Trucks Keep Getting Stuck in Same Ditch on SR 18 Near Summit

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Semi-trucks keep sliding into a deceptive roadside ditch along westbound State Route 18 near milepost 24. Each incident forces lane closures and backs up traffic through the area.

The problem has now repeated twice in less than two weeks, raising questions about whether the location needs better marking or signage.

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According to the Washington State Patrol, the first incident happened April 7. A semi hauling roughly 80,000 pounds of potatoes pulled onto what the driver thought was a shoulder. Instead, the truck sank into a muddy ditch. The trailer tilted and the rig became stuck.

Trooper Rick Johnson said tow crews needed to temporarily close westbound lanes to complete the recovery.

Same Location, Same Problem Days Later

Just four days later on April 11, another semi went off the roadway in nearly the same spot just east of the summit. No injuries occurred in either incident. Crews shut down westbound lanes again to recover the truck safely.

“Almost the same spot as the potato truck last week,” Trooper Johnson said. “Drivers think it is a shoulder when it is actually a ditch!”

The back-to-back incidents at the same milepost suggest the location itself is the problem.

Commercial drivers traveling an unfamiliar stretch of highway have no obvious reason to suspect the roadside will not hold. Both drivers appear to have made the same reasonable mistake at the same dangerous spot.

Drivers Mistake Ditch for Shoulder

Photos from both incidents show trailers leaning sharply into a narrow ditch filled with soft mud and grass. The roadside looks stable at a glance. It cannot support the weight of a commercial vehicle.

This section of SR 18 catches drivers off guard. The ground drops off immediately beyond the pavement with no obvious visual warning. For a driver in a fully loaded semi looking for a safe place to stop, the difference between pavement and ditch is not always clear until it is too late.

Expect Delays and Use Caution

Drivers heading westbound on SR 18 near the summit should avoid pulling onto the roadside unless the surface is clearly paved and reinforced. Even a slight drift off the lane can leave a heavy truck stuck and trigger extended closures that affect everyone traveling through the area.

Until the state addresses the location with better signage or physical barriers, commercial drivers in particular should treat the shoulder near milepost 24 as unsafe. If you need to stop, find a designated pullout or truck stop further down the route.