Man hospitalized after striking back of WSDOT truck on I-5

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 5, 2026

A man sustained injuries after colliding with a Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) attenuator truck on Interstate 5 in Lewis County Monday, according to the Washington State Patrol.

William C. Yamaoto, 28, of Bellingham, was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital following the incident. Troopers said he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

According to WSP, Yamaoto faces charges for second-degree negligent driving.

His passenger, Jessica M. Gribble-Barrett, 20, of Spokane, was reportedly uninjured in the collision. She, too, was wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the attenuator truck, James J. Harris, 59, of Chehalis, also suffered no injuries and was wearing a seat belt, WSP said.

According to troopers, Yamaoto was driving a 2025 Kia EV6 northbound on I-5 near milepost 63 at about 4:19 a.m. May 4 when he struck the rear of the attenuator truck, which had blocked the lane for maintenance.

In its incident report, WSP indicated no drugs or alcohol were involved and said the cause of the collision was due to Yamaoto’s failure to yield in a work zone.

Troopers said the EV6 was considered totaled.

In a travel alert, WSDOT said all northbound lanes had opened near milepost 60 as of 11:40 a.m.

According to the WSDOT, there were two crashes that combined to halt traffic and close the freeway on Monday morning.

“All lanes of NB I-5 are CLOSED at MP 60 near Winlock due to a three-semi collision,” WSDOT wrote Monday morning, before the interstate was later reopened. “One semi is losing diesel fuel, and our crews have 20 bags of absorbent materials en route … Crash No. 2: Earlier this morning, in a separate incident, a car hit a WSDOT vehicle on NB I-5 near MP 63, and one of our colleagues was injured and taken to the hospital.”