By MIKE HALLIDAY

Staff writer

A Washington State Patrol captain was on his way to work when he came upon a traffic accident and saved a woman's life Thursday morning.

Capt. Steve Sutton, commander of the state patrol's Vessel and Terminal Security Division, was driving to work when he came across a nine-vehicle accident north if the 320th Street exit on Interstate 5, according to state patrol spokeswoman Trooper Kelly Spangler.

The accident started during the morning commute in the northbound lanes of I-5. The driver of a pickup truck traveling in the fourth lane couldn't stop in time when traffic slowed suddenly. The truck struck two cars and then hit a white minivan. That vehicle smashed into a transit bus.

The van's driver was unconscious when Sutton came to the accident. Spangler said the captain performed CPR on the woman and revived her. A medical helicopter landed on the freeway and airlifted the woman to Harborview Medical Center where she was listed in stable condition.

A Federal Way Fire Department official said the other victims suffered only minor injuries.

Traffic was routed around the accident scene for a few hours that morning while the freeway was closed. Around noon all of the lanes were opened.

Staff writer Mike Halliday: 925-5565, mhalliday@fedwaymirror.com

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