Fatal car accident temporarily closes I-705 in downtown Tacoma

The Washington State Patrol responded to a fatal car accident on Interstate 705 in downtown Tacoma Wednesday afternoon. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON STATE PATROL)

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) responded to a one-person fatal car accident on Interstate 705 in downtown Tacoma Wednesday afternoon.

According WSP Trooper Guy Gill, the male driver of the vehicle, a 2007 Ford Taurus, was traveling west on State Route 509 at approximately 12:30 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, struck a curb, and was vaulted off the overpass and 32 feet below onto a northbound lane of I-705. The vehicle landed upside down. Gill added that investigators noted “there was no braking or steering from the driver at all. This might very well have been caused by a medical incident.”

WSP closed several lanes of I-705 for a couple hours while investigators worked the accident scene and a tow truck arrived to move the vehicle.

UPDATE: The driver of the vehicle has been identified as 58-year-old Federal Way resident Scott Jablon.