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Monday, May 20, 2013 | 1:27 p.m.

Updated: 6:21 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 | Posted: 5:33 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

Families Grieving After I-5 Fatal Crash



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SEATTLE —

Two families are grieving and sharing their memories after a deadly head-on accident on Interstate 5 Thursday.

Washington State Patrol continues their investigation of the crash, but they believe it was caused by a driver under the influence.

The crash happened at about 6 p.m. Thursday when a 51-year-old Puyallup man was traveling in the northbound lanes and crossed the median into the southbound lanes causing a five-car crash, troopers said.

VIDEO: Families Remember I-5 Crash Victims SLIDESHOW: Fatal Collision Scene Spans Hundreds Of Feet

The accident happened on the southbound lanes of I-5 and 272nd Street.

Jason Galaviz said he is feeling a big hurt for his father, 55-year-old Bob Galaviz, who was killed in the crash.

"We're gonna miss my dad just incredibly,” Galaviz said.

Bob had five grandchildren.

Bob Galaviz - I-5 crash victim - 10-30-08

"I didn’t get to say goodbye to him. I didn’t get to say anything to him, now he's gone forever," Jason said.

Georgia Steele, 61, also died in the crash, her husband was injured.

"Georgia was a complete, creative artist who lived her life as a work of art,” said friend Nora Michaels.

Steele was an accomplished writer and an artist. Several of her paintings are hanging in a First Hill apartment office. She managed the Star Apartments.

Georgia Steele - I-5 Crash Victim - 10-30-08

Steele also was a mother and grandmother, described by her family and friends as outspoken, generous and unforgettable.

“We've been talking about whether we're going to mourn her or celebrate her, because she was -- just, she lit up the room. She was special," said Steele’s sister Karen King.

Two others suffered minor injuries.

The driver who caused the accident is in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.

A trooper at the hospital suspected the man had some sort of substance in his bloodstream. That was enough probable cause to take him into custody, Boyle said. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

He will appear in court once he is discharged from the hospital.

Washington State Patrol is asking -- anyone who saw the collision, the events leading up to it, or saw the Chrysler 300 prior to the crash -- to contact Trooper Detective Sergeant Moate at 425-649-4370 ext. 146 or Detective Ruth Medeiros at 425-649-4370 ext. 119.

Previous Stories: October 31, 2008: 2 Killed, 4 Injured And Man Arrested In Interstate 5 Crash

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