 p.m. and doused the blaze within 30 minutes, according to the department.
The crash occurred after the pickup had an “equipment failure,” causing its driver to accidentally swerve in front of the semi, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson. The semi then struck the pickup, and both quickly caught on fire, he said.
Both drivers escaped their trucks on their own, Johnson said. The pickup driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries while the semi driver stayed at the scene. No other vehicles were involved.
