A man reported to be in his late 60s was taken to Harborview after being struck by a driver on busy 15th Ave E Thursday morning.
Police closed the street near E Roy and E Aloha for about 15 minutes during the medical response just after 7:30 AM. Seattle Fire upgraded its response due to the extent of the victim’s injuries.
A Seattle Fire spokesperson tells CHS that the man who was hit had to be rushed to the emergency room but was not able to provide an update on his condition. Arriving police described the victim as alert and conscious following the collision, according to East Precinct radio. UPDATE: SFD tells CHS the man’s injuries are not considered life threatening.
My condolences to the victim and hope his injuries aren’t too severe.
This Tuesday in the middle of a sunny day I witnessed two separate car share vehicles drive through stop signs while on their cell phones.
With the very tinted windows making eye contact is difficult if not impossible. As angry as I get, as the vulnerable one the onus is on me to be seen and cross safely .
Please pedestrians, be alert as some drivers just don’t seem to be aware at all.
Just curious, do you walk much in the city? Because my experience as someone who does is that you cannot win.
At intersections like 15th Ave E and Aloha, people creep into crosswalks while preparing to make turns rather than stopping behind the stop signs. So now you are forced to walk out into the intersection and the driver has potentially blocked the view of other drivers who pull up and may not see you crossing around the car until they too are pulling into the crosswalk.
Or, you wait like a goodly-trained (sic) obedient pedestrian for the driver to come to a complete stop, but they just keep rolling ever forward, slowing but not exactly stopping. At what point should I step into the crosswalk? How many cycles should I wait at a busy four-way intersection before I go for it?
Similar issues apply all along Aloha and streets like it, where drivers may think their slowing is enough when in fact they are required to yield if I have stepped into the street with enough room for them to stop. Then, when you pause mid-street (when no traffic is coming from the other direction) to assess whether they they impatiently wave you into the path of their still-moving vehicle as if you’re idiot for not stepping in front of their two or more tons of metal. And don’t you dare shake your head when they fail to slow, let alone stop for you — do not hurt the poor baby driver’s feelings who cannot seem to exert the tiniest bit of effort to press a little harder on the brake and pay attention not just to the cars that would dent his own (horror and outrage), but to the humans s/he could kill with the flick of a wrist or the thrust of a foot. They will scream at you for daring to expect more of them.
@Mixte Feelings
This is basically my experience every day as I walk downtown or back up to Capitol Hill on my commute. There are particular intersections where I can count on playing tug of war with right of ways, where I know that left turners are going to be sitting in the middle of the streets mid-turn, impatiently waiting for me to cross and then nearly clipping my heel as soon as they feel I’ve gone far enough. That’s if they bother to stop at all. I’m a quick walker, I don’t dawdle, especially in intersections–but that’s not enough.
Not to mention people who rush intersections and turns hoping to get through it before I get there, probably so they can mentally assure themselves that it was just the flow of traffic that they didn’t need to yield, that I wasn’t “technically” in the intersection so it’s not like they had a chance to try. Cuz they totally would you know? They’re very good drivers. The best drivers.
It seems people who drive every day have no idea what it’s like to be a person surrounded by machines that can kill so easily. That inching your vehicles, driving close, dramatic accelerations while people are crossing, all these things are at the very least thoughtlessly done, but sometimes intended to intimidate or threaten.
I don’t fear crossing busy intersections because of people not paying attention, I fear the people who think my safety is not worth their 10 second delay and want me to know they’re irritated.
Crossing 12th at Madison and Hubbell at Seneca are my biggest hotspots for near misses. Crossing 2nd at Seneca with right turners is pretty terrible sometimes too.
Ditto for me. I walk through Capitol Hill to Eastlake every work day, and this is one of my least favorite crossings on my route.
I’ve had many, many close calls because drivers are too fucking distracted with their fucking phones to pay attention to the road. Tinted windows do not help matters if you’re trying to see whether that person appears to be actually watching what they are doing.
I am a *very* cautious and defensive pedestrian (getting hit or killed by a vehicle is really not in my life plans…). I do not jaywalk or cross mid-block, especially on dark winter nights. I absolutely try to get and HOLD eye contact before ever stepping off the sidewalk. I have a bright reflective outer jacket, reflector bands, and recently got LED wristbands. There is really ZERO chance a driver cannot see me, unless they are not paying attention. And yet I still have 2-3 near misses a week. And no, I’m not exaggerating. Perhaps because I cover about 6 miles a day RT on foot through busy parts of the Hill, I’m exposed to more potential for a collision by vehicle. And while not trying to stir up a shitstorm, many cyclists are as aggressive and careless as vehicle operators in our fair city. Two of my most frightening near misses were because of cyclists running red lights and failing to yield to the pedestrian IN THE CROSSWALK, CROSSING ON THE FUCKING WALK SIGNAL.
Some of my near misses have been really close calls. I did not ONCE have a driver stop to see if things were okay after nearly running me down in a crosswalk. Usually they just wave and continue on, as if no problem.
I also just learned that a longtime acquaintance was hit in a crosswalk earlier in 2016, by a distracted driver. The driver escaped with scratches to her vehicle. My friend? In the hospital with two broken knees and broken hands, four operations already with more to come, loss of her job and livelihood (she uses her hands in her work as a medical professional, and her hands were smashed up so badly that it’s questionable if she will ever return to her career).
Apologies for the caps above – this is a topic that really gets me riled.
Put your fucking phones away, people, and pay attention to the other human beings sharing the road with you.
My solution? Whenever possible, do not cross at an intersection, do it in the middle of the block. This way, all the decisions are yours. Cars aren’t supposed to stop for you, you have a clear view in all directions of oncoming traffic, there aren’t turning cars. Illegal? Darn right, but for intersections without lights, it is often much safer.
@InThe206
While not as vibrantly visible as it sounds like you are, I take a similar approach in trying to get around. I try to be the most damn predictable pedestrian you could ever meet. I don’t suddenly change my speed, direction, or leap into traffic.
Even if I’m in a hurry and happen to be jogging I’m well aware that driver’s will have a harder time judging my distances and come to a walk before getting to intersections.
I might need to start wearing lights, it might not help much but it’ll only take one hit to ruin my life.
I hope your friend recovers :(
@JayH
I both like and hate this solution. In my head I think to myself, “I expect cars to be predictable, to follow the rules of the road, so I will too.”
But it often feels like I’m just giving everyone the chance to take advantage of me. To put me at risk.
I frequently regret waiting for the light to change at intersections, but I can’t shake that feeling that I’m going to get hit by the car I don’t see. Not that a few red LEDs are doing much to protect me anyway.
^to assess whether they are going to stop or slow enough for you to cross
“There are particular intersections where I can count on playing tug of war with right of ways, where I know that left turners are going to be sitting in the middle of the streets mid-turn, impatiently waiting for me to cross and then nearly clipping my heel as soon as they feel I’ve gone far enough.”
lmao you people are unbelievable, Seattle is a city, not country back roads. oh no, cars are driving behind me after I cross the road, heavens to betsy think of the children!!
After I cross the road? Did you not read what you quoted? I shouldn’t feel the wind of your car at my back while I’m still mid-intersection.
Be a person.
Too many drivers are unsafe on the roads and whether you are “lmao” or not the law is pedestrians have the right of way and presumably the majority of drivers had to pass the driving test.
Yes lmbo, think of the children. Like my son who, no fault of his won, was hit by a driver turning hedging their bets. Yes we are in a city. One where people walk and bike commute via roads that are busier, and crazier, by the day. As a long term Seattle pedestrian I yield to cars when it seems to make sense. My hope is that drivers would consider the fact that their hurry can mean our injury.
Imbo – sounds like you don’t know the rules of the road.. You do have a right to expect that drivers actually should not be right on your heels.. on a regular 2 lane street they shouldn’t even be entering the intersection until you are completely across. Yeah – this is a city and not a country back road. Drivers should expect that they can’t get anywhere super fast, that they will have to stop all of the time and that yeah they might just have to sit through another light downtown when there’s a continuous stream of pedestrians crossing until it’s red again. That’s what it means to drive in a busy urban area. Don’t like it – get out and walk…
Drivers MUST get out of their auto-centric “get out of my way” mind sets! I’m exhausted with the safety of being a pedestrian or bicyclists ONLY being MY responsibility — or so it feels this way to me. Additionally, the driving, walking OR bicycling with a cell phone MUST STOP!!! It’s aweful.
I have been strictly a pedestrian, runner, bicyclist, and alternative form of transportation person, living IN two major cities over the past 25 years.
For the FIRST time ever i spent 10 days in New York City this fall… where i quickly experienced the phenomenon that PEDESTRIANS own the road; cars stop and are consistently looking out for those who are NOT driving. They also were patient and expected to wait for those NOT in vehicles to safely get where they were going, before moving forward. BOTTOM LINE: i experienced the feeling that pedestrians were respected, SEEN and it was understood to be patient and wait as a driver — so much so, that i didn’t have the usual “fear of death” every time i had to cross a busy road or intersection. (this was ALL over Manhattan and Brooklyn)
However, here in Seattle, it appears that drivers are SO OVER the congestion and struggle, that they are not making sure to look for and see those who are NOT in a car.
How many more people need to be killed or seriously injured before we start enforcing some SERIOUS negative consequences for those people in CARS who are hitting and injuring and/or killing those who are not???
Sigh… our city dwelling community needs a paradigm shift!
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, New York City dos not seem less dangerous for pedestrians than Seattle. NYC pedestrian death rate, 2013, 2.12 per 100,000; Seattle pedestrian death rate, 1.69 per 100,000.
I’d like to know where in NYC you’re seeing this considerate and conscientious driving — not my perception of how it works in NYC. However, please note, NYC is clearly not the most dangerous city when it comes to pedestrian accidents. Detroit was highest, with Dallas, Jacksonville, Memphis, Phoenix all much higher rates. Of big cities, Chicago is reported to have the lowest rate of ped death per 100,000 (0.99).
Luckily the victim’s injury seems not to have been life threatening in this crash. The recent reduction in speed limits is a big step in the right direction for Seattle. But people still drive too fast on 15th East. If you go 2 miles at 25 mph, driving time is a little over 5 minutes. If you go 2 miles at 30 mph, driving time is 4 minutes. Is it worth the added danger and stress to save a minute or two on a 2 mile trip? Driving slower is safer, and the time savings of driving faster are actually really small.
Totally agree with the NYC comments above — my experience there is that peds and bikes rule, and cars take a back seat.
Two key factors in my opinion:
(1) critical mass — there are so many people on foot and bike, that car divers expect them everywhere.
(2) no right turn on red in NYC. We should do more of that here! It makes drivers get in the habit of patiently waiting at red lights, not rolling through them while looking for cars but missing the bikes & peds. Everyday on my walks, bikes, and drives, I see many cars barely slowing down while they roll through both stop signs and red lights for their right turns.
Amen to no right on red. It makes sense out in the sticks, when lights didn’t have sensors that you might not need to wait a whole light cycle to turn, but in the city it’s actually not to common that anyone even should be turning right on red – did know that you aren’t supposed to do it if *anyone* pedestrian or driver is even approaching the intersection? Most people don’t even bother to stop before they make their “free right”
I’m so glad to hear that other people agree – I’ve been wondering if I’m really strange for being totally annoyed when people creep towards you while you are crossing the street, then jam on the gas just about running over your heels. Again did you know… when a pedestrian is crossing the street unless it is at least 4 lanes wide you shouldn’t even be entering the intersection until the person crossing is ALL of the way across? Drivers aren’t supposed to go (straight or turning) until the pedestrian is more than one lane away from the side of the street on which they are driving. That means not at all on a 2 or 3 lane street and only when they get to the far lane on the other side of a 4 lane street. That *never* happens..
I didn’t realize how bad drivers here are about using their cars to threaten pedestrians until we visited San Francisco recently. OMG – people are actually watching and they stop and stay stopped there when you are crossing the street. It’s shocking.
A pedestrian is bullied to cross faster than necessary with all the impatient and distracted drivers around here. It doesn’t matter if you are elderly, pregnant or handicapped. People just don’t care anymore!
I cross 15th and Aloha almost every day and have found the drivers there (and throughout the neighborhood) to be among the most polite in the world when it comes to yielding right of way.
On the other hand, the pedestrians on the Hill are among the most sensitive in the world. Seriously, if you can’t handle North Capitol Hill, stay clear of cities like London, Paris, Athens, or Beijing.
All Cross signal light intersections save lives. The Seattle DOT acknowledges that yet they refuse to add any more beyond the 5 that are in the city now. The DOT focus continues on as maintaining vehicular traffic flow. (A lot of cities in the northeast, even cities far smaller than Seattle, have All Way Walk signal light intersections throughout their communities and intersections). Seattle COULD do the same. Every new LIKE click sends an important message of concern to mayor Ed Murray, to Seattle council members and to the exes at the Seattle Dept of Transportation, thanks:
Seattle campaign for pedestrian safe “All cross-walk” intersections
https://www.facebook.com/Seattle-Campaign-for-Pedestrian-Safe-All-CrossWalk-Intersections-238913312877647/?fref=ts