Driver causes pileup in Gold Bar Wednesday evening

Traffic was at a crawl for around an hour during rush hour Wednesday on U.S. Highway 2 when three vehicles collided outside Gold Bar.

A driver in a Ford Ranger in the eastbound lane made an illegal U-turn at about milepost 27 and was struck by a driver in a Ford Focus, said Washington State Trooper Rocky Oliphant. The debris from the Ranger then hit a Chevy Equinox.

Commuters posting on social media reported the crash site was near the bridge in Startup outside Gold Bar. Some said it took 30 minutes to get from the roundabout in Sultan to Startup, which is about two miles away. 

The driver responsible received minor injuries, but otherwise no one was hurt, Oliphant said. First responders received the call at 4:14 p.m., and arrived at the scene shortly after, he said.

Traffic slowed in the eastbound lane for at least 45 minutes, until tow trucks came to clear the roadway about an hour after the crash was called in, Oliphant said.

It is illegal in Washington to turn a vehicle in the opposite direction unless the maneuver can be made without interfering with other traffic. It is also illegal to make a U-turn on a curve in the road, or upon the approach or near the crest of a grade when the vehicle can't be spotted by another driver in 500 feet either direction.

Crossing a double-yellow line on the highway to make a U-turn is an infraction that comes with a $48 fine.