Crashes on I-90 cause backups, leave vehicle in lake

MOSES LAKE — A passenger car ended up in the water of Moses Lake after back-to-back collisions minutes apart on Interstate 90 at milepost 177 on Monday afternoon, causing back-ups and eastbound lanes to be closed in the area.

Law enforcement was first called to the scene shortly before 2:40 p.m. for a report of a pickup truck with a car trailer traveling westbound that became high-centered on the median barrier. That collision pushed the Jersey barrier into eastbound lanes, according to state troopers, possibly contributing to the next collision about 20 minutes later.

Dispatchers were notified around 3 p.m. of a second collision, this time in the eastbound lanes, involving two semi-trucks and a passenger vehicle. The passenger vehicle ended up in the lake, but the driver and passenger were able to remove themselves from the vehicle. Both semis drove off the roadway, one significantly more so than the other, according to state troopers.

There were no major injuries reported, though the driver of one semi-truck was at least temporarily pinned inside the vehicle, according to law enforcement.

It took several hours for lanes in both directions to reopen, with the final eastbound lanes cleared by 6:40 p.m.