10:26 PM: Another crash potentially affecting West Seattle-bound drivers: It’s on southbound Highway 99, reported as parallel with Lander but not showing on that camera – rescue crews are getting on 99 by heading the “wrong way” up a ramp near the stadiums. The scanner says there’s “ongoing CPR” at the scene, so this might not clear for a while.
10:37 PM UPDATE: Per scanner – southbound 99 is completely closed by this, and they’ve blocked off onramps as well (including Denny/Aurora and Columbia downtown). They’re also trying to figure out what to do with cars that were already on 99 since as one voice on the radio said, “We’re going to be closed here for a while” – they may be trying to turn them around and get them off 99 via what would have been an onramp. We got a Twitter update from one stuck driver:
@westseattleblog stuck in complete stoppage on SB Viaduct. Saw guy WALKING NB in SB left lane, rolly suitcase in tow. All engines off. Sigh.
— Wendi Dunlap (@litlnemo) April 2, 2012
The seriously injured person is described as a motorcyclist in her 40s who is being rushed to Harborview Medical Center right now.
11 PM UPDATE: The “wrong way off the onramp” operation to clear vehicles off The Viaduct has indeed happened. And in comments, Karl clarifies the location, saying it’s parallel with Weller, on the lower deck of what’s left of the double-deck structure.
2:39 PM UPDATE: Watching the webcam for southbound 99 at Lander, we’re seeing occasional headlights, so it looks like the highway reopened.
8:10 AM UPDATE: Seattle Police have published a summary on SPD Blotter. Investigators believe the 48-year-old rider “failed to negotiate a curve” at the Viaduct’s south end and hit a concrete barrier.
2:56 PM: LA, in comments, says the motorcyclist was a friend of hers and did not survive. We had not yet confirmed that before her comment, but everything we were hearing indicated that too.
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