Crashed SUV found overnight – reportedly empty

David Rosen of SlickPix Photography shared that picture of an SUV found on its side at the California Ave SW/California Lane curve (map) just after 2 am. He says police at the scene told him they couldn’t find whoever (if anyone) had been in the car. As for whether they’ve been found since – we’ll be checking on that.

16 Replies to "Crashed SUV found overnight - reportedly empty"

  • sophista-tiki April 18, 2010 (6:53 am)

    Just a guess
    stolen, crashed, ditched

  • EmmyJane April 18, 2010 (7:17 am)

    weird how these accidents always happen just after 2am…

  • Mike April 18, 2010 (7:58 am)

    I wonder if it is stolen, maybe by the same person(s) that got into my car last night by Schmitz Elementary? Called and reported my car break in to SPD. Nothing solen, nothing damaged, just everything in my glove box thrown onto the floor, seat and door left open (luckily it stopped raining). Left the doors unlocked by chance last night, I read somebody else on Friday had a GPS stolen and their window busted, maybe that is why they tried to get in my car, luckily I had doors unlocked and my iPhone with me.

  • alki resident April 18, 2010 (8:52 am)

    Maybe they were thrown out,hopefully they checked the bushes.

  • WSN Helen April 18, 2010 (10:25 am)

    Wow, they got lucky. If they hit that curve the wrong way, the car could have rolled down the embankment & you’d be looking at a fatality.

  • ad April 18, 2010 (10:47 am)

    I bet they were drunk and didn’t want to get cited.

  • dale April 18, 2010 (11:10 am)

    Possibly stolen but what evidence is there? Was the key still in the ignition? if no evidence of a break in then maybe a good old family member fell asleep, bee in the car?–we used to get that all the time as a former insurance adjuster until cell phones came along-now the bees disappeared. Really, no investigation will happen by the police on this or the insurance carrier. At this point it is just vehicle damage only-no need to waste resources, pay it and move on.

  • dawsonct April 18, 2010 (11:53 am)

    Funny thing is Dale, I have a friend who is SO afraid of bees, yellow-jackets, whatever, that he has almost driven us off the road swatting at, and angering, of course, the “offending” insect.
    He isn’t allergic to the things (ironically, I am), he just doesn’t like to get stung.
    Usually repeating the obvious to my buddy eventually gets through, but not in this case.

    Hopefully, in the above case, the folks in the vehicle had their seat-belts on; leaving the scene of an accident as a stumbling drunk is much preferred to leaving it as an ejected carcass.
    Still, hope they’ve checked well down the hillside.

  • eyeye April 18, 2010 (11:56 am)

    truly bizarre.

  • cjboffoli April 18, 2010 (1:17 pm)

    We covered a similar incident in April 2008 on Genesee Hill in which police arrived to find a driverless truck driven into the side of a house. In that case police said they suspected it was a drunk driver who fled the scene:

    https://westseattleblog.com/2008/04/truck-hits-house-on-genesee-hill

  • crash42 April 18, 2010 (1:58 pm)

    So the fire hydrant was completely knocked off the sidewalk but no water was pouring out. Anyone have an explanation for me?

  • Hormel April 18, 2010 (3:09 pm)

    Crash24,
    Contrary to the movies fire hydrants are designed to separate from the water main below when knocked off. This avoids an expensive replacement of the valve located many feet below the surface. Not perfect but works most of the time.

  • SomeGuy April 18, 2010 (3:24 pm)

    Mike, not sure if this is related to your car being ransacked but I was at Schmitz Park playground a little while ago with my kids and there was a brand new set of jumper cables hanging on the fence (with the box) by the gate on the far northeast corner (by the alley). Might still be there if they are yours…

  • ltfd April 18, 2010 (11:01 pm)

    “So the fire hydrant was completely knocked off the sidewalk but no water was pouring out. Anyone have an explanation for me?”
    .
    It depends on the part of the country that you are in. Where it freezes, the hydrants are dry- the main valve is below the frost line (near the water main) and the hydrant drains out after it is shut off. You can take off the hose port caps, or knock the hydrant off of its base, and there will be no water inside.
    .
    Where it does not freeze (i.e. Los Angeles, a Mediterranean climate) the hydrants are “wet”, always filled with water & pressurized by the water main. Each hose port has its own valve control (opposite the hose port). Knocking a hydrant off of its base in L.A. means you get a geyser of water. The in-street supply valve must be found and shut down.

  • Woodog April 19, 2010 (8:20 pm)

    Apparently the driver was wondering our lane after the crash and was seen by two of the lane residents but I guess it didn’t cross their mind to call the police….?

  • Tina Scapu April 22, 2010 (12:35 pm)

    For sure they were drunk, but it could have been drunk thieves. Regardless, someone was drunk, crashed and abandoned the car.

    If you do happen to get something stolen, I would report it on http://www.stolen-property.com/

    Victims and searchers of stolen cars, or stolen property in general, can use it for free.

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