Domestic dispute ends in 6-vehicle pile-up on Aurora

Alamran Sami was spending a typical afternoon behind the desk at his used-car lot on Aurora Avenue yesterday when he saw something out his window like "a Hollywood movie" — a horrific car accident that sent five people to the hospital and one man to jail.

Sami's brother and another employee raced to the aid of one of the stricken drivers who police said was in very serious condition at Harborview Medical Center last night.

The six-vehicle pileup in the 19500 block of Aurora Avenue North snarled traffic for hours and began as a domestic dispute, said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

A man driving a pickup repeatedly bumped and hit a late-model pickup driven by his ex-girlfriend as the two traveled northbound on Aurora Avenue, he said.

Police dispatchers began receiving calls about the pair as they sped past North 185th Street.

At one point, the man displayed an air rifle, he said.

Just before the intersection of North 195th Street, the man's truck rear-ended his ex-girlfriend's, which hit a third vehicle driven by another woman, forcing it into oncoming traffic.

The ex-girlfriend's truck flipped over and hit a car. Yet another driver panicked and careened into a parked car.

Sami said he saw it all from his office at Sam's Auto.

"It was [over] in a matter of seconds," he said.

His brother and an employee ran to the woman whose car landed in oncoming traffic, and doused engine flames with a small fire extinguisher. They also gave her water and encouraging words, though she was badly injured.

"We gave her water and made her calm down, saying, 'You'll be fine. It'll be fine,' " Sami said. "I was so worried about the fire. We couldn't open the door."

Police and fire personnel arrived within five minutes and got her out. That woman and the ex-girlfriend were in "very serious condition," Urquhart said. The other drivers also were sent to the hospital, but their conditions were unknown.

Rush-hour traffic was stalled for hours as crime-scene investigators tried to piece together what happened.

The driver who caused the accident, whom Urquhart did not identify, was booked into King County Jail. Prosecutors have 72 hours to charge or release him.

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com