Another crash at 35th/Thistle

Just back from 35th/Thistle (map), where two cars collided; both were badly damaged – the two people in one of them got out OK, the driver in the other had to be cut out by rescue crews and was rushed to the hospital. Avoid the area. Thank you, to the people who called and texted us, just as we heard the sirens and were starting to check into what was going on. This is the same intersection where a pedestrian was hit and hurt exactly two weeks ago. Sorry our night photography leaves something to be desired; for perspective’s sake, here’s a wider shot, with one damaged car at left, the other far right – this is looking northeast from the southwest corner of 35th/Thistle:

P.S. As of 10:04 pm, nearby resident Stephanie says the intersection has just reopened.

LyndaB April 22, 2008 (10:12 pm)

what a scary intersection. every time i go through i just remember the ice cream truck collision fatality. RIP and drive safely everyone.

J April 23, 2008 (8:15 am)

I drive 35th all the way from Roxbury to the West Seattle Bridge on ramp, every day to and from work. I do a pretty steady 35 mph, maybe a little over and I am frequently passed. Not just passed, but “passed” as in, folks doing 45 mph and over…

I’m sure the situation is simliar on Faunterloy during commute times.

It’s pretty depressing…I always wonder if folks realize the extra danger they add to the drive but rushing on these arterials. I don’t know the specific of this accident, but I wondn’t be suprised if speed was a factor… Sorry to see anyone get hurt.

CMP April 23, 2008 (8:35 am)

Well, SDOT’s attempt to make that intersection safer clearly isn’t working! Although it’s the drivers that are stupid…but SDOT fits right in with that. I find it amusing that Admiral somehow has a 30 mph speed limit while 35th AND Fauntleroy are both 35 mph. The latter two streets have way more parked cars, intersections, curves in the road and potholes compared to Admiral, yet SDOT gives those a faster speed limit. I don’t get it. I’m all for higher speed limits but there seems to be no rationale behind the decision making except for those handy computer models. Anyway, I clearly take any opportunity to complain about driving, this intersection and SDOT, huh? I hope those involved in the accident are not badly injured and that they make a quick recovery.

Lou April 23, 2008 (9:01 am)

I can’t say if the speed limit is correct on 35th or not…but I noticed that there is a fairly common comparison between Admiral and 35th on WSB. My main comment is that this is not comparing apples to apples. 35th is a much longer thoroughfare than Admiral so it makes sense that it will probably have more accidents. I guess the question is – how many accidents per mile occur on these streets and is 35th any different than Admiral or Fauntleroy in this regard? I have no idea, but that would be an interesting stat.

beachdrivegirl April 23, 2008 (10:29 am)

Maybe its not the SDOT but the drivers. In Vegas there are many city streets with speed limits of 45mph and these same city streets dont cause the accidents that you see here.

old timer April 23, 2008 (10:30 am)

“The latter two streets have way more parked cars, intersections, curves in the road and potholes compared to Admiral, yet SDOT gives those a faster speed limit.”

Well, It doesn’t really matter when most of the drivers regularly do 40 mph+.

There are times when driving @ 35 mph on 35th that I feel as if I should have my emergency flashers on, to let those coming up behind me know that I’m not traveling @ 50 mph.

Not much one can do except be aware of those who are not.

Rick April 23, 2008 (12:39 pm)

So many people are in such a big hurry and and so focused. On themselves! The few seconds you might save can cost you or someone else the rest of their lives. And that’s a really,really long time. On a side note, I remember getting a ticket on 35th back during high school days for going 35. Must have been confused by the street number. Like a state trooper once told me “slow down and live another day”.

Aidan Hadley April 23, 2008 (1:05 pm)

beachdrivegirl: Seattle’s cramped, hilly, winding streets are nothing like the wide, flat, straight desert roads of Las Vegas.

Rick is absolutely right. The problem is selfish, careless people who are in a perpetual hurry. I’d also add that part of the problem is people in these massive vans and SUVs that take up too much space, have too much mass to stop quickly, and obscure other driver’s views of the road.

Speed in itself, on an appropriately engineered road, is not the greatest danger. But with all of the intersections and densely populated areas we have around here the me-me-me, hurry-hurry-hurry folks, no wonder there are so many wrecks.

RS April 23, 2008 (3:16 pm)

Right on Aidan! Smaller cars rule!!!

I live on a busy street in WS and get really annoyed with speeding drivers not just because of the safety concerns but also because it makes the traffic noise that much worse. No one should be roaring up the street so fast that my whole house shakes!!

Stephanie April 23, 2008 (3:21 pm)

As someone who used to drive 35th almost every day, my frustrations with this route are numerous. One of the problem seems to be the unending amount of people trying to take a left-turn, thereby (rightfully) causing traffic to come to a stand-still behind them as they wait for their chance. The lack of left turn lanes/signals, especially driving Southbound, causes people to drive as if it is a game of chicken.

I will admit to having played this â€œgameâ€ and often found my frustration level rising as I drove home, thereby leading me and many others around me to make bad decision and certainly speed over the limit. Its crazy making behavior on this route, and it forced me to look at my own risky driving behavior and reconsider taking another way home. I now take Delridge, and it may be a slower route (being one lane most of the time) but I now can relax and work on cultivating patience. Most of all I now enjoy driving home, as my fear of getting in an accident has greatly lessened. Thatâ€™s worth the extra time it takes to get home by a long shot.

Finally, as I live on 35th and just a few houses down from the accident last night, I wasnâ€™t surprised to hear once again that familiar loud bang, signaling a car accident out front. As we all know, it is common place for there to be an accident at this intersection at least once a month. Itâ€™s totally heartbreaking to keep witnessing these accidents, and even sadder that I have come to expect them.

Aim April 23, 2008 (5:43 pm)

WSB: Any word on those involved? Are they ok?

asdf April 23, 2008 (11:33 pm)

Any word on how the accident happened?

Having just seen someone today run a red on the left turn arrow at that intersection and nearly squish a pedestrian (with the walk sign), I can’t wait for the red light camera there.

WSB April 23, 2008 (11:52 pm)

Aim – it’s almost impossible to get info on victims because of health-privacy laws that kicked in a few years ago, but I will ask the SWP if they happen to know. (That’s the only reason we found out the Westwood pedestrian crash turned fatal earlier this year, followup question … to this day, this is the only news site any word of that pedestrian death has appeared.) Asdf, we’ll inquire if any cause determination, too.

Bikefor1 April 25, 2008 (5:56 pm)

I’m confused. Yes, people drive way too fast on 35th. But why is 35th & Thistle such a dangerous intersection? I mean, it has a left turn signal and everything. Driving through it should be straightforward.

Sorry, comment time is over.