What began as a terrifying freeway crash quickly turned into a horrifying roadside attack, when two soldiers stepped in to stop a woman allegedly armed with a knife from hurting two young girls.
The shocking incident unfolded Monday morning on southbound Interstate 5 near DuPont, Washington, after a 35-year-old woman from Steilacoom allegedly lost control of her SUV, sending it crashing into a semi-truck before rolling over.
But the crash was only the beginning.
According to Washington State Patrol, the woman allegedly threatened two girls with a knife in the aftermath of the wreck. A 9-year-old girl suffered multiple broken bones and a stab wound, while a 15-year-old girl was taken to hospital but reportedly escaped serious injuries.
As the frightening scene unfolded, two soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord happened to be nearby. What they did next may have prevented the situation from becoming even worse.
Witness Nathan Wilkinson, who was driving to work when he came across the wreck, told KING 5 that he initially saw people gathered around the crash. Then, in a split second, everything changed.
“There’s people standing around, then all of a sudden there was a flash, and then the two soldiers jumped on a person,” Wilkinson recalled. “I heard a scream at that time.”
He then saw one of the soldiers holding a knife that had been wrested from the person they had tackled.
Wilkinson immediately called 911 as other bystanders joined in to help restrain the woman until authorities could take control of the scene.
Investigators say the SUV's journey had been chaotic even before the crash. According to reports, the vehicle first struck the left-side barrier, veered towards the right shoulder and then swerved back across the freeway, colliding with a semi-truck in the middle lane.
The SUV hit the barrier again before rolling over. Miraculously, the semi-truck driver was not injured.
Officers later told KING 5 that the woman had allegedly been driving erratically before the collision.
She was initially taken to hospital for evaluation, but the investigation soon took a more serious turn. Authorities were investigating allegations involving DUI, vehicular assault and first-degree assault, FOX 13 reported on Monday.
By Tuesday morning, KING 5 reported that the woman had been booked into Pierce County Jail and was expected to face two counts of assault, vehicular assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. It was not immediately clear whether those charges had been formally filed.
Investigators are still working to establish exactly what caused the crash. Authorities have not specified the woman's relationship with the two girls, and the identities of the soldiers who intervened have not yet been released.
For Wilkinson, however, one thing was clear: two men in uniform had stepped into a dangerous situation when help was desperately needed.
He said he hoped the soldiers would be recognised for their actions.
In the middle of a chaotic freeway wreck, with two children in danger and a potentially deadly situation unfolding, their quick intervention helped bring the terrifying scene under control.
