A two-car crash at 46th/Andover (map) this past hour left one car upside down, and sent two people to the hospital. That’s what WSB’s Katie Meyer, who also took our photo, reports from the scene.
Both were transported via private ambulance, indicating the injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening. The flipped car had collided with a van, though the circumstances aren’t known.
What’s with people in WS rolling their cars?
Especially on Andover-it-went.
Wendell, don’t know the cause. May have been a more traditional two cars met in the wrong place in the wrong way at the wrong time.
Wasn’t there another bad crash right be there a couple of months ago?
People have NO idea what to do at an uncontrolled intersection. I’d bet money that’s what happened here. Just because you don’t have a stop sign does NOT mean the other person does! I see this all the time driving around West Seattle – there are so many intersections that have no signage, more than I’ve ever seen before. People just blow on through without a care in the world. In a residential area you should slow at every intersection and understand what the other person’s obligations and your own are before proceeding.
Capn – again, we don’t know what preceded this collision, but for traffic safety in general … after being nearly T-boned no fewer than three times today alone at uncontrolled residential intersections … I second your notion.
I dont think I could roll my car if I tried. Come on people, you’re making West Seattle look stupid.
Really, another one? I can’t believe how many of these that I see on here. You are suppose to slow at an unsigned intersection and yield to the vehicle/bike on your right, correct?
I was hit 3 years ago about 2 blocks away from our house in a school zone with kids around at an unmarked intersection. she just didn’t see me and was driving too fast. i was already 2/3rd’s through the intersection. She was probably only going about 25 mph at collision but that was enough to spin my car 180 degrees around.
Now I practically stop at every unmarked intersection – no joke.
I agree, it seems like most every wreck is a rollover. You should start counting, and add a #rollover hash tag.
I’ve explained this before, re: rollovers. They are a high percentage of what we cover but not a high percentage of the crashes that happen there are many more fender-bender or otherwise “routine” (not for those who are in them, I realize) every day.
Jennie, you are correct.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2009/02/13/whats-the-yield-rule-at-uncontrolled-intersections/
People need to slow down… in general.
I am impressed with how clean the underside of the flipped car is. One wonders how long it had been owned before this?
Dippy folks driving. Seattle City Light is replacing a power pole, TODAY, on our street, 55th Ave. SW that Mr. Acura SUV driver decided to smash into a few days ago. He told the cop he was reaching for his cell phone and didn’t see the power pole. What a moron. Replacing power poles ain’t cheap. ROFL.
From the looks of the sparkly clean undercarriage, I’d say that car went from brand new to pure junk in matter of seconds.
I agree with the CaptCrunch. I treat every intersection in WS as if it has a Stop sign.
@Jaydee wow the underside is really clean and shiny…wonder if it WAS a new car to that person. :>(
I’ve previously posted “looks like it’s rollover month”, better change it to “rollover year”.
Slow. Down.
Follow/learn the rules governing uncontrolled intersections. One of which is you MUST be able to safely stop and yield the right of way.
C’mon citizens, we’re all in this together.
I wonder if anyone is keeping track of how many rollovers occur in West Seattle? Seems like an awful lot and it’s scary because I walk or drive around these streets everyday with my small child (and my pregnant self). This many cannot be normal. People need to slow down AND many intersections should be re-evaluated. Hope the powers that be are paying attention whether that is WSDOT or King County or SPD I don’t know.
Don’t be fooled by Cs’s link. We were tagged in an intersection after entering it first, and nearly clearing it, but was struck by another car to the right who was cruising straight through. SPD told us that unless you can clear the entire unmarked intersection, the car to the right has the right of way the whole time, no matter who entered it first.
Yes, there was a rollover there a few months ago, another collision with an Escalade in Marchish a block to the west, and the Honda Element crash a few blocks north by Schmitz Park. We need to fork over some sign money and put an end to this rodeo.
Hey Lou,
You will be OK if you approach each and every intersection as if Bozo the Clown is approaching the same intersection at the same time as you. Slow way down, stop if necessary, look both ways, then proceed. Just re-evaluate your defensive driving tactics. It works for me.
-Jimmy Turbo
george,
Defensive driving is the key. Not signs. I can guarantee that I will not be hit in one of those intersections just by practicing defensive driving.
-Jimmy Turbo
If my count ( and yes I have been keeping track ) so far for the 2013 calendar year there have been 21 rollover’s in the West Seattle area
I agreed with the comments regarding uncontrolled intersections. However when I went running last night I went right through this intersection to have a look. It’s NOT an uncontrolled intersection, 46th Avenue SW has stop signs.
Rate suckers!!! Lol.
Btw, it’s actually easier to roll than most people think… If someone pulls an evasive maneuver and gets themselves sideways it only takes a small pothole, curb, or even a bad expansion joint to kick the car over. Especially if you we’re traveling down hill….. But yes, if everyone slowed down a bit….
Jimmy, when you can control other drivers, I will believe you. Even Defensive Driving has its holes. You still have to *trust* the other driver.
@Ted – really? On Google street-view there are no signs … I went there immediately when I saw this story and that’s why I ranted on uncontrolled intersections. If there was a stop sign that’s a whole different ballgame. Thanks for the correction.
The stop sign is at 47th Ave. 46th and Andover is uncontrolled. Check out street view on google maps to confirm. This area has far too many uncontrolled intersections that people cruise through in total disregard to other vehicles and to bicycles. I treat them all like 4-way stops, especially when on a bicycle! Seems like the City should at least add yield signs to each intersection in either the east-west or north-south directions. Many drivers don’t know the rules at these intersections or fail to recognize that the intersections are uncontrolled.
Does anyone receive a citation for reckless driving in this situation?
If so which driver in this case.
I know WSB would not allow this, but I think publishing the names of drivers who are cited for reckless driving would be great. Doing so may increase the likelihood of people becoming more responsible knowing that there is some type of ramification for driving in a manner that puts us all at risk for an early death or maiming.
rico – “reckless driving” is actually a pretty high standard to charge/prove. In WA, it is defined as driving in “wanton or wilful disregard for the safety of others” … and “wanton or wilful” has to be pretty egregious behavior. For example, just driving way over the speed limit (say 100 mph in a 55 mph zone) is not “reckless” in WA. Not saying I agree or disagree – just offering the facts.
I don’t know if this accident involved reckless driving. But even if WSB wanted to post a list of names, it would be inappropriate to do so before conviction. Reckless drving is a crime (gross misdemeanor) in WA – not a traffic infraction.
Also please note that names ARE NOT MADE AVAILABLE. Traffic reports are not posted online by police. The reports that are, do not include names – everything, victims and suspects, is “redacted” (blacked out). I get names in certain criminal cases mostly by combing the jail register and watching for something obvious. Even if a traffic citation (DUI) put someone in jail, it’s not obvious. Example of what was: SPD wrote up the truck case from Sunday (not traffic but it’s my newest example) for the blotter and mentioned the suspects were a 20 year old man and 33 year old woman. I combed the jail register and found a man and woman booked within one minute of each other later Sunday, with what APPEARED to be the not-so-generic charges in question. I took those names and did enough background work (prior cases, which cost money to download, among other factors) to achieve 99.9 percent certainty those were the two. Then on Monday, I asked the prosecuting attorney’s office about those two names and bail-hearing plans. And so on. This takes a ton of time and I can only spare that time when I shelve everything else we’re working on because it’s a big case. Speaking of which, I have to put in a request to the prosecuting attorney’s office to get info when there’s a charging decision on those two later … none of that is automatic … TR
Thanks for the explanations, what a wussy society we have when we let criminals maintain secrecy. Certainly not the case in many other states, I think there is value in providing the public with more information rather than less.
I think it’s a case of the area becoming much more populated with condos and apts. Uncontrolled intersections worked when it was mostly houses in ws..More people has resulted in more cars/drivers. So we either need traffic control devices or better drivers.. One is more likely than the other :)
Sorry, comment time is over.
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