According to a witness, the driver of the vehicle was attempting to turn left onto Thomas from Dexter Ave N at approximately 3:44 pm. Thursday. The driver reportedly sped up to make the turn before a line of oncoming cars approached, and hit the bicyclist who was crossing Thomas at the time. The bicyclist was rushed to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The driver took off immediately following the crash and is still at large.
The vehicle involved in the collision is described as a brown, American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack, according to SPD. Police are still looking for anyone with information on the incident or the driver.
Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle involved in a hit and run on Dexter Avenue N Thursday that sent one bicyclist to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 3:44 p.m. on July 28 police were called to Dexter Avenue N near N Thomas Street for a reported vehicle/bicyle hit and run collision. According to a report by a nearby witness, the vehicle was attempting to turn left onto Thomas from Dexter and sped up to make the turn before a line of oncoming cars approached, hitting the bicyclist crossing Thomas.
It was first reported that the bicyclist was fatally wounded in the accident, but police later confirmed that he/she was transported to Harborview Medical Center. From the SPD Blotter:
The involved motor vehicle fled the scene and remains at large. The at-large vehicle is described as a brown, American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack.
Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.
A car ran through a planting strip, over a sidewalk and off an embankment this afternoon, smashing into a building at 333 Elliott Ave W., the home of Seattle-based Big Fish Games in Lower Queen Anne.
Though there is no official word yet on what caused the crash, the driver of the black Honda sedan was reportedly not injured in the incident.
A witness snapped this photo of the crash, and said this about the incident: “Excitement at my work… driver falls asleep, crosses 2 lanes of oncoming traffic, and crashes car into one of our buildings.” Whether or not driver did in fact fall asleep at the wheel is unknown at this time. We’re waiting on a call back from the Seattle Police Department’s public information officer for details.
An elderly man and woman were hit in a crosswalk Thursday night on Roy St at 1st Ave N. Witnesses said the vehicle went through the red light prior to striking the pedestrians.
The male pedestrian rolled onto the hood of the vehicle and struck his head on the windshield. Both victims were taken to Harborview for evaluation.
Police say the driver showed no signs of impairment and was released at the scene pending further investigation. Fortunately neither victim appeared to have any life-threatening injuries.
At approximately 7:25 a.m. this morning, Monday, May 31, a Toyota Camry carrying two 24-year-old men crashed while traveling southbound on Aurora Ave N. According to the SPD Blotter:
As the vehicle entered the 1700 Block of Aurora, it failed to negotiate the right curve and left the roadway colliding broadside with a light pole on the west side of Aurora. The impact caused the Toyota to rollover at least once and it came to rest on its top. The light pole broke off at ground level and fell across two lanes of Aurora.
Seattle Fire Department crews were able to extract both men and transport them to Harborview Medical Center. The passenger later died. The car’s driver was treated and released from the hospital, only to be booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Vehicular Homicide.
The wreckage was cleared and the roadway reopened at around 11:15 a.m. this morning. Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) detectives are continuing their investigation into the crash.
The accident happened just after 10 p.m. on July 1, 2009 when driver John Dempsey Morris turned off of Aurora Ave N onto Dexter Way N and struck Leoni at nearly 65 mph as he was crossing an unmarked crosswalk, according to charging documents obtained by the Times. Leoni, who was 35 years old, died at the scene.
Morris told police that he had drunk about four beers earlier in the night, charging paperwork said. Seattle police found that his blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Seattle police said that Morris’ 1985 Porsche 944 Coupe struck Leoni in an unmarked crosswalk. Traffic investigators say if Morris had been traveling at 40 mph, the limit on Aurora Avenue North, he would have been able to stop in time to avoid the collision, according to court charging paperwork.
According to the Times, Morris has no prior criminal history, and if convicted could face up to 20 months in prison.
Leoni had been employed at Banchero Friends Services, a nonprofit organization that works with developmentally disabled adults, and was reportedly on his way home for the day when the accident occurred. From the Times:
“He provided 24-hour in-home and out-of-home support and case management for adults who have developmental disabilities,” said CaraLee Cook, executive director of the Seattle organization. “He was an excellent employee and passionate about his work. He was very well loved.”
More than a hundred people gathered at the scene of Sunday’s tragic accident Thursday night to remember Kellen Jones, Spenser Millard and Mike Turner.
Friends and family held candles, laughed and cried, hugged each other, and wrote messages on the Taco Time pole that was hit by a Pontiac Firebird carrying the three Ballard High School graduates. A teenage exchange student named Ashlynn was critically injured in the crash.
“You boys will be missed greatly,” reads one message on the pole. “We love you. Rest in Paradise. Class of ‘08.” Another message reads, “I miss you so much. You’ll always be my teddy bears.”
Complete coverage and video of the vigil from our sister site MyBallard here.
Several neighbors are calling on City Council, and specifically fellow neighborhood resident Councilmember Tim Burgess, to take action after a car accident early Saturday morning rehashes a two-year conversation concerning the dangers of one Queen Anne intersection – W McGraw Pl, specifically where it intersects with 1st Ave W and W Smith St.
Reader Julia Reitz wrote,
Yesterday morning (1/30/10), there was an accident at the intersection of 1st Ave W and W McGraw Pl (W Smith) in Upper Queen Anne. I don’t know the specifics but I heard a loud, awful noise from my living room and looked out the window to see a blue car had driven up and over the curb, onto the boulevard at the end of my street.
Julia also sent links to an album of pictures that her neighbor took of the accident and its aftermath, which clearly shows tire treads through the island and a sizable tree and two signs knocked over. (Maria Kaufman, who took the photos, gave us permission to re-post them here).
According to Julia, this accident occurred during daylight hours, at an intersection that her and many of her neighbors have been expressing concern about to City Council and SDOT for over a year.
Jedediah Kaufman is one of the neighbors who has taken to contacting local representatives concerning the intersection. Starting with an email sent to Councilmember Tim Burgess in October of 2008, Jed outlined the many problems contributing to the danger of the intersection, sighting his first hand knowledge as a resident living on the street and his medical expertise as a surgeon. Jed attributed the dangers where W McGraw Pl meets 1st Ave W to the following (taken from his letter):
Excessive Speeds Going Around a Blind Corner: Heading northeast on W. McGraw Place is a straightaway that encourages vehicles to speed up to 40-50 mph. There are no speed limit signs or impediments that slow vehicles down before the blind corner. And, cars heading west, away from QA Ave cross over the yellow lines as they speed, increasing the risk of a head-on collision with speeding cars coming around the blind curve.
Poorly Marked Handicapped Crosswalk at the Blind Corner: Heading east on W. McGraw Pl. towards QA Ave is the blind curve, at the apex of which is a handicapped crosswalk designated by two (2) small signs. There is no crosswalk paint, no lights, no speed calming measures, or any other early signage. Cars fail to stop for people attempting to cross at the handicapped crosswalk coming and going to Rodgers Park. In fact, they often HONK at people attempting to cross
with strollers or pets. Many elderly and young people cross here, those at greatest risk of being struck.
Multiple Entry Points Near Blind Corner: The north alleyways (at the end of 1st Ave W block, not shown on the map) exit just east of the blind curve, so vehicles going around the blind curve barrel into vehicles leaving or entering the alley (this happened a few months ago to our neighbor’s son). The alley is very steep, so you either proceed slowly, increasing your risk of being broadsided, or go quickly and bottom out your car.
Highly Trafficked Alley with Excessive Speeds: Proven by the City’s brief speed study, the alley (2400 block between 1st Ave W and QA Ave, exiting at the blind corner) has 30-40 vehicles each day, some travelling up to 35 mph. McCarthy and Schiering’s and A&J’s customers utilize the alley to avoid QA Ave traffic.
Drivers Ignoring the 1st Ave W. Stop Sign: With increasing usage of the QA Boulevard, pedestrians coming west nearly get hit because cars going East never look East, and the drivers almost always run the stop sign, treating it more like a yield. 1st Ave West enters at the blind apex
and it’s very difficult to see around the corner for cars heading west. A vehicle accident occurred there just last week.
Jed also included a lit of community members eager to take action to improve the safety of the intersection and a number of ideas for what could be done, including the installation of speed bumps and/or more warning signs along the roadway. He also included a link to the following video, created by a few neighbors who live near the intersection, that demonstrates the excessive speeds, blind corners, poorly marked crosswalks and overall dangers of this particular stretch of what is known as the historic Queen Anne Boulevard.
A few days later Burgess emailed Jed back, informing him that he had forwarded the letter to the director of SDOT and SDOT’s liaison the City Council. The next step, he said, would be waiting for SDOT to come back with an assessment. According to Jed, this never happened. Since the most recent accident on Saturday, Jed and his wife, Maria, have sent two more letters to Burgess, providing an overview of the issue, listing their past actions, and asking, again, for support and advice on how to move forward. They wrote (taken from one of their letters to Burgess),
We urge you to take action: The intersection needs speed calming measures (speed humps or other permanent, impactful speed-reducing measures–the occasional speed measuring device is ineffective), white striping at the crosswalks, and better signage.
We’re lucky that today’s accident wasn’t more tragic, and we’re looking to you and your team members to create a permanent solution quickly. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to elevate the intersection’s priority.
Jed said all his messages went unanswered, so he moved on to contacting people in various city offices, where he was passed around. The only information he got were the results from a speed study done on McGraw Pl. and the alleyway behind it, indicating that that average speeds on this street were higher than the posted limits. He wrote,
Our alley had something like 35 cars per day using it at 19 mph average. Highest speed was 35 mph. This is paramount because the alley exit/entrance is directly in the line of the blind corner. People come around the Mcgraw Pl/ Smith street corner heading east at 30-40 mph or higher. Crossing midline and hit or nearly hit people leaving my alley. My alley which is being used by customers of several shops as a STREET. One block north Avg # is closer to 10 vehicles per day. All we asked the city to do is put in speed bumps or humps or chicanes in the street and humps in the alley. Even ones divided especially for water drainage.
According to Jed, the city responded saying that “pedestrian and bike safety would suffer due to visibility of the speed bumps,” a conclusion he finds ironic.
Bumps can be outfits with ultrabright reflective coating and City of Chicago saw dramatic drop in car vs ped deaths due to alleys by using these exact bolt down, water drainage friendly speed bumps. And Chicago gets some BIG storms and lots of melt off.
In the meantime, Jed, Maria and many of their neighbors hope to gather more community support behind improving the speeds, signage and visibility for pedestrians and drivers along W McGraw Pl near 1st Ave W and W Smith St. They encourage residents interested in the issue to contact their city representatives. (Try City Council, WA State 36th Legislative District democrats and republicans, and the Mayor’s office, etc.). See SDOT’s contact page for a list of direct contacts for street maintenance, signs, pedestrian safety and traffic studies. If you have ideas for improving this intersection, please comment below.
Reader Katy Moore wrote in about a driver who hit several cars along 6th Ave N Wednesday night. She wrote,
I heard a strange noise and looked out the window and saw an SUV with its lights off, tire sideways (which was the noise) driving up on the curb of Highland & 6th headed toward Lee. He had hit a row of cars on 6th back between Prospect & Highland. His bumper was ripped off and sitting on the sidewalk. Police have the license plate number. He sped off up the hill and then parked at his house. A few guys who were out on the street went walking around to look for the car. They found it, called police and a female cop pulled up to his house…backed out around the corner to wait for backup. When we passed by the house again (we walked up to visit a friend) his car was gone. They may have impounded it.
The police haven’t yet released a report. If you believe your car may have been hit, or you have any additional details, leave a comment below.
Update: Another witness, Luke Hizer, sent in this picture (taken this afternoon) and his account of the events, which happened around 8 p.m. last night. He wrote,
Attached is a picture of the worst of the cars, the one totaled on Ward. Note that it wasnt towed up on the curb, he hit it so hard that it pushed it all the way up there from the street.
The guy (older man from witness reports who did indeed walk up and see him in his driveway) first hit one car at the 4-way stop by the Plaid Pantry, then continued up Ward and plowed the car in the photo. He continued up Sixth, missed the roundabout at Highland and went up into the lawn of the apartments (coming fairly close to my dog and I) and backed out, leaving his bumper behind.
He drove up a few blocks and parked in his driveway. By this time, people had came up from the second car on Ward and several called 911. The police came and took photos, picked up the bumper, etc. I saw them towing off the car – which was majorly damaged. I too would like to know if someone was arrested. Given the time this happened and how drunk he was, someone could have been killed.
At approximately 10 p.m. last night, Thursday, October 8, officers responded to a car accident on southbound Aurora Ave N. near Garfield St. According to a report released by the Seattle Police Department this morning, it appears the car lost control while they were driving southbound and spun around, colliding with a light pole behind the driver side door, finally coming to a stop facing northbound on the sidewalk, knocking the power lines down over both north and southbound Aurora.The Seattle Fire Department was able to pull the female driver from the vehicle. She was seriously injured and transported to Harborview Medical Center.
The report says the driver initially stated that there may have been up to three other passengers with her, who ran off after the accident. SPD conducted a search at the scene, but found no other passengers, and believes it is highly unlikely anyone else was riding in the car – a Saturn couple with two-doors, both of which were closed and damaged from the collision. No witnesses saw anyone get out of the car prior to SFD arrival.
Aurora Ave N. was closed down in both directions, while Seattle City Light responded and repaired the power lines. A DUI officer visited the driver at Harborview and conducted a sobriety screening. Signs of impairment were noted, but toxicology results have not come back yet. The report also stated that the female driver was nude from the waist down and that no pants or underwear were located at the scene.
This is the second car accident on Aurora in a month. In September a car hit a pedestrian who was running across the street late at night.
At around 9:18 last night a pedestrian was critically injured after he was struck by a car, reports KOMO News. According to the report, the 35-year-old man was hit on the 1200 block of Aurora Avenue North by a gold Volvo, before being rushed to Harborview Medical Center. The driver was not injured. Police are currently investigating the cause of the crash.
The man’s name and condition have not been released. Check back for more details later. In the meantime, get the full story on KOMO.
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