CRASHES: Driver to hospital after hitting Westwood Staples; hit-run driver damages car south of The Junction

11:41 AM: Two crashes of note this morning:

andystaples

WESTWOOD STAPLES: Thanks to Andy for the photo taken right after a driver hit the Westwood Village Staples about 9:15 am. We missed it in real time, having been downtown covering a meeting about the Alki Homestead (story to come); by the time we checked on the scene an hour later, the only sign of it was this damage to tiles on the store’s facade:

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We’re checking with Seattle Fire about the driver’s condition when transported; staff inside the store tells us everybody there is OK.

1:19 PM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Corey Orvold tells us the driver in the Staples crash is 92 years old and was taken to the hospital via private ambulance with minor injuries.

(back to original report) HIT-RUN SOUTH OF THE JUNCTION: The owner of this car says it was hit between midnight and 4 am, on the west side of California SW by Rite-Aid:

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Please contact SPD if you have any information about what happened. And yes, the victim is checking with nearby businesses to see if any surveillance cameras caught the crash.

12 Replies to "CRASHES: Driver to hospital after hitting Westwood Staples; hit-run driver damages car south of The Junction"

  • Jason March 11, 2016 (11:45 am)

    Staples is a weird place to crash your car, there aren’t even any parking spots facing the building or anything, you gotta really want to hit it.

    • Alan March 11, 2016 (12:03 pm)

      You are right that this likely wasn’t an “I thought I was stepping on the brakes and not the gas” accident. My guess is that there was a medical emergency that caused the crash, rather than the crash causing the medical emergency.

  • Chanel March 11, 2016 (12:04 pm)

    I heard the crash in front of RIte-Aid.  I live across the street and it happened around 2:30am.  Not sure if knowing a narrower time frame for the incident helps at all…

  • waikikigirl March 11, 2016 (1:26 pm)

    Bless his or her heart that he/she is still able to drive a car at the age of 92 but after taking care of my Dad at the age of 90 to his passing at the age of 93 there is a time that the elderly should stop driving. I know they think it’s taking their independence away but it’s time for them to think of their safety and others too.

    I hope the person is OK and recovers from their “minor” injuries.

     

  • smokeycretin9 March 11, 2016 (1:34 pm)

    somewhere in West Seattle, there is a person waking up with one hell of a hangover and a wrecked car.  Please come forward and turn in who ever did this.  

  • TheKing March 11, 2016 (2:13 pm)

    Westwood is our Bermuda Triangle. Doesn’t seem like it was that long ago somebody drove into the Post Office. 

  • Jason March 11, 2016 (2:45 pm)

    Well now I feel like a jerk for making a goof about the 92 year old, happens like 98% of the time I make a joke about something I know nothing about, hope he/she is doing alright.

    • WSB March 11, 2016 (3:37 pm)

      Jason, don’t feel bad. When we got to the scene, long after emergency crews had cleared, we asked around and someone told us they heard the driver was an underage teen. Glad I did not quote them and waited to get info from SFD!

  • Observer March 11, 2016 (4:58 pm)

    Odd. I was told it was a balding extra terrestrial with a milk mustache and pink poncho. Guess you can never trust what you’ve “heard” until it’s been confirmed by the WSB or the authorities on the scene. On a serious note, thank you, TR for your accurate teporting and diligence. We appreciate your coverage and timely reporting…

  • Observer March 11, 2016 (4:59 pm)

    *reporting

  • New thinking needed March 11, 2016 (8:04 pm)

    The Bank of America at Westwood was run into 3 or 5 years back — right near the ATM entry…..maybe theking is on to something…..Westwood Village could be the Bermuda Triangle of West Seattle.

  • WSB March 11, 2016 (8:13 pm)

    Past Westwood driver-into-building crashes include:

    Mentioned by The King, Post Office hit (three years ago)

    Mentioned by New Thinking, Bank of America hit (six years ago)

    And this reminded me of the 2009 Target crash … and the Pet Pros crash two years ago.

    To be fair, drivers have hit buildings elsewhere. Most recently that I recall, Delridge Subway, two months ago. – TR

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