3-vehicle collision claims 1 on I-90

MOSES LAKE — A three-vehicle accident on I-90 claimed at least one life and injured nine people Wednesday afternoon.

Details were not immediately available, but Trooper Jeremy Weber, public information officer for the Washington State Patrol, said that the driver of vehicle 1 was driving eastbound in the left lane of I-90 near the Road U Northeast exit when he attempted to pass vehicle 2 in front of him on the left, driving into the median. Vehicle 2, for reasons unknown, also drove into the median and was launched into the westbound lanes, where it was struck by vehicle 3. Vehicle 1 rolled several times, ejecting the driver, who was airlifted to the hospital but died of his injuries.

The conditions of the other people involved were not available at press time.

The westbound lanes and one eastbound lane of I-90 were closed while emergency personnel responded to the collision, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The driver of vehicle 1 was not wearing a seat belt, Weber said.

“That's something that I really want to hit hard on because I've been preaching this ‘90 Days of Summer,’” he said, referring to the time between June 9 and Sept. 7 when the traffic fatality rate is highest. “That’s the ninth fatality in our area that wasn’t wearing a seat belt.”