5:11 PM: Seattle Fire has just sent an “automobile rescue” callout to a crash in the 2700 block of 53rd SW, near Schmitz Park\.
5:13 PM: First units on scene say no one’s hurt and everyone’s out of the car, so the response is being scaled back.
5:42 PM: Just checked out the crash scene. As you can see in the photo we added, the car just missed hitting a utility pole – but did hit a car in a driveway on the downhill curve at 53rd SW and Admiral Way.
Looks to be a case of SUV vs. fence–and the car parked in the driveway behind the fence. Damage looks pretty heavy to the SUV and the fence (which was fairly sturdy new construction). Hard to see the car in the driveway, but parts of the fence are on top of it. Two SPD vehicles on scene still, but no EMT or fire.
Don’t know what caused it. Could have been swerving to avoid someone, for all we know, or … who knows. We just went by (a second time) to see if police were still there and done talking with the driver … the scene has fully cleared, including the wrecked car.
I lived across the street and this has happened 3 times in the last two years. Slow down
This is my house. Driver was not avoiding anyone. Driver was not paying attention and also uninsured. This happens all too often. The house two houses down on Admiral had a car in their front yard at 3:30 this morning. It’s time for the city to step up and make some changes. We have a child and children are a regular fixture here. Kids walk to school everyday in this corner. The guardrail and telephone pole have been hit numerous times in the 5 1/2 years we’ve owned this house.
Alki Born, I live on a similar-to-53rd ave residential street where parking on both sides makes for only one travel lane and sidewalks are close to street. Would you make it safer by prohibiting parking on one side of 53rd or making it one way to increase lane width/add a guard rail ? It seems the lane width is about as narrow as possible so I’m not sure how to make 53rd safer at this point and am looking for what ideas you have and if they’d be applicable.
Googlemaps, the one Tracy referenced *shows* guard rail on the west side (behind the SUV) of the power pole. What happened to it? Where is the rail now?
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When I first looked at the Google photo I thought, wow he must have driven down the sidewalk in order to get behind the guard rail. But then when I flashed back to Tracy’s picture there was no guard rail.
BTW, the date on the photo showing there was guard rail in place is June 2015. And it looks like it has freshly installed bumper ends. Something happened to it.
DSA – we went by a second time, in hopes of possibly catching police while they were not talking to multiple parties at the crash scene. We were too late. But there was a section of guard rail noticeable along the road. It’s east of the driveway and pole.
@Alki born – sorry that happened to you! I live down the street and remember many of these car incidents.
I’d say most cars going down the hill are doing 35-40 at that area when taking the turn.
I wonder if we can get the city to put speed bumps before the turn.
WSB, look at the post about 3 feet east of the power pole in your photo. It is a guard rail post. The June 2015 Google photo shows guard rail attached to that post, probably a 12 foot section. Are you saying it’s ripped off and laying to side somewhere? I know there is supposed to be more installed both east and west of that location.
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The point I’m trying to make is that it looks like the city or someone removed the rail and let this happen.
Great. Uninsured driver – yet that looks to be a pretty decent, vehicle – perhaps a Cadillac? I’m sorry that this happened to you @AlkiBorn. I hope there’s some way that you can recover your losses by somehow going after this idiot’s estate – but it’ll probably be a lost cause. When are we going to start holing people accountable for this sort of thing? Thankfully the driver didn’t hurt or kill anybody.
DSA – All I was saying is that there is a section of guard rail in the area, to the right of the area pictured. Have no idea what was there immediately before the crash. A reader sent a photo later that appears to show a section of guard rail on the ground near the section that is by this house – off the left side of our photo – and that reader characterized the crash as “took out the guardrail on Admiral.” That is not in either of the photos that we took from across the street. Since this callout was reduced quickly and no one was hurt, we might not even have gone to the scene but we had been planning to head to Admiral anyway so we detoured for a photo. The light was dim and the pieces of debris were not in what we could see from across the street, the only place to park for a photo. – TR
There are 3 sections of guardrail in this corner. In this accident, the middles section was taken out and launched into the street. They then destroyed our concrete retaining wall which held a cedar fence and ultimately came to rest against our car. Had the car not been in the driveway, they would’ve gone through our other section of fence and possible hit our home. These guardrails do very little to slow these guys down. In almost every instance, they end up about 50-75 ft down Admiral way. @Kravitz, yep that’s a newer model Cadillac SUV and the driver was wearing Gucci shoes. They had the audacity to complain about the towing bill to have their heap pulled out of my driveway
Thank all of you for responding to my guard rail inquiry. The driver of course is at fault. But I consider the city negligent in not improving the guard rail installation. They need to anchor it, replace it with solid barrier, or take other action.
Wow. Sorry about all the problems Alki. Been there with uninsured people. At the very least you are going to have to eat a couple of deductibles for something that wasn’t your fault. I don’t know why he was complaining about the tow bill, he will probably skip out on that too once he figures that the POS is totaled.
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Sadly lots of people are superficial like that. See my shiny Cadillac, look at my $500 shoes and let me call the tow guy on my new iPhone 6+. Most people would insure even a POS Cadillac like that but you can’t see insurance so why would HE get that?
Why would people even use this street unless they live there or are going to Schmitz Park?
Buck, this actually was right on westbound Admiral, across from 53rd – what Google Maps showed for the address on the fire log was a little too far south, which is why we don’t use exact addresses until and unless we can confirm them in person. I’ll just remove the map link to avoid further confusion. – TR
Sorry Alki Born that sucks especially that they were uninsured. When will our State make showing proof of insurance mandatory for both buying a vehicle and renewing your vehicle license tabs?
Eric1, the gender of the driver appears nowhere in the story other than your comments of “he”. Uninsured and perhaps a little material can strike both genders.
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Buck, you’re not alone in being confused about the location as was written. WSB, even if location can be difficult to ascribe, I do appreciate the map links when you include them. Between the proliferation of smaller neighborhood names and sometimes streets I’m not familiar with, I frequently find myself opening google maps to find locations described here.
There used to be a warning sign – either “residential street” or 25 m.p.h. – in the curb bumpout that the city installed in the early 2000’s, just past the guard rails, at the top of SW Lander Street, which was knocked down several years ago. It has never been replaced by the city. It certainly might help slow drivers taking the right-hand curve onto SW Lander, which is used as a cut through to the beach area. Perhaps flashing lights on Admiral before the curve might help, like the ones installed on Admiral just past Schmitz Park. If the city goes through with its plan to remove the center turning lane at the Admiral, Lander and 53rd intersection, there will be many more incidents of this sort.
I live down the street sorry to hear the driver was uninsured; however if he/she had a note on the car the lender probably has insurance so you might check that out; at least ask that question to your insurance so that they can take care of your deductible.
Unsure whether there is guardrail missing or not but due to all of the comments but I suggest calling SDOT/Traffic section @ 386-1206 to have someone come out and take a look at this area to see what can be done.
I thought I fixed the wrong #, it is 386-1206, not 306-1206, sorry.
There was a guard rail that was taken out by this accident; it’s currently on the ground by the pole. Last time this happened, a few months ago, the city was fairly prompt in replacing it. Perhaps this time they should use a stronger rail and posts.
I hope that someone, perhaps the neighbor whose car was hit, is already in contact with SDOT. But I always tell people, don’t assume they know. I honestly don’t know what the policy is regarding SDOT knowing that a crash took something out, if it’s not something mega-obvious like oh say a signal light. There was a guard rail that was compromised by a crash up in Arbor Heights (Marine View Drive) a while back that wasn’t repaired/replaced for a VERY long time, and at that, with some pressure from the neighborhood association. In addition to calling 206-684-ROAD to make sure it’s on SDOT’s radar, talking with Admiral Neighborhood Association (whose next meeting would be in two weeks) might be in order – TR
They need a different design barrier, absorbent barrier, or tapered anchor design on the leading end of the barrier. As stupid as it sounds the city can’t put up something that can kill the driver no matter how reckless they are. So until the city changes the design, they will have to keep putting up these break away types.
ALKIBORN: Sorry all of this happened to you and glad no one in your family was harmed.
But I had an uninsured motorist rear end me, my car was only 3 yrs old at the time so I had my bumper fixed used my insurance on that and then a couple years later we were shopping for new insurance and that “not my fault” accident was on my driving record called and asked why and I was told anytime you use your insurance for an accident it goes onto your record! ARGH!!! Hope this doesn’t happen to you.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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