Valerie Thompson,Thunder OBrien Obituary, Death; – Investigators have made public a dashboard camera video that depicts a tragic wrong-way collision resulting in the deaths of three individuals in Thurston County on Sunday.
The footage is distressing, capturing the catastrophic moment when two vehicles collided head-on at milepost 91 on I-5, close to the Scatter Creek rest area. The Washington State Patrol (WSP) acquired the video from a driver positioned directly behind a Nissan Sentra, which was carrying two women. This footage helped confirm that a man driving a Chevrolet Equinox was traveling against traffic at freeway speeds.
“We were able to ascertain, based on witness dash-cam footage, that the silver SUV operated by the male was indeed the vehicle responsible for the incident,” stated Trooper John Dattilo. “However, we are still uncertain about how the silver SUV entered the freeway. We are actively investigating that aspect.”
Authorities also reported receiving a 911 call about a driver heading the wrong way at milepost 94 approximately two minutes prior to the collision, which resulted in the fatalities of all three individuals involved. The Equinox subsequently caught fire.
The two women in the Sentra have been identified as Valerie Thompson, 38, and her passenger, Thunder O’Brien, 28, both from Tumwater. The wrong-way driver has been tentatively identified, but due to the vehicle fire, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office is awaiting dental records before releasing his name to the public.
While wrong-way driving incidents are relatively uncommon, they tend to lead to higher rates of fatalities and serious injuries. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), wrong-way crashes account for 8% of all traffic-related deaths in the state. Nearly 60% of wrong-way drivers have been found to be impaired.
“At this point, we cannot confirm whether impairment played a role in this collision. We are collaborating closely with the Thurston County Coroner’s Office to determine if the individual was under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” an investigator remarked.
From 2020 until March 17, WSP recorded 57 fatal crashes.
