KING COUNTY, Wash. — A man is recovering Wednesday after he was knocked out by a rock thrown through his windshield while he was driving on Interstate 90 in Seattle, causing him to crash into a barrier on the freeway, according to KIRO-TV and officials with Washington State Patrol.
Authorities were called around 11:15 p.m. Monday to respond to a report of a single-car collision in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, near Rainier Avenue, Trooper Rick Johnson said.
“Once troopers arrived, they were able to determine that the collision was caused by a rock being thrown through the windshield, striking the driver in the face,” Johnson said Tuesday in a news release.
Troopers said the driver was knocked unconscious by the rock, which had been thrown from a light rail construction site in the area, KIRO reported. The driver then struck a barrier on the freeway before coming to a stop in the high occupancy vehicle lane, according to the news station. Troopers said the driver did not remember the incident.
Authorities took the man to Harborview Medical Center with a “serious facial laceration,” troopers said. His injury did not appear to be life-threatening, KIRO reported.
Officials have previously shared concerns about people throwing objects onto the highway, KIRO reported. Troopers said Tuesday that officials have fielded 74 reports of rocks being thrown in the downtown Seattle Interstate 5 and I-90 corridor since Jan. 1. Earlier this month, Johnson told KIRO that such incidents can be highly dangerous.
“You have your car moving at freeway speed and an object like that can go through the window. There’s potential for great bodily harm, if not worse,” Johnson said.
Authorities continue to investigate.