Police & Fire Transportation

Highway 16 crash backs up traffic for hours

A crash on Highway 16 early Monday afternoon sent one person to the hospital and backed up traffic for hours.

At 1:06 p.m., a man driving a silver pickup truck was towing a white van eastbound near the Wollochet Drive offramp when he rolled both vehicles into the grass median and struck the cable barrier, according to Washington State Patrol spokesman Robert Reyer. The driver was taken to the hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

A crash on Highway 16 near Wollochet Drive occurred at around 1 p.m. Monday. Photo courtesy of Teresa Mayfield

The left lane of the highway in both directions was blocked for emergency response. At 5 p.m., westbound traffic continued to be backed up beyond the Purdy exit, and eastbound to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Local streets through the city of Gig Harbor were jammed as drivers tried to bypass the accident.