Girl critically injured 15-vehicle pileup on I-90 | 911

A 9-year-old girl was critically injured and six other people were hurt in a 15-vehicle pileup that caused a huge backup on Interstate 90 on Wednesday morning.

Bellevue Fire Department spokesman Troy Donlin said the crash happened in the westbound lanes of the freeway near 133rd Avenue SE at about 8 a.m. and involved a semi truck and a logging truck.

The injured girl was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was admitted into the ICU with brain and spine injuries and a possible broken pelvis. Relatives say they likely won't know her prognosis for another 48 hours.

The six other people were treated for less serious injuries between Harborview and Bellevue's Overlake Hospital.

Hospital officials said the 9-year-old girl's mother and 22-month-old sister were among the injured, but not seriously. The mother was released from care later Wednesday afternoon, but remained at the hospital to be with her daughter.

One of those in the wreck said he was stopped when traffic came to a standstill.

"And then the semi truck and... I don't even know who he hit first, he just started plowing through vehicles," said witness Sean Mee.

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Keith Trowbridge said the chain-reaction crash began when the semi truck jackknifed while trying to stop for slowing traffic and crashed into the logging truck.

"You have the semi-truck approaching the traffic, it appears they weren't paying attention, coming in too fast for the conditions of the traffic," Trowbridge said. "Somehow he loses control."

The impact knocked the rear axle off the logging truck and sent it crashing into other cars.

"The trailer was going down the road without anything to steer it, other than the cab," Trowbridge said.  Troopers later credited the driver of the logging truck for maintaining as much control of his truck as he could.

Several other vehicles collided in the growing wreck before everything came to a stop.

"Basically I saw one semi go over, a cloud of smoke, and then a bunch of cars were involved," said Valery Bavis.

Christina Herman headed to Overlake looking for her husband after he called saying he'd been in a wreck with a logging truck.  

"He just kept repeating himself," she said. "He was in shock."

Dirk Bakker was also in the middle of the wreck.

"I heard the log truck come by and rumbled right past me and the next thing I know the other semi truck tagged me," he said. "And I hit the car in front of me and I spun around."

His car is totaled, but his injuries are minor -- a sprained finger and stiff back.

"The airbags go off and you go,' OK, I'm here,' " he said.

Debris from the wrecked cars stretched for about a quarter mile and covered most of the freeway, and at its peak, the backup stretched more than six miles. Crews were able to reopen all lanes just after noon.

Trowbridge said the driver of the semi truck is cooperating with investigators. They do not believe drugs or alcohol was a factor. They are also looking into whether the semi suffered an equipment failure prior to the crash.