On October 12, 2013, Skylar Seward became quadriplegic at the age of 15. She was a backseat passenger in a vehicle that swerved into the median of Interstate-5, sliding along a hazardous earth berm and eventually colliding into an overpass column.
WSDOT was expressly directed to install a proper protective barrier at the Center Drive Overpass columns along I-5 at Dupont. The Legislature provided funding for the protective barrier. WSDOT doesn’t know why this barrier was not installed, nor does it have any idea what happened to the money it was provided for the project. Had the barrier been installed on time and as directed, Skylar Seward would be walking today and enjoying life. She is instead wheelchair-bound, requiring 24/7 care for the rest of her life.