ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:56 PM: Avoid the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW (map) for a while – there’s an emergency response for what is described via radio as a car-motorcycle collision. While the initial callout was for a “6 per” medic response, indicating potential life-threatening injuries, we’re told a private ambulance is now on the way. So are we, and we’ll update with whatever we find out at the scene.

1:08 PM UPDATE: Per scanner – westbound Alki Avenue is now open at the scene; eastbound still closed.

1:20 PM UPDATE: At the scene – police confirm one person went to the hospital (we’re trying to get more details); the vehicles involved are a Jeep Cherokee and Yamaha motorcycle.

ADDED MONDAY EVENING: We heard back from Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore, who confirmed that the person taken to the hospital was the motorcycle rider, and was described as conscious and alert when transported.

7:26 PM: Wenatchee is continuing on to Bainbridge. No official report on the fate of the person reported overboard.

11:26 PM: More information late tonight from the community-news website Inside Bainbridge: They report the search started after someone on the Wenatchee reported seeing a body in the water. Searchers couldn’t find it, though, and IB says the USCG stopped searching about two hours ago.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
9:34 PM: Big response to the eastbound bridge, Spokane Street Viaduct section, for a “heavy rescue” call. One texter says it’s a rollover crash.

9:51 PM: Still not much information on this; commenters who passed the scene say it’s before the 99 exit. The eastbound bridge remains open.

10:46 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is back from checking out the crash aftermath. Two SUVs were on the outside shoulder by the time he got there (one is shown above). The exit to 99 was blocked at the time but the traffic camera now shows it, and the rest of the scene, clear. At this point we aren’t likely to have information about injuries, if any, until morning.

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore tells us that one car was on its side when SFD crews got to the two-vehicle crash scene, and, “We had to lift the occupants out of the cab of the overturned SUV. They did not have any significant injuries.”

3:48 AM: Multiple medic and fire units have responded to a crash on Harbor Lane, off Harbor Avenue, a few blocks west of the bridge. Four people were in the car, according to radio communications, and two were reported to be badly hurt. More to come.

3:57 AM: Radio communications say all four people were ejected from the car after a high-speed impact that also took out a tree before the vehicle rolled multiple times.

They’re all being taken to the hospital. A man believed to be in his mid-20s was described as the most seriously hurt patient; no ages have been mentioned for the other three. Police said over the radio that they would be closing Harbor Avenue.

4:10 AM: WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand is at the scene. The address has been updated to the 2700 block of Harbor Avenue (map). Patrick says the vehicle is in the north/westbound lanes (headed toward Alki), and confirms what we had heard via radio, that the car took out a tree. Police have closed that side of Harbor but the south/eastbound lanes, headed toward the bridge, remain open.

4:26 AM: SFD says all four people are in their 20s, two women, two men, all were ejected from the car. While the north/westbound lanes of Harbor remain closed, and the other side open, that side MIGHT close once the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad arrives to start doing its work, police at the scene told Patrick.

7:25 AM: The road should be open before long – the tow truck was reported to be on its way.

6:44 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter has just published a post about the crash, confirming that – as suggested in some of the comment discussion here over the course of the day – the 21-year-old driver is under investigation for driving under the influence.

1:57 PM: Big “heavy rescue” callout right now in the 2700 block of SW Trenton, and a texter (thank you!) tells us it’s a crash at the Westwood Village post office. (added) We’ve just arrived at the scene – looks like a pickup truck has hit the building to the left of the entrance. Avoid the Trenton entrance to WV – lots of emergency vehicles. More to come.

2:12 PM: One person is being checked out by medics. We’re trying to find out more about possible injuries. Just added a photo (above) from Natascha, showing the inside of the post office.

2:23 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore is here now so we should get updated information shortly. Adding a different angle of the scene, from Val – thanks to everyone who’s been sharing photos (we have two photographers here but all views appreciated!). Again, AVOID the Trenton entrance to the shopping center for now.

2:32 PM UPDATE: Moore says that the driver of the pickup was not hurt. The person who was being checked out by medics has cuts/bruises from being hit by collision debris. The concern now is that the truck hit a brick support column – so the building’s structural integrity has to be addressed. Obviously the post office is closed TBA – if you have USPS business, go to the one in The Junction (on California SW between Genesee and Oregon). Moore estimates about three dozen people were evacuated here after the crash, including employees.

(This photo and next by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
3:03 PM UPDATE: Added video of Moore’s briefing. He says that while the brick column posed a challenge for SFD to remove, it apparently does NOT leave the building structurally compromised. We’ll be checking with USPS on when they believe they’ll be able to reopen the branch.

3:33 PM UPDATE: Adding two photos by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli showing the aforementioned brick column.

3:55 PM UPDATE: We asked local USPS spokesperson Ernie Swanson about the branch’s status. He replied: “The retail lobby is closed for the remainder of today. At this time we do not know if it will be open tomorrow. The area where the Letter Carriers work was not damaged so there should be no delay in mail delivery.”

FRIDAY MORNING, 7:39 AM: The post-office-box and mail-drop lobby is open, and from inside that lobby, looking through the doors to the “retail lobby,” it looks all cleaned up and ready to reopen at 8:30 am as usual – we will go check again then to be sure. (Update: Yes, it is.)

6:51 PM UPDATE: Not flipped, but certainly tipped, as you can see in our photo – a landscaping/hauler-type truck, with a trailer of tools behind it, most of the way up onto the sidewalk on the semi-steep slope of Juneau between 36th and 37th. That block remained closed off when we left a few minutes ago, as a tow truck worked to pull the truck off the sidewalk and away from the fence of an adjacent house.

5:03 PM: Seattle Fire crews have evacuated Southwest Pool and Teen Life Center because of what was dispatched as a hazardous-materials situation.

5:08 PM UPDATE: It’s described on the scanner as a suspected chlorine leak. Traffic is also blocked off in the area to keep people away until crews have it under control, so avoid SW Thistle.

No word of any injuries at this point – medic crews are there but we’re not seeing any patients.

5:19 PM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick Sand confirms at the scene that it was a spill/leak of pool chlorine. Hazmat crews are in the building plan to test the air quality. And yes, this is why there’s at least two TV choppers overhead.

5:34 PM UPDATE: Fire crews report via radio communications that so far, they indeed do NOT have anyone with symptoms/injuries. The tank that had a leak/spill problem is described as at least 150 gallons. They’re still working to stabilize the situation.

5:48 PM UPDATE: Southwest Pool and Teen Life Center tells us all lessons and other activities for the rest of tonight are canceled. Too soon to tell about tomorrow. Meantime, Seattle Fire tells us that the chemical is not chlorine itself but is used to treat the pool water. Staffers smelled the leak, which apparently had been going on for a few hours before noticed, then called 911 and got out of the building. Again, SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms, no injuries, no one requesting treatment. (added, here’s our video of his briefing)

SFD is likely to be on site at least a few hours because this kind of situation requires careful processing in the “better safe than sorry” mode. Thistle is still blocked off and buses are affected by this; Metro is trying to get them through the SWAC parking lot to reroute.

6:12 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire now says the building tests “clean.” Seattle Parks says it could reopen as soon as 7 pm but lessons are still canceled for the rest of tonight. Seattle Police have just announced (via scanner) that SW Thistle is reopening.

6:46 PM UPDATE: Matt Richardson from SW Pool sends word the pool will remain CLOSED TONIGHT, then will reopen tomorrow for normal operations. People whose lessons were canceled tonight will get credits on their accounts.

(WSDOT traffic-camera image)
MIDNIGHT: A day that began with a deadly crash near the West Seattle Bridge ended with another one. Right now emergency crews are at the scene of a multiple-vehicle crash on southbound I-5, described as “near Tully’s,” which would mean near the West Seattle Bridge offramp – we’re not sure about the precise location yet. At least one death has been reported via radio communications, and at least three medic units have been summoned for survivors. More as we get it.

12:12 AM: Medics have said via radio that six people were involved – one dead, five hurt (at least three of them seriously).

1:29 AM: The two right lanes, and the 6th Avenue S. exit, remain blocked by the crash. No further details about the victims – we’re likely to get some info about ages, vehicles, etc., in a few hours.

ADDED: Seattle Fire photos of the crash scene have been added to the department’s Fire Lines website.

(Intersection of E. Marginal/Hanford around 9:40 am; victim was a short distance north of photo’s right edge)
8:19 AM: Just a few blocks northeast of the east end of the low bridge, a collision this morning has killed a bicycle rider, along the route between West Seattle and downtown. Via SPD Blotter, Seattle Police report:

Seattle Police and Fire responded to a fatality collision between a bicyclist and a semi-truck this morning at South Hanford and East Marginal Way South.

Witnesses called 911 at around 7:15 this morning informing first responders of the collision. Witnesses began giving the adult male cyclist CPR at the scene until Seattle Fire arrived, but the cyclist did not survive his injuries. Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) are enroute to the location where they will process the scene and begin their investigation.

According to SDOT, East Marginal is blocked at the scene for two blocks to the north and to the south, as is Hanford for a block eastward. We’ll add more information to the story as we get it; it’s too early for any word on the rider’s identity.

8:32 AM UPDATE: KING 5 reporter Roberta Romero at the scene quotes witnesses as saying the bicycle hit the back of the semi-truck (update here). Meantime, in a tragic coincidence noted by commenter Lizben, today happens to be the first day of Bike to Work Month.

(Unmarked police car at scene around 9:40 am; bicycle is on road toward right side of photo)
9:32 AM UPDATE: We went to SODO in hopes of finding out a bit more – parked a few blocks away and co-publisher Patrick Sand walked to the scene. The Medical Examiner has just arrived, and that means, police say, the scene will likely be closed another hour or so.

(Semi-truck, stopped north of the crash scene)
10:24 AM UPDATE: Called SPD media relations to ask if they had any updated information yet such as the rider’s age – SFD had estimated “30s” in an early report. Det. Renée Witt says they won’t get that information until the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad clears the scene; she promises to update us when that’s available.

11:08 AM UPDATE: Police have just announced via radio that East Marginal is open again; they are clearing the scene. Another note, as Kathy pointed out in comments – the city Bicycle Advisory Board meets tonight, and this is bound to be discussed (location/time are on the SBAB home page).

4:25 PM UPDATE: No new official information so far. As pointed out in the ongoing comments discussion, The Seattle Times (WSB partner; paywalled link here) quotes a spokesperson for Mayor McGinn as saying the city will consider some quick safety improvements at the scene, perhaps striping.

7 PM: We are at the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board meeting and will publish a separate update later. The meeting began with a moment of silence for the still-not-publicly-identified bicyclist who was killed. SDOT’s Dongho Chang elaborated on the mentioned-earlier mayoral commitment, saying SDOT will report to the Mayor “within 30 days” about some actions that can be taken relatively quickly, though he had no timeline for then making them happen. Most of the meeting is about the project that’s been a big one for the board – the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan update; city reps say a draft should be out within a month.

9:58 PM UPDATE: Kathy Dunn, one of the West Seattle Bike Connections members who were also at the SBAB meeting, has shared this photo taken as she rode back to West Seattle tonight, past the scene of this morning’s crash:

8:51 THURSDAY MORNING: SPD Blotter has updated the crash report with some early findings, and has also reported that the victim was 54. We’re working on a separate followup including more on last night’s board meeting but in the meantime, here’s where to see the police update.

1:12 AM: A pickup truck went off the road and into a wall in front of a home along west/southbound Erskine Way west of The Junction, reports WSB’s Katie Meyer, who’s at the scene. She says the truck’s driver is injured and being loaded into Medic 32, which is there along with Engine 32 and police, blocking the road for now.

1:50 AM: Added two photos, both taken by Katie. No word so far on why the driver went off the road.

Thanks to Jason for the photo from 16th and Thistle. The call first went out as “automobile rescue,” but Seattle Fire responders were canceled shortly thereafter, since apparently everyone got out OK. No major inuries reported.

This is NOT affecting traffic now, but might later when it’s time for repairs – a car hit a streetlight pole (above left) on southbound Delridge Way SW across from the Boren/K-5 STEM parking lot, and veered off the road, onto the slope leading down toward Longfellow Creek:

City Light‘s been notified – one of its employees actually called in the crash – we’ll check on the repair timetable later; here’s the pole’s damaged base:

Police hadn’t yet sorted out why the driver – who was not seriously hurt – hit the pole and went off the road.

If you’re wondering about a large Seattle Fire Department call-out in the 4000 block of 22nd SW, units responded to reports of light smoke from a residential basement. A “wall fire” was quickly extinguished. Christopher Boffoli checked it out for WSB and sent the photo below, reporting that the home owner was at the residence at the time and no injuries were reported.

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
8:19 AM: If you’ve seen a big emergency response go by, it’s for a “heavy rescue” call at 48th and Andover (map) – a car has flipped. More to come.

8:29 AM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports from the scene that two cars were involved and both drivers are being taken to hospitals. The driver from the Prius that flipped was described via radio as 48 years old and conscious but reporting shoulder pain.

8:51 AM: Authorities say it appeared the Prius was headed southbound and hit on the passenger side – where its airbags deployed – by the eastbound Civic. Avoid the intersection for a while; the tow trucks hadn’t arrived as of our last scene check a short time ago.

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:14 AM: A man has been stabbed six times in the 1700 block of SW Barton. More to come.

11:19 AM: Per SFD radio with medics, the victim is male and despite the half-dozen stab wounds, is conscious and alert. They’re taking him to Harborview Medical Center.

11:30 AM: The wounds are considered to be life-threatening, responders are saying.

11:53 PM: From WSB’s Christopher Boffoli at the scene: The victim is a 61-year-old man and a suspect is in custody, according to police, who describe the circumstances as an argument between friends.