Update: 2 to hospital after 2 pickup trucks collide in Arbor Heights

| Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

8:31 AM: Police and firefighters are on the scene of a two-vehicle crash on 41st near 102nd in Arbor Heights. SPD confirms it’s a crash; firefighters had to extricate a 57-year-old man from one of the vehicles and will be sending him to Harborview Medical Center, while a second person may go to the hospital via private ambulance. We’re en route to the scene, but scanner traffic in the meantime described the situation as a “T-bone” crash.

8:40 AM UPDATE: Our crew at the scene says the vehicle from which a man has been extricated is a Seattle Parks and Recreation truck, and has gone into a yard – stopping just feet from the house. The second victim, meantime, was indeed taken to the hospital. Neither was described as having life-threatening injuries.

9:03 AM UPDATE: Some of the crews have been cleared from the scene. A co-worker of the second victim told us the man is a construction worker who had been working on a project up the street. His red pickup truck is in the foreground of the photo we added above this update paragraph.

12:49 PM UPDATE: Seattle Parks tells us that the worker who was hurt was on his way to Lincoln Park, where he works out of the ground-maintenance facility. He is in stable condition.

krista October 5, 2012 (8:37 am)

This does not surprise me. People fail to slow down at intersections in AH! There are many without stop signs in the neighborhoods here and people completely ignore the fact that cross traffic may be there. I live 3 blocks from this accident intersection and have been hearing sirens for at least 10 miunutes. Hope all involved are ok.

Kenan October 5, 2012 (8:56 am)

when driving around the Arbor Heights area (lived in this part of West Seattle the last 10 years)… On a weekly basis (while driving down arterial) i have has people pull out in front of me (not even stopping at stop sign)… not positive the exact intersection of this crash but am assuming the rising sun is a possible culprit to this crash (headed east in morning hours is very blinding on these sunny days)

HelperMonkey October 5, 2012 (9:02 am)

I live in AH and stop at EVERY intersection – even those with a yield sign for the other direction. Too many close calls of people driving way too fast and not paying attention to the law. Uncontrolled intersection does not mean “go fast and every man for himself” – it still means you need to yield to the vehicle on the right. At any rate, hoping both drivers are ok.

WSratsinacage October 5, 2012 (9:27 am)

Density, too many people, with a majority not paying attention or maybe they can’t read. Recipe for this sort of stuff as witnessed by those above. Never a dull moment in WS! Keep it up.

J October 5, 2012 (9:46 am)

Let just be thankful no pedestrians were injured as well!! Walking in the street is required due to no defined pedestrian zone and car collectors who seem to take precedence over peoples safety. The accident occured while children were headed to nearby AH elementary, which is only two blocks away. Our “Safe Routes to School” doesn’t start until you get TO the school. One sidewalk on the south side of the street. Once off that sidewalk you’re on your own

Bonnie October 5, 2012 (10:04 am)

I am glad that there were no children walking down the street at the time. I drive that way daily and there are always kids walking in the middle of the street to school. There are no sidewalks so people just walk down the middle of the street.

AH Resident October 5, 2012 (10:08 am)

The worst intersection is 39th & 104th I’ve almost been hit by speeding parents going down 104th NOT STOPPING at the STOP SIGN – yes, there is one on 104th! – not to mention the school bus driver who literally stared me down to say “you stop, I am not” and continued thru the stop sign one afternoon. Unbelievable!!!

anonyme October 5, 2012 (11:11 am)

Not only is that area filled with kids walking to school in the morning (as well as people walking their dogs) there’s one of those fluorescent green plastic ‘kids’ with a slow down sign prominently displayed on that corner. As AH Resident pointed out, there are quite a number of school bus drivers who are quite belligerent. I’ve called First Student to report some of them, but there appears to be no disciplinary process. With several major construction projects underway in Arbor Heights right now, the streets are dangerous.

Gary October 5, 2012 (11:15 am)

Wouldn’t some more sidewalks and curbs be nice? I think we pay enough for this to be done!

Doh! October 5, 2012 (11:18 am)

I realize we do not place blame on victims on this blog, and I am very glad no one was seriously hurt.

But what these posters say is true. There are many dangerous, unmarked intersections in AH, and many dangerous numbskull drivers.

Doh! October 5, 2012 (12:11 pm)

Good Luck. I have gone to the mat, complaining about a rude, belligerant bus driver. GPS proved my point. Staff verified my claims. She was removed from my child’s route and reprimanded. Now I see her back driving special education students. C’mon!

K October 5, 2012 (1:58 pm)

Amazing that this doesn’t happen more often. Parents late to drop off their kids at AH fly around the corner off of Marine View onto 104th and continue just as fast through ALL of the intersections! SLOW DOWN!!!

born, raised, & still in ws October 5, 2012 (3:28 pm)

I hope the 2 victims are both okay. Crappy way to start a day. I lived in Arbor Heights for 20+ years and still have family in AH so we frequently drive and/or walk up there. The intersections have been problematic for as long as I can remember. There are multiple times where I have seen speeders, people not stopping, etc…I have witnessed accidents such as this many times also. It is a residential neighborhood. There is no reason to speed through like you are on the track at Pacific Raceways. Drivers need to stop at every intersection and look both ways before proceeding to protect themselves from idiots that don’t.

Andy October 5, 2012 (4:00 pm)

I’ve lived in the immediate vicinity of this crash for several years and have witnessed several other similar crashes. WE NEED TRAFFIC CIRCLES in Arbor Heights. How many people have to get hurt before there is action? Will it take a fatality?

Darren October 5, 2012 (5:24 pm)

I live on 105th behind Arbor Heights Elementary. People use this street as a bypass and I’m VERY TIRED of yelling at people driving way to fast on this street. In the mornings it’s parents dropping their kids off. SLOW DOWN PEOPLE !!!!!

Jones October 6, 2012 (9:40 am)

Glad no one was hurt worse,people need to be careful. I was curious about one part of the article, the parks vehicle was headed south..away from Lincoln park, away from barton(north) or beach dr.(west) that you would use to get to the park.I know parks has responsibilities all over the city so the driver probably had other chores but he didn’t seem to be headed toward Lincoln.
Swift recovery to all involved.

boy October 6, 2012 (2:54 pm)

Bring on the stop signs.

HelperMonkey October 8, 2012 (11:27 am)

traffic circles won’t help – I see people blow thru intersections with traffic circles just as much as those intersections without them.

D-Mom October 8, 2012 (10:47 pm)

Not sure how I missed this scene since I live right by it. I would love to see a traffic circle at that corner and sidewalks. Too many speeders, people not even looking as they go thru the uncontrolled intersections and people flying past pedestrians forced to walk in the street. And yes, now it’s going to be dark again as I walk my dog. Yay!