28 Replies to "Update: Scooter rider hurt in bridge crash, but not hospitalized"

• SarahScoot May 28, 2010 (10:04 am)

  Glad to hear, in a way, since my fears were much worse. I do hope the rider is ok; today was not a day I’d want to be commuting in on my scooter. If it was in fact a hit-and-run, here’s hoping there were alert witnesses. The scooter also looked like it was in good shape, so that’s a good sign.

  Side note: I hate it when scooters are called “mopeds”! Mopeds are completely different and aren’t often seen; they look a lot like a motorized bicycle. Scooters are a type of motorcycle. (WSB, I realize you’re only quoting the SPD report, so you’re not to blame for the perpetuation of incorrect usage of the term.)

  • WSB May 28, 2010 (10:10 am)

    Sarah, thanks. I know it’s not a commonly used term any more but since I have no direct knowledge of exactly what the two-wheeler was, I can’t assume that it was a scooter, or motorized bicycle, or small motorcycle, and just have to use the quote. Kind of like all the public agencies that still use “West Seattle Freeway” for the 99-to-5 section of The Bridge!

• babs May 28, 2010 (10:23 am)

  I saw it from my bus going by, it was a white scooter, probably a vespa.

• ad May 28, 2010 (10:35 am)

  I thought it might be a suicide because when I drove by I did not see anyone on the scooter and it was facing the wrong direction…

• SarahScoot May 28, 2010 (10:42 am)

  ad, that was my fear as well. Scooter upright, looking unscathed (from my perspective), and facing westbound on eastbound bridge span, with no other vehicle or rider in sight. I hope this report is accurate and that it was “just” a hit-and-run (obviously still bad news, but better than the alternative).

• Oliver May 28, 2010 (10:46 am)

  My immediate thought was also that someone jumped, there was a brief case carefully placed next to the scooter. I sure hope my gut reaction was wrong and that the driver is ok.

• KBear May 28, 2010 (10:47 am)

  You’d think the police would know the difference between a scooter and a moped. Makes you wonder what other details they got wrong in their accident report.

• Andy May 28, 2010 (10:58 am)

  I drove by as the 1st fire truck arrived…also saw the scooter upright (looked like it was parked) and intact, brief case still attached. I did not see a driver, so I also thought the scooter driver had jumped. I really hope they are okay.

• Ro May 28, 2010 (11:41 am)

  I saw the scooter driver as I passed by this morning as the fire trucks were arriving – (at least I assume it was the scooter driver, the person was wearing a helmet) – they were cradling their arm but standing on their own and very much alive. Hope all turned out as well as could be!

  • WSB May 28, 2010 (12:00 pm)

    I just heard from Seattle Fire – the scooter rider was NOT transported to the hospital, so NOT seriously hurt.

• David May 28, 2010 (12:25 pm)

  Who cares if it’s referred to as a scooter or a moped. Both are stupid to ride on the 99, I’m surprised there are not more accidents. Most people riding scooters that I see don’t know how to ride in traffic.

• Al May 28, 2010 (1:03 pm)

  David, thanks for generalizing. If you want to go that route then most of the automobile drivers shouldn’t be allowed on the roads either. And if this turns out to be a hit-and-run caused by a driver then your assertation is even more erroneous. The problem is individuals in too big of a hurry or not paying attention, not all drivers in general.

• RogerTango May 28, 2010 (1:43 pm)

  @David: Actually, the wreck was on the the West Seattle bridge. The speed limit on the former is 45, and 50mph on the latter. Most scooters are easily capable of these speeds. As an avid scooterist myself, I can’t speak to these ‘most people’ your talking about; the riders I know are safe and responsible. The larger problem are motorists who speed, drive agressively (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been illegally passed on Admiral Way west of California where I’ve been doing the speed limit), and just don’t see anything (a friend’s Vespa was totalled a couple of weeks ago by a woman who turned right in front of him. Her excuse? “I never saw you”. This was in broad daylight and good weather). The bottom line is that we have a lot less to protect us than our 4-wheeled brethren. If we’re obeying the rules of the road, you really need to step up and do your bit to keep the roads safe for everyone.

• ElevenTruckmen May 28, 2010 (1:46 pm)

  Al, I fully understand where you are coming from. Cars have the ability to do exponentially worse damage to non-car motorized vehicles. So caution is the order of the day at all times for anything with 4 or more wheels. I would also like to guess that 99.9% of drivers never wish harm on those not in a car and in the roadway. No one wants to hit anything and for a multitude of reasons not just bodily harm. We all for the most part take caution on the roadway to avoid such situations. The last few years have brought a rise in the popularity of this particular type of transportation. It’s easy to drive, has great gas mileage, easy to park and not too tough to handle. One of the down sides is that drivers of cars aren’t quite used to seeing them on the roadway yet, from what I can see. In the morning the West Seattle Freeway in the Eastbound direction is a madhouse, as we all know. Every car is jockeying for the prime position, changing lanes, looking over their shoulder, looking in the mirrors….etc. Accidents between cars in that area and at that time are frequent, but at low speed. As a result of the lack of speed and the fact that it was cars involved, everyone gets to walk away. If you are riding a scooter on the other hand the outcome could be very different. It’s just not worth it in my eyes to ride that route at that hour. The lower road would be no better until you get past the Spokane/Delridge/West Marginal interchange. Mainly because of the semis changing lanes through that area. Just wait a couple of hours or leave earlier. 1 hour earlier and freeway is almost empty. If I got seriously injured while riding my scooter I would not care if I had the right of way. I would be thinking whether or not it was worth riding at all. Now that I have a permanent limp and will never ski or run fast again.

• Jim May 28, 2010 (3:10 pm)

  Defining a Moped or a Scooter, is important to some degree. I suspect you will find a Moped (usually 49 CC or less and without gear shifts) would not be legal on that roadway. Some Vespas are 50 CC and while legal, it takes a brave soul to tackle that roadway on one so small. I’ll stick to my 1300 CC Motorcycle.

• SarahScoot May 28, 2010 (3:19 pm)

  My 150 cc scoot is a good compromise. I can ride all major roadways and easily get over 50 mph if needed. Technically it’s freeway-legal, but I’ll never go there! It’s surface streets and low bridge for me when I’m riding. :-)

• Saul Good May 28, 2010 (4:24 pm)

  i ride a Scooter and have been passed in MY OWN LANE going the speed limit by an ***hole speeding in his car. Please, slow down people… And another thing-Please come to a complete stop at the sign before you make that right turn onto California. It was raining, and I had to downshift and break quickly causing me to skid and I almost lost it. I bet you didn’t think I would find you, as you tried to hide in the Thriftway parking lot. JERK
  sorry had to vent. ;)

• Born To Be Mild May 28, 2010 (5:08 pm)

  Mopeds, scooters, motorcycles are all very different, what makes them the same is two wheels and a motor. Now, here’s the important part. If you ride a two wheeler you need to know one thing. THEY ARE OUT TO KILL YOU.

  Not on purpose, they just can’t see you. Complain all you want, they still aren’t able to see you. It’s never going to change. So, when you ride, think about the driver who is OUT TO KILL YOU. If you ride like your life depends on it, you might live to have riden for 47 years like yours truly. Your life is in YOUR hands.

• 22blades May 28, 2010 (8:29 pm)

  Born to be mild: Explain that to the Motorcycle cop you hit! P.S. My scooter easily does 75. Sound like you’re just rationalizing bad driving.

• Al May 28, 2010 (8:36 pm)

  ElevenTruckmen…”One of the down sides is that drivers of cars aren’t quite used to seeing them on the roadway yet, from what I can see. In the morning the West Seattle Freeway in the Eastbound direction is a madhouse, as we all know. Every car is jockeying for the prime position, changing lanes, looking over their shoulder, looking in the mirrors….etc. Accidents between cars in that area and at that time are frequent, but at low speed. As a result of the lack of speed and the fact that it was cars involved, everyone gets to walk away. If you are riding a scooter on the other hand the outcome could be very different. It’s just not worth it in my eyes to ride that route at that hour.” ….So what you are saying in essence is motor vehicle drivers are not paying attention to ALL road users. So therefore the onus is on the scooter rider? I don’t think so. If the scooter rider is obeying all the rules of the road and has the right of way the motor vehicle operator who violates the rider’s right of way is at fault no matter how confusing, not used to seeing something, or how slow they are driving.

• M. May 28, 2010 (9:20 pm)

  I would like to second a thought or two mentioned earlier;
  Please obey the speed limits!
  Please STOP at stop signs/lights!
  This latest fashion of rolling through is worrisome.

• austin May 29, 2010 (8:38 am)

  Regarding the assertion that cars can’t see motorbikes: If you, as a car driver, feel you are unable to see other vehicles on the road, you should trade your Driver’s License in for a State ID and an ORCA card as soon as possible. The same applies if you feel you can’t see pedestrians. If your vision is truly limited in these ways you should not be operating heavy machinery in proximity to other people.

• ElevenTruckmen May 29, 2010 (11:15 am)

  What I’m saying AL, is that all drivers of all MV’s are paying attention and doing the best they can most of the time. A minor lax in attention or judgment car to car results in a minor fender bender. Contact/crashes are going to happen in that area at that time. I would simply choose a different route or travel through that area at a different time to avoid being the contacted. I’m in no way saying that scooter riders have the onus from a legal standpoint. What I’m saying is who cares if you were in the right legally if your crippled or worse yet dead. A big payday wont get your quality of life back. These blanket statements asserting that if you cant see motorbikes get off the road or you aren’t paying any attention at all and violate the law on purpose. That’s just not true. No one leaves the house thinking “I don’t care today so I’m going to change lanes without looking and speed and hopefully I hit a scooter cause man I hate those things”. That guy in the SUV last week who hit the cyclist never meant to do that and I’m sure regrets it and feels bad for doing it. Whether he was in the right or the wrong. I have never been to a car crash where someone was seriously injured and he/she was shaking his fist in the air yelling “I had the right of way”. He looks at me, if he can, and asks “Do you think I’ll ever walk again” or “OMG is that my bone”. I’m not trying to over dramatize this. I thought I made my point clear before so now I just want you to see it from my point of view and why I see it this way. I’m not telling scooters not to ride that way, they have every right to. I’m just saying I wouldn’t because it’s just not worth it to me not hold my kids anymore or go hiking with them or provide for them.

• Jill Loblaw May 29, 2010 (11:55 am)

  Eleven Truckmen:

  Amen, brother! That 2000 plus pounds of vehicle is always going to win regardless of who had the right of way. A small, scooter is much harder to see. I’d love to own one considering how hard it is to find parking locally. But, if I do, it will only be for jaunts around the Junction and vicinity.

• Born To Be Mild May 29, 2010 (2:03 pm)

  Born to be mild: Explain that to the Motorcycle cop you hit! P.S. My scooter easily does 75. Sound like you’re just rationalizing bad driving.
  …….
  I never hit a Motorcycle cop. (I have skills!)

  My motorcycle is faster than your scooter. (Who cares?)

  Bad driving occurs all the time, when you are on two wheels you drive to survive. Or maybe your tombstone reads…
  22blades
  d. 2010
  "I had the right of way"

• RogerTango May 29, 2010 (4:07 pm)

  I’m inclined to agree with 22blades and some of the others. Blithely accepting bad driving, lapses in judgement, et al. as something that simply ‘comes with the territory isn’t something we have to put up with. Pedestrians, bicyclists, scooterists & motorcyclists have just as much right to safe use of the roads & crosswalks. I would argue that your duty to be careful is directly proportional to the amount of damage you can cause in an accident.

  I have a wild idea: my grandaddy used to always say, “if you really want to get someone’s attention, hit them where it hurts; in the wallet”. Currently, fines for moving violations really aren’t that bad; a hundred bucks or so. Since most injury accidents are caused by someone who’s also committed a moving violation, what if we attached some real consequences to them. How does this sound:
  Speeding 5mph over the limit on surface streets – $200 minimum fine, with another $100 for each extra 5mph over. I know this will draw a lot of flak, but hey, our neighborhoods are too densely populated to tolerate speeding. If you can’t hold the speed limit, maybe you’re just not qualified to drive. I also am very much in favor of more speed radar traps around the city. It’s a lot cheaper than trying to put a cop on every corner.
  Failure to yield right of way – $500
  Failure to stop – $500
  Any of the above that results in a property damage but non-injury accident – $1000 fine
  Any of the above that results in an injury accident – $5000 fine

  I suspect folks would pay a lot closer attention to their driving if we attached some real consequences to bad driving. Are we willing to give up some of our ‘me me me, it’s all about me’ attitude to show that we’re serious about looking out for each other?

• SeaChanty51 May 29, 2010 (5:16 pm)

  I like your ideas, RogerTango.

  Those who refuse to follow the traffic laws should pay.

  They are not merely suggested speed limits, or hints about right-of-way!

  It is the law.

• RogerTango May 30, 2010 (4:25 pm)

  Thank you, SeaChanty; it’s nice to have someone agree. I know these are stiff fines, and not the sort of bill folks need in this economy, but when you consider the monstrous possible consequences to someone who’s been hit, it is imperative to get folks attention. I would go one further: include in every cop’s kit a wireless credit/debit card reader. If you’re popped for a Moving Violation, you pay on the spot. If you want to challenge it and you win, you get it all back. If you can’t pay, your wheels are confiscated ’till you can.

  I know it sounds harsh, but driving carries with it some heavy responsibility. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. Speaking as one who has been hit (by some dummy in a Lexus who was too busy yakking on his cel phone to notice me), I don’t have a lot of sympathy here.

Sorry, comment time is over.