Traffic alert: Crash investigation at 8th and Roxbury, 4 hurt

| Highland Park | West Seattle news | White Center

(Photo added 3:34 pm)
Big fire response for an “automobile rescue” call at 8th and Roxbury (map). We’re on our way to find out more at the scene. Just heard on the scanner that three people were hurt. More to come. 3:18 PM: At the scene – the crash includes at least 2 vehicles, a truck and passenger car (as seen in photo since added) – someone has just been extricated from the car. Still trying to gauge the traffic effects, but for starters, 8th SW is inaccessible starting about a block north of Roxbury; westbound Roxbury is blocked off at 8th.

3:37 PM: We’re now told three people have been taken to the hospital and a fourth soon will be – two transported in medic units, two by private ambulance. Yellow tape is going up to facilitate the investigation, so this intersection will have traffic trouble for at least a few more hours. 3:47 PM: One lane is open in each direction. But the investigation team has just arrived and, as is the case with major investigations, will be busy for a while. We’re working now to see what more we can find out about the victims. EARLY SATURDAY NOTE: That information still hasn’t been made available. The investigation, meantime, continued into the 7 pm hour.

sophista-tiki July 2, 2010 (4:00 pm)

Just made it home past the “scene” It took me 45 minutes to get from first Ave S bridge up the hill to Westwood. Coming up the hill you can’t really see that there has been an accident, I turned at 7th so I didn’t go past where they had the streets blocked. So I had no idea what was going on until I got home to check WSB.

Baba July 2, 2010 (4:53 pm)

And that “convertible job” on that white Camry ,folks, is called Jaws of Life.

Syd July 2, 2010 (5:05 pm)

Thanks for the info.

As I was winding my way around the accident towards home I thought to myself “WSBlog will know what happened.”

We’re a lucky community to have you.

BethH July 2, 2010 (5:14 pm)

Syd, you are SO right WSB is da best in getting info out!!!

I was at the dentist on 17th and Roxbury when this accident happened and then had to drive by the accident scene. I can’t believe everyone lived!

Kudos to the local LEO’s who kept the traffic nightmare to a minimum. Traffic got thru on both sides, although of course WB traffic was more heavily impacted. I’m sure they’ll have it open soon though.

sophista-tiki July 2, 2010 (6:01 pm)

terrible way to start a holiday weekend. I hope people are careful.

RBuchanan July 2, 2010 (7:26 pm)

Just came through there about 10 minutes ago and the crews were finally removing the cars and the police were directing traffic through the clean up. I sure hope everyone makes a full recovery. It looked pretty bad. :(

naomi July 2, 2010 (8:00 pm)

Does anyone know the status on those injured? I am still shaking after driving through the scene, and I was sure that there would be something on the news, but I haven’t seen anything! I also didn’t realize until reading the responses that the top of the white car was removed in a separate process from the accident. That makes me feel a little bit better–I thought that the people in the white car had been decapitated by the accident!

WSB July 2, 2010 (8:54 pm)

Naomi, that’s why we do news here … unless people are killed, or something truly bizarre happens, a story like this generally will not make citywide news, but in many areas of the city (and others around the country), local neighborhood-news sites WILL cover what’s happening. Seattle TV (where I worked for many years) is responsible for covering the entire western half of the state, and even if somebody sent a crew, if the information boils down to “nobody killed, no major freeway blocked,” they might not run it.
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Meantime – police on the scene would not comment on conditions, and nobody was answering at the Fire Department’s media office, which often will be able to at least say who had life-threatening injuries and who didn’t. The one patient I heard described on the scanner was a 12-y-o, one of the people extricated from the vehicle that had to be cut open, and at the time at least, her injuries were described as including fractures. Unless someone who had a friend or family member involved in the crash shows up here in comments – which does happen fairly often – we may not know until everybody’s back in the office on Tuesday – TR

usedtobeaWSer July 2, 2010 (9:22 pm)

This used to be my daily passthrough for 10 years before moving away 4 years ago. I just happen to be there today at that light a couple hours before this happened. Sitting at the light I was noticing that the westbound traffic had a left turn signal but the eastbound traffic STILL has no arrow left. I have had to slam the brakes so many times right there or witness some near misses because of the dynamics of that intersection. Maybe my thoughts were omnipotent and there will finally be a left turn signal there.