Trooper hospitalized in I-90 crash in Spokane Valley, driver arrested for vehicular assault

A Washington State Patrol trooper was injured Friday morning in a crash on Interstate 90 in Spokane Valley that snarled traffic as a snowstorm began to move into the region.

Trooper Jeff Sevigney said the trooper’s vehicle was rear-ended when he was stopped at the side of I-90 for a traffic stop. The trooper’s car was pushed forward into the vehicle he pulled over, causing that driver to be injured as well. All three drivers were hospitalized for injuries that aren’t life-threatening. The trooper will stay in the hospital overnight for observation and is in stable condition.

The crash happened in the eastbound lanes between Sullivan and Flora roads.

Sevigney said the driver of the vehicle that rear-ended the trooper has been charged with vehicular assault and weather does not appear to be a factor in the crash. It occurred at around 10 a.m., before snow started falling in the Spokane area.