4:42 PM: Police are closing all lanes of southbound Highway 99 because of a crash reported to be parallel with Holgate, not far north of the West Seattle Bridge exit. No details yet; a witness texted to us that they believe a motorcycle rider was involved. Medics are headed northbound in the southbound lanes to reach the victim(s).
4:53 PM UPDATE: Tweeted by Seattle Fire: The patient is a 61-year-old man who was riding a motorcycle that collided with a car. He is being taken to the hospital with head trauma, and CPR is under way. Meantime, since the injuries are life-threatening, that means the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is likely to be summoned, and the road will be closed for some time. Police are working right now to get other vehicles off southbound 99, which they describe as “completely gridlock” – here’s the latest image from the south end of the elevated structure:
5:07 PM: Metro confirms via Twitter that it’s working on rerouting buses.
5:29 PM: SFD has confirmed the rider died. Police are continuing to clear traffic off southbound 99 but also advise it will be “difficult” in the area for some time.
6:08 PM: SPD also confirms southbound 99 will remain closed – from Battery St. Tunnel southward – until investigators have finished, likely a few more hours. No official report from police yet but the other vehicle involved is reported to be a RapidRide bus. A KING 5 journalist tweeted this photo:
Motorcycle accident involved this King County Metro bus. pic.twitter.com/3tN2kEYqQv
— Ted Land (@TedLandK5) August 10, 2014
8:11 PM: Southbound 99 has reopened.
9:09 PM: That was according to this SPD tweet – but commenters say it is NOT fully reopened, only to Atlantic. We are hoping SPD will clarify. As of right now, this traffic camera south of the crash scene does seem to verify the stretch from stadiums to West Seattle Bridge remains closed.
9:23 PM: That camera now shows traffic moving across the last southbound stretch, indicating SB 99 has now fully reopened.
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