The southbound I-5 mainline off-ramp to Mercer Street will close at 10 p.m. Sunday and remain closed through at least the Monday morning commute. The Seattle Department of Transportation has announced that Mercer Street will remain closed through at least the morning commute as the investigation continues into the crane collapse.
People traveling into Seattle on I-5 should expect heavy traffic and long delays, particularly southbound throughout Seattle. The Mercer Street closure also will affect northbound traffic.
Expect congestion throughout Seattle and around the greater Seattle area as people seek alternative routes. To limit the backups, people also should:
- Limit single-occupancy vehicle use
- Use transit, particularly light rail
- If possible, telecommute
The crane collapsed at 3:28pm on Saturday, April 27. Seattle Fire responded to the crane that collapse near the intersection at Fairview Ave. and Mercer St. It fell from the roof of a building and damaged a total of six vehicles. Crews immediately began stabilizing the crane and vehicles involved while triaging the victims of the crash. Firefighters searched the building and evacuated the people in the building and impacted area.
There were four fatalities:
- 3 male, 1 female
- Two were in crane, two were in separate vehicles
Four patients total were evaluated by medics, of those, three were transported with non-life threatening injuries to Harborview:
- 27 year-old male
- 25 year-old female
- 4-month female infant
A full and thorough investigation into the cause of the crane failure is being conducted by Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
