Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Icy roads contributed to several accidents along the I-5 corridor in South Sound, including one near the 93rd Avenue exit northbound. An off-duty Tacoma Police Department officer was injured when he left his vehicle to help another motorist. The officer was hit by his own car when it was struck by a third vehicle. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where surgeons amputated his lower leg.

Drivers caught off guard as icy roads lead to traffic wrecks

Police search for vehicle involved in I-5 collision

MICHAEL BURNHAM, THE OLYMPIAN

THURSTON COUNTY -- Light rain, clearing skies and freezing temperatures contributed to icy and precarious driving conditions Monday morning.

While more rain is not forecast, fog could bring ice to some parts of South Sound today and Wednesday morning.

State and local public safety agencies responded to 68 driving mishaps in Thurston and Mason counties between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., many of which were dubbed as minor and attributed to icy roadways.

Washington State Patrol officials are investigating whether roadway ice contributed to an incident involving four vehicles on Interstate 5 north of 93rd Avenue.

An off-duty Tacoma Police Department officer who was helping a fellow motorist was struck and injured by another vehicle.

A second motorist involved with the collision was driven by ambulance to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

"There was ice in the area, but exactly what effect it played in this collision is still under investigation," said State Patrol Lt. Bob Johnson.

The accident began shortly after 6 a.m., when Carol Nelson, of Longview, lost control of her 1991 Oldsmobile.

"It's possible that she hit a patch of ice and lost control," Johnson said.

An unidentified vehicle struck the Oldsmobile, sending it into the highway's central barrier, Johnson said.

The second vehicle did not stop, Johnson said.

Timothy Griffith, a Chehalis resident who was on his way to his Tacoma Police Department job, then stopped his 1988 Toyota Camry partly within the highway's inside lane.

When Griffith left his car to help Nelson, a Ford Expedition, driven by Richard A. Railsback of Chehalis, struck the Camry.

The Camry collided with Griffith, crushing his lower left leg. He was subsequently airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

"His mid-shin area ... was mangled quite badly," said Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson.

After more than two hours of surgery, doctors removed the 38-year-old patrolman's lower left leg.

Griffith was in serious condition in Harborview's intensive care unit Monday evening.

Railsback was not injured, police said.

Nelson was transported by ambulance to St. Peter's, where she was treated and released on Monday, said hospital spokeswoman Traci Blake.

"We're hoping that (Griffith) is able to return to work," said Tacoma Police Department spokesman Jim Mattheis. "He's a guy officers respect."

Griffith is a 12-year department veteran.

"Officers are held to a higher standard," Mattheis added. "We're supposed to stop and render aid -- it's what we do."

Police are searching for the driver who fled the scene of the initial collision.

Based on a license plate located at the crash site, State Patrol officials located the driver of a 1995 GMC sport utility vehicle Monday afternoon.

Police were investigating whether the vehicle was involved in the initial collision, Johnson said.

Freezing up

During a 24-hour period that ended at 4 a.m. on Monday, .17 inches of rain were recorded at the Olympia Airport. Overnight temperatures dipped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the dark skies cleared early Monday morning, South Sound lost surface heat. Hills suppressed cold air in low-lying areas.

The end result was ice on many roads, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dustin Guy.

Drivers appeared to have the most trouble on highways.

"People get into their morning routine and are not prepared for the slick roads," said Thurston County Fire District One Chief Robert Scott, whose Rochester district responded to numerous I-5 mishaps. "They're used to driving 50 mph, and they get out on the ice and it doesn't work."

Rural fire

Lewis County and rural Thurston County fire department officials were slowed in their response to a two-alarm residential fire two miles east of Rochester.

At about 3:30 a.m., fire crews responded to a report of a fire in a 2,000-square-foot shop along the 17000 block of Irwin St. S.W.

"The building was collapsed at the time we arrived," said Scott, who said it took the initial fire crew eight minutes to arrive at the scene. "You could definitely see the glaze on the road out here," Scott said.

The fire destroyed an adjacent motor home and two vehicles. No one was injured, Scott said.

"It appears that someone may have been welding in the shop the night before," said Scott.

Scott said the cause of the fire was under investigation Monday.

Weather outlook

National Weather Service officials forecast partly sunny skies during the remainder of the week, which could dry up surface moisture.

However, local fog could still glaze some roadways with black ice.

"Bridges and overpasses tend to be more susceptible to black ice because of wind flow," said the Weather Service's Guy.

Temperatures will dip to the mid- to upper-20s during the next few nights. A cold front moving through the area tonight and Wednesday will likely be too weak to produce snow or rain.

Daytime temperatures could climb to between 45 and 50 degrees during the week and skies will be partly sunny.

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-704-6869.

For related stories go to the South Sound section.

Patrol seeks help

The Washington State Patrol is attempting to locate a white vehicle involved in a hit-and-run collision Monday morning just south of Tumwater, northbound on Interstate 5 at 93rd Avenue. The vehicle will have extensive front-end damage and possible burgundy paint transfer.

Call Lt. Bob Johnson at 360-586-1998.

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