VIDEO: 1 hurt in car-on-side crash at Walnut/Lander

(Added: WSB photo and video by Christopher Boffoli)

7:07 AM: We first mentioned this in morning traffic but are now publishing this separate story. One person has just been cut out of a car that crashed and went onto its side in the 2600 block of Walnut SW by West Seattle High School and Hiawatha.

(Longer clip substituted for short one originally published)

More to come.

7:10 AM: SFD describes the injured person as an “adult female.” Her injuries are not major – she’ll be taken to the hospital by private ambulance. Also, though the logged address is Walnut, the crash scene is more at the corner of Lander and Walnut. Traffic is now getting through but we’d advise avoiding the area for a while anyway.

7:56 AM: Also, we doublechecked and responders at the scene told us no other vehicles were involved/damaged. WSB’s Christopher Boffoli says the vehicle hit a tree, which had some damage. He adds, “There was a stop sign on the ground behind the car but no one could figure out where it came from.”

16 Replies to "VIDEO: 1 hurt in car-on-side crash at Walnut/Lander"

  • waikikigirl March 21, 2018 (8:03 am)

    Holy smokes I’m glad the driver is not seriously hurt, but WOW I have never seen so many SPD and SFD in one place at one time.

  • justme March 21, 2018 (8:08 am)

    Hope she recovers okay!

    The stop sign must have been dragged from a block away.

  • Scott March 21, 2018 (9:00 am)

    I was just at the corner last night and was astounded by the number of vehicles driving so fast in that area. There were kids everywhere at the park and people just cutting throw the neighborhood. 

  • Marie March 21, 2018 (9:25 am)

    I used to live right near that intersection and people fly down that street super fast, all day long. And yes, that stop sign must have been dragged from another intersection, because there certainly was never one right there.

  • dot March 21, 2018 (10:27 am)

    How did it happen with no other vehicles involved, did she hit a tree or something?

    Poor thing, hope she’s okay.

    …what stop sign? I don’t see it.

    • WSB March 21, 2018 (10:57 am)

      As mentioned above, Christopher reports she hit a tree, though whether that was the cause of the flip, I don’t know.

  • s March 21, 2018 (10:39 am)

    This might sound like a dumb question, but with all those people, couldn’t they have righted the car  first, instead of leaving it in that precarious position? I look at that picture and see danger for anyone close to it.

    • WSB March 21, 2018 (10:57 am)

      They had to get the person out first. That required cutting off the roof and very carefully – watch the longer clip from Christopher that I just subbed out for the original short one – extricating her.

    • cjboffoli March 21, 2018 (2:02 pm)

      If they have a driver with a possible neck injury (or any other orthopedic injury possible for an overturned car) the last thing the SFD wants to do is jostle that patient while righting the vehicle.  They’re likely trained to access the person as directly as possible with the least amount of disturbance, get them on a backboard or gurney and on the way to the hospital.  Even if they had rolled the car back over on two wheels, the driver’s side door was probably too crushed to open. And for the same reasons above they’d be unlikely to pull a patient over the transmission hump and out the passenger side.  

  • schwaggy March 21, 2018 (11:02 am)

    S – there’s 2 supports placed by SFD, one on each side of the Jeep

  • SaraB March 21, 2018 (3:38 pm)

    We considered buying a house on that corner, and I vividly recall being surprised by the reckless drivers I witnessed on what should be a fairly quiet residential street.  What’s the deal with that location?  It sounds like a regular problem there.  

    • cjboffoli March 21, 2018 (5:31 pm)

      Well for one it’s a residential street that has become a de facto arterial as it provides a handy detour around six traffic lights (Hanford, Stevens, Lander, Admiral, 42nd and 41st) versus taking the California Ave. SW to Admiral arterial  to the West Seattle Bridge.

    • Rick March 21, 2018 (6:00 pm)

      Sarab,I’m so glad you didn’t actually buy a house on that horrible corner. That would have been an absolute disaster for you!

      • sheli March 22, 2018 (8:49 am)

        I’m glad she didn’t buy it either, because I did.  I’ve doubled my money in 7 years and live an amazing life on Hiawatha with my family.  The girl was distracted and made a mistake had nothing to do with the corner.  I feel beyond grateful to live in an amazing city with so many people that care.  also, the stop sign was already in her car.

  • Don Brubeck March 21, 2018 (3:46 pm)

    Pretty hard to roll your vehicle if obeying the 20 mph speed limit on that street and keeping eyes on the road. 

    The area around Hiawatha park is part of a 20 mph zone established in 2015.  “The 20 mph program is for residential streets with “a high collision history,” near schools and parks.” [WS Blog Feb 13, 2015}

    • McFail March 21, 2018 (6:50 pm)

      Even at 20mph if she hits that tree just right and the front tires climb the trunk and she over corrects it’s possible especially in an older SUV.  BUT THAT STOP SIGN?!?!?

      Maybe that offset intersection needs one going north on Walnut.

Sorry, comment time is over.