FERNDALE, Wash. — This morning’s commute included a few struggles for commuters including a disabled semi-truck and a rollover crash. In another incident, a car versus train crash in Bellingham brought out a large contingent of first responders.
Whatcom County Fire District 7 Division Chief Ben Boyko said they responded about 7:30am today, January 20th, to a report of a rollover crash on LaBounty Drive. They arrived to find that a vehicle traveling southbound on I-5 had left the roadway south of the Main Street interchange and rolled, ending up in its roof in a ditch along the east side of LaBounty Drive.
Boyko said the driver need assistance to get out of the vehicle and was transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Washington State Patrol Trooper Bret Rediger told Whatcom News the driver had lost control of the 1996 Subaru Legacy while southbound on I-5 and was issued a citation for driving with wheels off roadway.
The response to the crash scene slowed traffic on I-5 through the area and the northbound lane of LaBounty Drive was blocked until about 8:30am.
On the Grandview Road I-5 overpass, a semi-truck with a trailer broke down blocking the westbound lane on the east end of the overpass. As a result, northbound traffic exiting I-5 and westbound Grandview Road traffic were backed up.
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According to Washington State Patrol radio transmissions from the scene the semi-truck was not expected to be able to be moved for an extended time. It was eventually moved to another non-blocking location for repairs about 9am.
Further south in Bellingham, first responders were dispatched t 7:15am due to a report of a train versus car crash in the area of E Pine Street and Cornwall Avenue. According to Whatcom County Deputy Director of Emergency Management John Gargett, the driver was out walking around after the crash and the train did not derail.
As of 8:30am, roads in the area remained closed to traffic.
Locations mentioned in this story