An Early-Morning Crash on I-5
An early-morning crash on I-5 near DuPont, Washington, left a stretch of highway covered in feathers and debris after a truck hauling chickens rolled over near milepost 116. The crash happened around 1 a.m. Monday, and authorities believe driver fatigue played a role after the driver appeared to fall asleep at the wheel.
Poultry Scattered Across Three Lanes
The rig overturned, scattering crates across three lanes of highway and killing at least 200 birds in the process. Washington State Patrol worked the scene to manage traffic and coordinate with a Mount Vernon-based company that responded to collect the surviving animals.
Hours of Backed-Up Traffic
Northbound traffic backed up significantly following the crash, with delays stretching all the way to Lacey before the roadway was finally cleared around 9:30 a.m.
A Recurring Problem in the Trucking Industry
Driver fatigue remains a persistent safety concern across the trucking industry. Federal data shows crash risk roughly doubles once a driver has been behind the wheel for more than eight hours, and surveys have found that a significant share of long-haul truckers admit to nodding off at the wheel at least once a month. Additional research shows that operating with less than four hours of sleep dramatically increases crash risk, turning an already demanding job into a serious safety hazard when rest is cut short.
An Unanswered Question
It’s not yet clear what specifically led to this driver falling asleep, whether tight delivery deadlines, exhaustion from a demanding schedule, or another factor entirely. What is clear is that a rollover involving thousands of pounds of cargo carries serious risk regardless of what’s being hauled, and this time the consequences were largely limited to the cargo itself rather than other motorists.