West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
That was the most serious of two overnight crashes, so far, in this area. Around 12:40 am, that car crashed into a railroad signpole at 11th SW/SW Spokane, just east of the “low bridge,” which was blocked off for a while because of the investigation. Before we got there, firefighters spent at least 15 minutes extricating the driver from the wreckage, according to scanner traffic. He was reported to be unconscious when rushed to Harborview Medical Center, and that’s all the information we have so far. The other crash happened an hour earlier at 40th/Morgan, and led police to block off Morgan for a while, according to nearby residents; early scanner reports on that one said that a parked car had been hit by another vehicle, whose occupant(s) then left the scene. We have a message out to police to see if they were ever found.
SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams says of the 40th/Morgan crash, “The two males that fled the scene did not return, but officers were able to track them down and verify who was involved. The driver, a 16-year-old, was cited. He also received some medical attention for minor injuries he sustained in the crash.”
1:39 PM: Major response to the 6000 block of Lanham Place SW in High Point. More shortly.
1:51 PM: Our crew reports it turned out to be a “food on the stove” call – smoke but no real fire, and the Fire Department’s wrapping up.
Two people texted us in the past hour or so, reporting a loud “bang” or “crash” noise. This was apparently the source – a crash on southbound 35th SW, just north of SW Henderson (map; across from the Gasco station). No serious injuries, if any injuries at all – no victims were in sight by the time we got there, and the Fire Department‘s involvement in the call ended pretty quickly. But the “GOT JUNK?” truck wound up pushed into what we believe is one of the area’s famous collection of European Hornbeam street trees:
Tow trucks for both vehicles arrived fairly quickly; we’ll follow up later for any information on the crash’s cause, and to see if the tree will survive. (Speaking of which, a side note: Online information now indicates the Fauntleroy crash we covered in the early-morning hours yesterday was a suspected case of DUI).
(Photos by WSB editor Tracy Record)
A suddenly ironic sign marked the spot where that car flipped onto a Fauntleroy sidewalk a short time ago, right on the curve from Fauntleroy Way eastbound onto Wildwood (map). 2 people were hurt, minor injuries per the scanner, and we can confirm that the one victim who was placed on a gurney was sitting up as he was wheeled toward a private ambulance. Police were tracing the car’s trajectory:
Though that “no stops” sign survived unscathed, what you see in the lower right corner of that photo is another sign that did not:
That sign has long been a wayfinder pointing people to Fauntleroy UCC Church a few blocks east. No other cars were involved in the crash, but this one had far-ranging effects; police were up on the house’s lawn looking for debris.
ADDED 8:59 AM: Kevin McClintic sent a photo of the sign, taken last fall:
Fauntleroy-residing community volunteer Judy Pickens says that to her recollection, it’s been there since the mid-’90s, with the family who lives there having kindly agreed to “host” the sign.
ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: This is believed to be a case of DUI, according to the SPD time-delayed “incident response” map.
It’s not on 911 – no injuries, apparently – but a multiple-vehicle fender-bender crash is blocking SW Oregon between California and 42nd. So avoid that area for a while, if you’re heading that way.
4:05 PM UPDATE: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli has just been at the scene and says traffic’s flowing fine now (aside from the usual afternoon backups) while the drivers exchange info.
The big fire response to the 8100 block of 15th SW this past half-hour was for a problem that turned out NOT to be a fire – we went to the scene just to verify, and fire crews told us it was a smoldering electrical wire. They’re canceling the rest of the units now.
1 person was hurt and taken to the hospital after a 2-vehicle crash that briefly blocked northbound traffic in the 8400 block of Fauntleroy Way, across from central Lincoln Park. Should be clearing now, as crews were starting to pack up when we left the scene a few minutes ago, but since it’s a high-visibility spot – traffic coming from the ferry terminal had to maneuver around the scene – we thought it worth a mention.
Thanks to Pete for the tip on this (as well as an unsigned text message): Eastbound SW Holden should be open again at any time, since a tow truck was arriving at the scene where a white Jeep Cherokee crashed just east of 15th SW and blocked that side of the road. Its driver walked away (with a passenger, according to witnesses). No injuries reported.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
7:47 PM: Continuing coverage from this earlier WSB story: A recovery effort is now under way off Seacrest Pier, after a body was found this evening, believed to be that of the diver who vanished this morning after something went wrong during an advanced class in deep water. Seattle Police tell WSB that the body was spotted by civilian divers who kept looking even after the official effort ended late in the day; police, fire, and Coast Guard crews searched for hours before moving from rescue attempt to recovery effort.
A buoy is in the water, about 100 yards offshore, marking the spot where it was seen; police and fire are coordinating the operation to retrieve the body.
The King County Medical Examiner is there too, since it’s their job to investigate deaths like this.
7:57 PM UPDATE: Our crews at the scene says the body has been brought out of the water and is on board the Seattle Fire Department boat Leschi. The KCME is waiting onshore. They will be the ones to officially announce identification, once it’s made, and once they’re sure next-of-kin know, though that may not be until tomorrow. As mentioned in our first story, our archives indicate this is the first diver death in our area in three years.
8:15 PM UPDATE: The scene is starting to clear; the diver’s body is in the Medical Examiner’s truck, and police/fire crews are wrapping up, more than nine hours after this all began with a call that the diver was in trouble, as detailed in our morning/afternoon coverage.
8:41 PM UPDATE: There’s more information on the SFD “Fire Line” website, including more information on a related incident we’d heard about: A diver in her 50s, one of the civilian/volunteer divers who continued the search, had to be taken to Virginia Mason, where there’s a hyperbaric chamber, because of a medical problem following a quick ascent.
10:47 PM UPDATE: We’ve added video from WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who also took the photos in this story. And we’ve found some context on how part of the recovery effort unfolded, in a post by Laura James – whose underwater video has been featured here before – on the Northwest Dive Club message board. She was one of the divers who went down (after another volunteer team spotted the body) and marked the spot so the official recovery team could get there fast.
POSTSCRIPT: Bill Morgan from North Admiral sent three striking images of rescuers at work on Sunday afternoon, and we wanted to share them. First, the Coast Guard in the air:
The Seattle Fire Department, also “in the air,” before there was helicopter support:
And a Seattle Police boat, with divers:
(EVENING COVERAGE can be found here)
11:18 AM: There’s a big response at Seacrest – a diver’s reported to be in trouble. Rescue crews are working from land and in the water. Lots of police as well as fire, so avoid the area TFN. We’re on the way; more to come.
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
11:27 AM UPDATE: According to the scanner, the diver was at one point coming up with “a buddy” but then went back down again. There’s an extensive search effort under way.
11:39 AM UPDATE: Still searching for the diver who’s reported to be in trouble. Police are expanding the stretch of Harbor that’s being blocked off because of the big rescue response. An SFD public-information officer is on the way to deal with the increasing media presence.
11:51 AM UPDATE: The search continues. Per scanner traffic, the diver is part of an advanced class that was in deep water. Meantime, we checked the archives; last emergency response in the area involving a diver was in September; a diver felt ill after emerging from the water. The last water rescue involving a diver, according to our archives, was this one last May, in which the West Seattle Water Taxi and crew turned into rescuers.
12:04 PM UPDATE: The Coast Guard is also assisting in the search; it has a chopper flying over the area. Rescuers have been on scene for an hour now, but the diver remains – as described in radio traffic – “unaccounted for.”
12:33 PM UPDATE: Still awaiting word from our crew of an official SFD briefing. A diver who spoke with media crews a little while ago said this happened in 96 feet of water, clear conditions. Radio traffic indicates rescue vehicles will be thinning soon, with an announcement that Harbor Avenue likely will reopen within half a hour.
12:39 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms this is shifting from search to recovery – divers have made three passes and have not found any sign of the missing diver, described as a man in his late 20s, experienced, with more than 50 dives in the past. He was out as part of an advanced class and then seemed to be in some kind of distress and started going up “too fast”; another tried to follow him but upon reaching the surface didn’t see the one who was in trouble. The group then signaled to people on shore that there was a problem, and that’s when fire/police were called. Moore says diver teams have made three trips down to 75 feet looking for the missing diver but haven’t found any sign of him; four divers (two police, two fire) are going to take one more look shortly. (Added above, video of Moore’s briefing, unedited, in its entirety)
1:26 PM NOTE: According to our archives, the last diver death in this area was three years ago.
4:28 PM UPDATE: We went back to Seacrest at about 3 pm; Coast Guard and SPD boats were still there, with the former heading out to look again.
6:32 PM: We are working to confirm a report the diver’s body may have been located.
7:03 PM: Police confirm that a body has been located. Civilian divers continued looking into the evening and told authorities around 6 pm they believed they had found him.
7:49 PM: We have started a new story with continuing coverage of the recovery operation.
(UPDATED 2:51 PM with new information on injuries, circumstances)
12:19 PM: South of Morgan Junction, California SW is partly blocked near SW Myrtle (by Caffe Ladro; map) because of an incident involving a bicyclist. We’re at the scene to find out more.
12:25 PM UPDATE: Police tell us the bicyclist was heading southbound on California – uphill – south of the intersection when he collided with a car door. The rider was going to be transported by private ambulance, but then was moved to a medic unit. We don’t yet know the extent of his injuries.
12:32 PM UPDATE: The scene is clearing, and California SW is fully open again, according to our crew at the scene.
2:51 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB the bike rider is 30 years old and “was traveling approximately 25 miles an hour down the street when a car door opened in front of him causing him to flip over the door. He was not wearing a helmet. He remained conscious and responsive but could not remember the accident. He also had some facial lacerations. Our medics treated him and transported him to Harborview in stable condition.”
(TOPLINE: Short-lived scare in The Junction, all over now)
11:30 AM: A fire call in the 4500 block of 42nd SW has some evacuations under way. We’ll be there shortly.
11:35 AM UPDATE: 42nd is blocked off north of SW Alaska, as you can see in the photo above, sent by Dale (thank you!). Scanner traffic has mentioned a “suspicious package”; we’re checking with authorities on scene. We’ve also just talked with Leon Capelouto, owner of the building, who says he believes the first report came from a manager at Altamira Apartments in the building.
11:40 AM UPDATE: Police confirm it’s a suspicious package – they heard about it around 11 am. The caller reported what looked like “a box of dynamite.” The Arson and Bomb Squad has just arrived, according to SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson.
The evacuations are just as a precaution. Patrol units are there, helping with traffic control. Evacuees are gathered in various spots nearby.
Det. Jamieson says the “package” is apparently inside the building.
11:51 AM UPDATE: All clear, police and fire tell us at the scene – the “suspicious package” turned out to be a box of road flares. The road is reopening and those who were evacuated will be allowed back inside.
(SCROLL DOWN for updates including fire’s cause and how to help)
(Added: Firefighter Jeff Blevins with rescued cat; photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
10:41 AM: Fire units have responded to a house in the 3800 block of 46th SW – a few blocks west of California/Charlestown. First crews on scene are describing it on the scanner as a “room fire.” We’re on the way.
(Subsequent photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
10:48 AM: No report of injuries so far. Via scanner, crews say they have “knocked down” the fire, but it has “extended” – spread – into a wall, so they’re tackling that. We’ve just added a photo from our first photojournalist at the scene, Christopher Boffoli.
11:05 AM: A cat has been rescued from the house and is reported to be getting medical attention. Firefighters at the scene confirm the fire was largely confined to one room, on the second floor, but there was a lot of smoke in the rest of the house.
11:20 AM: Photo added, firefighter tending to the rescued cat. We have to disclose that we notified the homeowner, local animal advocate Teri Ensley, after recognizing the house, the scene of many fundraising plant sales she has held for Furry Faces Foundation. She is there now.
11:48 AM: We’re told the cat has been taken to a veterinarian. No word on the fire’s cause – the investigation unit, Marshal 5, was sent there, and we’re likely to have information later.
2:11 PM: We just went over to check with Teri. The rescued cat’s name is Jared, by the way. She’s found another cat who’s going to the vet to be checked out. Her house won’t be inhabitable for a while; she’s making arrangements for a place to stay and has found somewhere for the cats. We’re awaiting SFD’s official word on cause; the last fire crew was just leaving as co-publisher Patrick pulled up to follow up.
2:43 PM: The Fire Department’s account of events is up on their website. According to the update, “A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the fire was accidental. A hot plate that was left on ignited combustibles on the kitchen counter. The damage estimate is 60 thousand dollars to the structure and 10 thousand dollars to the contents.” SFD also says one 16-year-old cat didn’t make it. The update also notes that what you saw on Jared in our photo is a “specially designed pet oxygen mask” – here’s another view:
Meantime, commenters have provided info on how to help Teri and the cats; donations are being accepted at Beveridge Place Pub.
ADDED TUESDAY: Here’s a followup story with a list of what’s needed by Teri, the animals, and Furry Faces, for all those who’ve generously offered to help.
For more than four years now, we’ve been glad to be able to work with photojournalist Christopher Boffoli. Though lately his career focus have turned toward the unique “Disparity” imagery that gained worldwide attention this year, he took the time to look back at his WSB work from this year and put together a slideshow of dozens of memorable images. Many were from breaking-news stories, as that’s been his WSB specialty over the years, but that’s not all you’ll see if you click through the photos (or let them play automatically) … watch closely for, for example, the most-talked-about food from last July’s West Seattle Summer Fest. Speaking of food, Christopher’s about to open an exhibition of images from his “Disparity” work, January 10-February 23 at Winston Wächter Fine Art (203 Dexter Ave. N. downtown).
P.S. 2 more year-in-review roundups to come … we’ve archived previous installments (plus this one) here.
6:40 PM: Police and fire are responding to 32nd and Juneau in High Point, where a female victim – possibly a teenager – has reportedly been shot in the leg, possibly from a passing car, according to initial scanner traffic. More as we get it.
6:52 PM UPDATE: Police on the scene confirm to WSB that the victim is a girl “in her mid-teens” with a leg wound. They are still trying to sort out the circumstances. Meantime, scanner traffic from the medic unit crew describe the victim as 15 years old and quote her as saying “she only heard one shot.”
7:06 PM UPDATE: From the scanner – police are talking with some people and trying to find out if they were involved. Our crew at the scene is close to where this questioning is happening, about a block from the shooting scene. WSB archives show this is the first shooting investigated in West Seattle in 2 months, since the Admiral murder-suicide shootings.
7:53 PM UPDATE: Our crew says police have now handcuffed the male who was being questioned (caveat, that does not ALWAYS mean an official arrest, we will be working to confirm with police). Police also are impounding/towing a car in which a source tells us the victim and possible suspects all may have been (photo to come when our crew is back at HQ). We aren’t likely to get an official update on the victim’s condition, but the medic-unit radio exchange earlier indicated that her vital signs were good.
9:36 PM UPDATE: New information from Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith, who says that two “young males” found near the shooting victim and claiming to be “bystanders” were “investigated further and revealed that it was an accidental discharge inside the car. The bullet was recovered from the floor of the car. Shooter and gun are outstanding. A possible second female victim, who was not located, had reportedly been grazed by the single shot also. It appears a group of young individuals were smoking drugs in the car handling the gun when it was discharged, striking 2 of the females.”
Busy morning for emergency responders. We checked this out right after the Fauntleroy shed fire. From the scene and the scanner, police believe that this car was hit by another vehicle that left the scene, just hard enough to override the parking brake and send it rolling onto the sidewalk and up to the front of this commercial building just south of 35th/Barton (map).
No injuries and no serious damage – the car hit the mailbox post and took out a few bricks on a planter in front of the business’s front window. (Editor’s note: We’ve blurred the plate on the top photo, per WSB policy on faces/addresses/plate #s.)
8:18 AM: More Seattle Fire units are on their way to the 8600 block of Fauntleroy right now. This started as a call about a “shed fire” and moments ago, crews on the scene called for a “full response” because it’s apparently spread to the house, as well as to a neighbor’s shed. We’ll be on scene shortly. The traffic camera above shows the emergency vehicles, just south of the south Lincoln Park parking lot.
8:33 AM UPDATE: On scene – northbound Fauntleroy Way traffic is blocked, as the “live” traffic-cam image above shows, but some southbound traffic (toward the ferry dock) is getting through. Police are there to help direct traffic. We haven’t seen damage to the house in front of the shed (seconds after we added this, the incident commander confirmed this), but the shed itself is significantly burned.
No report of injuries; investigators are on the way to figure out how it started.
8:51 AM: Traffic moving again. We’ve removed the traffic-cam image since the blockage is gone. We’ll update this later when there’s information about how the fire started; for now, we’ve added a photo from the scene (by WSB’s Patrick Sand), as well as a photo (courtesy Amy) showing the smoke, which was widely visible for a while (we even got one sighting report from Vashon, across the Sound).
9:29 AM: Added new photo atop this story – taken by Kristi while the shed was engulfed in flames.
10:59 AM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore has information on the fire’s cause and damage:
The renter of the property was not home when the fire began. A Seattle Fire Investigator determined this was an accidental fire that began from an extension cord that ran from the house to the detached shed. Several extension cords were strung together to power a portable heater inside the shed.
An SFD Investigators estimates $17,000 in total damage. The breakdown of the damage estimate is $8,000 to the shed, $5,000 to the contents of the shed and $4,000 to the exterior of the garage.
7:55 PM: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli checked out this crash that happened a short time ago at 35th/Fauntleroy. No major injuries, he reports, but it’s blocking part of the road, as you can see, so slow going till it’s cleared.
ADDED 8:14 PM: More info from Christopher, who was on the scene right after it happened: He says the BMW station wagon was just off the bridge and collided with a minivan going the other way; both drivers, who appeared to be alone in the cars, got out of the vehicles right afterward. Bystanders pushed the BMW out of the main traffic lanes but the minivan wasn’t so easily dealt with – since it lost its driver’s-side rear tire.
(Photo by Deanie Schwarz for WSB)
3:56 PM: Big emergency response to 3rd SW/Olson Place (map) just past the east end of Roxbury – there’s a crash that went out as an “automobile rescue” call. Our crew is there and we’ll have more shortly – for now, though, avoid the area, which is a busy route to and from Highway 509.
4:44 PM: From WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz – Three people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The road is not likely to clear any time soon.
(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB)
5:19 PM: A total of three vehicles were involved, according to WSB contributor Katie Meyer. She says fire crews had to cut the top off one car to get the patient out safely. Still no word when the road might reopen.
8:38 PM: If you haven’t seen this in comments already – the road has reopened.
10:32 PM: It apparently then closed again – but is now reported as reopened. Meantime, police have published their account to SPD Blotter:
On November 11th at approximately 3:23 p.m. officers responded to the area of Olson Place SW and SW Cambridge Place for a multiple-vehicle head on collision with life-threatening injuries.
Preliminary investigation indicates that a 51-year-old male was driving westbound in his Nissan Pathfinder. The driver crossed the centerline and struck a 1999 Saturn head on. The driver of the Saturn, a 22-year-old male, was transported to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medics with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Pathfinder then spun around and was struck on the driver’s side by an eastbound, on-coming Toyota Camry. The Camry was being driven by a 63-year-old female, who was subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medics with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Pathfinder was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers evaluated the driver of the Pathfinder for signs of impairment due to alcohol and/or drugs. A blood draw was performed and the laboratory results are pending further investigation.
There were no citations issued at the scene, which is standard procedure in traffic incidents involving serious injuries, and that subsequently require collision reconstruction and extensive follow up investigation.
Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.
The road was closed in both directions and traffic re-routed so detectives could effectively conduct their on-scene investigation.
ORIGINAL 9:16 AM REPORT: What was a major “heavy rescue” response to 18th/Elmgrove (map) has just been downgraded to a “motor vehicle accident with multiple patients,” per the scanner. We have a crew on the way to the scene.
9:29 AM UPDATE: The patients are described as a 30-year-old man with shoulder pain and a 10-month-old baby who was in the back seat of the car that was involved. Both are being taken to the hospital but neither is described as seriously hurt, per the scanner. Our crew at the scene says a school bus also was involved, with about six kids on board, reported to be from Roxhill Elementary, but none of them are reported hurt, and another bus is arriving to take them to school.
9:56 AM UPDATE: Police tell us they are still sorting out the circumstances of the crash. As the photo above shows, both the school bus and the car involved wound up on the sidewalk/lawn of property at the intersection. SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore has spoken to media at the scene and confirms that the school bus’s seven students and driver were all checked out and are OK:
A tow truck has already arrived.
8:41 PM: Avoid 15th/Delridge/Roxbury for a while – police and fire are responding to the scene of some kind of accident. It was originally reported as “a woman trapped under a bus” but first units on the scene corrected that to say no one is trapped. However, police are closing off the area while they investigate.
9:02 PM UPDATE: WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz is at the scene. She says the woman is believed to have been hit by the bus but is not believed to have major injuries. Her top photo shows investigators looking under the bus after the woman had already been moved for medical attention.
9:17 PM UPDATE: Deanie says the bus has been towed and the roads have reopened. (This was in the intersection by the former Game Stop on the corner with the Roxbury Walgreens.)
12:47 PM: Drivers headed west on the West Seattle Bridge can’t use the Delridge exit right now – it’s blocked off because of a crash. The call went out as “automobile rescue”; our crew at the scene says it’s on the curve as the ramp comes down to Delridge, lots of fire/rescue crews. No word yet on whether anyone’s been hurt.
12:57 PM UPDATE: One person taken to Harborview Medical Center, according to the incident commander. And the ramp is open again. This appears to have been a one-vehicle crash, but no details on whether it’s blamed on the wet weather or some other factor.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
ORIGINAL 2:25 PM REPORT: Police have rushed to the Washington Federal branch at California/Fauntleroy in Morgan Junction after a robbery report. According to what we are hearing on the scanner, the suspects are described as two men, apparently wearing Halloween masks. There are two reports that the getaway car might be black – a witness near the kitty-corner Thriftway saw men carrying at least one pillowcase jump into a car there and take off. Police are on the lookout all over West Seattle and the city, and also reportedly trying to determine if it’s part of a recent series (we haven’t had any here in WS lately).
2:44 PM UPDATE: Added a photo from WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who’s at the scene, and says Seattle Police have given him a few other details – the robbers were white, male, and wearing hoodies, as well as the aforementioned “Halloween masks.” Police confirm they are looking for a black getaway car. Scanner traffic says the robbers were believed to be armed with a shotgun and a handgun.
3:32 PM UPDATE: No word of any arrests so far. A few more details from Christopher at the scene: “The bank manager confirms the branch is closed for the rest of the day and as patrons have been showing up, they’ve been directed to use other branches. SPD detectives are on scene and are reviewing camera footage. They’re also taking pictures in the alley north of the bank location.” We asked him if they had been told what the robbers’ reported “Halloween masks” looked like. One description so far: Possibly a George W. Bush mask.
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