Update: 1st Avenue closed after deadly crash

4:49 PM: Thanks for the tips that 1st Avenue is closed in the Georgetown area, north of the 1st Avenue South Bridge. According to the Seattle Fire Department, a ~~car~~ vehicle hit a pedestrian this afternoon at 1st and Findlay – a 70-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries. Investigators are now at work in the area. No update on how long it will be closed, but if you would take 1st to or from the bridge, find an alternate route.

5:49 PM UPDATE: According to SPD Blotter, the 69-year-old woman hit by a pickup truck in this crash has died.

6:22 PM UPDATE: SPD estimates 1st will reopen around 7:15 pm.

sam-c May 14, 2013 (5:07 pm)

there was also traffic EB on WSB – looked like a semi sideswiped at Metro #50 (right at the on-ramp from the low bridge/ off ramp to 1st ave)

WSB May 14, 2013 (5:24 pm)

Thanks, Sam – Just heard a snippet about that one but it does not appear to be on the 911 log, so no injuries, at least.

Heather May 14, 2013 (5:48 pm)

Oh, how awful.

Eugene May 14, 2013 (5:50 pm)

Traffic getting onto WSB from 99.

smokeycretin9 May 14, 2013 (6:00 pm)

Sad. It happened right in front of Essential Baking Co. I work right around the corner. I see the older Asian women that work there dodging cars, to get across First Ave to catch the bus, every afternoon.

West Seattle Hipster May 14, 2013 (7:27 pm)

This is very tragic. I hope that the city can find a way to improve pedestrian safety in that area.

WTF May 14, 2013 (7:48 pm)

Oh no! Tragic. :(

Gawdger May 14, 2013 (8:01 pm)

There is a crosswalk at Lucille but I routinely see pedestrians playing frogger in traffic. I believe heading southbound, Lucille is the last crosswalk before hwy 99, so I can understand the game of chance some people opt for. Tragic.

Silly Goose May 14, 2013 (9:03 pm)

This is so sad, poor lady! Maybe Mayor McSchwinn will focus on some pedestrian safety for awhile. So sorry for the family!

Rodriguez May 15, 2013 (8:26 am)

Terrible. Sadly, SDOT operates mostly in a complaint-based way meaning that we need to request specific road improvements if we want safer roads. Write or call SDOT if you have road safety concerns, it can save lives.

JA May 15, 2013 (9:12 am)

As someone who works on 1st Ave South, I can attest to the fact that this stretch of road is driven like it’s a freeway, despite the 35 mph speed limit. We need more enforcement of the speed limit or other ways to curb dangerous driving behaviors in this area. Tragic and unnecessary outcome last night- condolences to the victim and her family.

I. Ponder May 15, 2013 (11:58 am)

Sick of the kind of ‘Mayor McSchwinn’ trolling type of comment that Silly Goose posted. Any crank can sit at home and blame the Mayor. It should be known that more than a few of us have done more than complain. We’ve organized and lobbied for safety improvements. We’re the people that have made changes happen, and continue to make things happen while gasbags are content to vent in the blogosphere while doing nothing constructive. It’s sad that it often takes the death of an innocent person to facilitate safety improvements but that’s the way it is. Government doesn’t automatically make safety improvements without outside activism. Some of us have organized for safety improvements to east Marginal Way following the recent death of a cyclist there. It appears there’s now political will and $ for making safety improvements a reality.

WSB May 15, 2013 (12:06 pm)

(A) This is not the “blogosphere.” That is a term for opinion websites. This is a news site. (That’s why we reported this incident – though it wasn’t in West Seattle, it was news for West Seattle commuters, and people started asking us about it because they couldn’t find coverage elsewhere.) Like other news sites, from the New York Times on down, we welcome reader comments. (B) Before any further war of words ensues, I do want to say that it’s a mistake to assume that people who voice opinions online do NOT also advocate and work for change. I can tell you that many of the regular commenters here on WSB, whether you agree with their opinions or not, are people we have seen and met who ALSO are participating in community meetings and neighborhood events. It’s actually the silent majority who never join in commenting that are a little scarier to me – but I also do not want to assume they aren’t doing their civic share, because at least some of them probably are. I only see them as IPs and can’t match those to the many people we’ve been honored to meet over the years, engaged in their community – TR

I. Ponder May 15, 2013 (2:23 pm)

I value the WS Blog. I resent the use of the term “Mayor McSchwinn” because it paints him as giving special treatment to bicycles at the expense of other issues. Additionally, it’s used to portray bicyclists as a special group that’s getting more than its fair share. It’s a fact that all cyclists are also pedestrians and most are also drivers.

West Seattle Hipster May 15, 2013 (4:26 pm)

Why is there not a similiar outcry over the tragic death of this citizen like there was for the cyclist recently?

Does our mayor favor the rights of cyclists over those of pedestrians or motorists?

I find it suspcious that immediate funding can be found for cyclists, but pedestrian safety concerns don’t have the same priority.

WSB May 15, 2013 (5:05 pm)

WSH, in this one, if you’re going to lay blame, you can lay blame at my industry more than politicals. We covered the bicyclist death. A few TV stations did. And more media hopped on the bandwagon as the days went by. There is a support system around bicycling that there is not around walking – maybe Feet First would beg to differ – and it doesn’t have anything to do with politics. I feel bad today for not having gone to the scene of the pedestrian death, which certainly affected traffic out of West Seattle as much as the bicyclist death did, but as a news manager (albeit of my own micro-organization these days), I can see the reasons that this did not get so much coverage. For one, the victim died at the hospital later, not at the scene – sounds weird in retrospect, but it’s one of the factors. Time of day – the other one happened in the morning, and had time over the course of the day to unfold in terms of reaction. There also was the coincidence of the city Bicycle Advisory Board meeting (regularly scheduled meeting) that very night, and this being discussed. There is a Pedestrian Advisory Board; I get its agendas, but haven’t looked up when it meets. I don’t know what pedestrian volume is in that area, but I doubt it’s the same as bicycle volume in the East Marginal/Hanford crash area. BTW I just saw via The Times that the victim has been identified. She indeed was a bakery worker in the area, as a commenter speculated yesterday. I apologize for not paying enough attention to this yesterday – it was an incredibly busy news day and we had to even skip last night’s plate of community meetings because of everything that was unfolding (and I’m still behind tonight, so I’m going to wrap this up now). I am no apologist for the mayor or any other politician, but in this case, no, I do not see a bias or conspiracy. – TR
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Times followup: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/05/pedestrian-killed-in-seattles-georgetown-is-identified/

Vinnie May 16, 2013 (4:27 pm)

First I would like to thank everyone for all their support. I want to let everyone know that the 69 years old women was my mother and pass on a little more about her passing. According to the eye witnesses she was not breathing and had no pulse before the paramedic got there. The paramedics tried to continue CPR in chance of resuscitating her at the scene and on the way to the hospital, but did not declare a time of death until they got to Harbor View. The doctor at the hospital believed that she had died instantaneously when she was hit by the truck and did not suffer. She worked at the Essential Baking Company for many years and would have to cross the busy roads from 1st to 4th to catch a bus home. Thank you again for your support and kind words.