Elma driver killed in Tuesday morning I-5 wreck, WSP says
Published 1:30 am Monday, August 3, 2026
A 30-year-old Elma man died in a two-vehicle wreck on Interstate 5 in Federal Way Tuesday last week.
The incident occurred about 9:30 a.m. on I-5 near state Route 161, according to a Washington State Patrol press memo.
The memo identified the driver as Jason R. Reed. Reed was headed north in a flatbed truck when a 53-year-old Kent driver in a sedan slowed for traffic ahead of him. The Elma driver was unable to slow in time and struck the rear of the sedan, per the memo. The truck reportedly came to a rest in lane one of five while the sedan came to rest on the right shoulder. The Elma man was not wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene, the memo states. The Kent driver was not injured. No other cars or people were involved in the collision. State Patrol is investigating the cause of the collision, but the memo indicates troopers have ruled out the involvement of drugs or alcohol. The roadway was blocked for about four hours, the memo states.
A person identifying as a family member wrote: “He did not deserve this one bit. His innocent life was lost because of someone else’s fault who decided to cut off a trucker, and my brother took his life to save the driver that cut him off. He was one of the most selfless caring people you would ever meet.”
The two right northbound lanes of I-5 were closed for approximately four hours. Traffic backed up more than five miles into Pierce County and Fife before all lanes cleared around 1:30 p.m.
