UPDATE: Rescue response for Harbor Avenue crash after van hits parked RV

6:03 AM: Thanks for the text – Seattle Fire has an “automobile rescue” response arriving at the scene of a crash at Harbor Avenue and Fauntleroy [map]. Harbor is blocked, per the texter.

6:07 AM: Per scanner, at least two people are hurt. The location is being described as the 2700 block of Harbor, which is south of the 7-11.

6:17 AM: All but two SFD units are being dismissed. A tow truck has been called.

6:36 AM: We have arrived in the area. NB Harbor remains closed, a block-plus south of the scene where there’s a turnsround gap in the median.

6:43 AM: Added a photo. The vehicle from which someone had to be extricated hit a parked RV. Officers expect to reopen the road in about half an hour.

8:12 AM: Via Twitter, @jetcityjen reports the scene is clear.

TM November 11, 2017 (6:23 am)

As of 615 harbor completely blocked off, just S of Salty’s

WSB November 11, 2017 (6:35 am)

Thanks, we just arrived in the area. NB remains closed. The tow truck hasn’t arrived.

Snapdragon November 11, 2017 (7:09 am)

That RV looks too wide to be legally parked there.

The law exists for safety purposes to prevent exactly this type of thing from happening.

But it’s OK because they’re homeless I guess…

AMD November 11, 2017 (8:32 am)

“Looks” and “is” are not the same thing.

Small U-Haul trucks are smaller than the legal limit (they’re 76″).

Not everything bad that happens is the fault of the homeless.

Meyer November 11, 2017 (7:32 am)

Those RVs take up 100% of the shoulder, I’m surprised a crash didn’t happen sooner.

Mark November 11, 2017 (7:34 am)

From the photo it appears the camper was illegally parked, encroached into the travel lane. Hopefully no serious injuries.

Vehicles parked that encroach into the travel lane, that I believe is illegal, create a safety hazard. As a bike rider this encroachment reduces margin of safety.

Mike November 11, 2017 (7:38 am)

Yikes. That RV needs to be removed, along with all the other RV’s parked along Harbor Ave and Alki for over 72 hours. That one in particular is sticking out in the road.

Hopefully nobody was seriously injured.

WSB November 11, 2017 (8:05 am)

The officers on scene were not able to give us condition information but we do know AMR was called instead of the SFD medic unit being used, so that suggests injuries weren’t major, as does the fact they didn’t call out the unit that investigates major crashes. – TR
- flimflam November 11, 2017 (8:12 am)
  
  did officers on the scene mention the RV – if it was parked legally, received a citation, etc?
  - WSB November 11, 2017 (8:17 am)
    
    No further information beyond what I’ve written above, sorry.
    
    (Added) Aside from the 72-hour ordinance, this also is not necessarily an area where it’s illegal for RVs to park –
    
    https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT11VETR_SUBTITLE_ITRCO_PT7STSTPALO_CH11.72STSTPARE_11.72.070COLASIVE
    
    It was parked on the north side and that’s parallel with industrial-zoned Port of Seattle land.
    - Mike November 11, 2017 (11:38 am)
      
      That’s not an industrial zone, it’s a city street. They’d need to be on the other size of the pathway to be close to the industrial zone. Then Port of Seattle would be liable for all activities on that property there. https://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpds021569.pdf
    - WSB November 11, 2017 (12:00 pm)
      
      Yes, it is an industrial zone. On the street, in an industrial zone (part of this 25-acre parcel: http://blue.kingcounty.com/Assessor/eRealProperty/Detail.aspx?ParcelNbr=7666704010 – zoned IG2 U/85 – explained: https://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpds021569.pdf ).

TJ November 11, 2017 (8:52 am)

If the rv was parked illegally then its insurance will cover the van and injuries. Hopefully the rv isn’t damaged too bad to drive to a body shop for repairs, or they will have to pay cash, unless they have full comprehensive insurance or AAA. The city will require it to be gone today, and towing that is expensive

WSB November 11, 2017 (9:08 am)

We just drove by the RV on our way to take a back route (Fairmount) to the Admiral crash scene. You would never know anything had happened, aside from what looks like some damage around the license-plate area.
KM November 11, 2017 (9:58 am)

I’ve been in the situation where I have hit an illegally parked car, and it was still my responsibility/fault for the damage to the other car. I’m really not sure where the law lies on these cases? I maintain if that car wasn’t parked there, nothing would have happened (we had to suddenly move to avoid a head on-collision with a car that had turned into our travel lane, and we had witnesses), but the insurer of the illegally parked car didn’t buy it. I probably could have fought it harder.
- WSB November 11, 2017 (10:34 am)
  
  The RV *was hit*. If anyone wants to discuss RVs in general, you are welcome to open a topic in the forum. Harbor Avenue crashes in that area that we have covered in the past also have involved parked cars getting hit, such as these crashes:
  https://westseattleblog.com/2017/04/3-hospitalized-after-early-morning-harbor-avenue-crash/
  https://westseattleblog.com/2013/06/heavy-rescue-call-on-harbor-avenue/
  
  And a tree getting hit, same block of Harbor:
  https://westseattleblog.com/2013/05/crash-off-harbor-avenue/
  
  Another driver vs. tree (commenter said it was a case of drowsy driving)
  https://westseattleblog.com/2017/03/vehicle-goes-sideways-on-harbor-avenue/
  
  Pole got hit, same area
  https://westseattleblog.com/2011/01/west-seattle-traffic-alert-crash-reported-on-harbor-ave/
  
  Drivers hitting each other
  https://westseattleblog.com/2014/02/west-seattle-traffic-alert-crash-on-harbor-ave/
  
  And just past where Harbor becomes Alki Avenue, the case of the Porsche driver who didn’t hit anything … but the water:
  https://westseattleblog.com/2009/05/happening-now-car-in-the-water-off-harbor-ave/
  - KM November 11, 2017 (10:58 pm)
    
    My comment didn’t have anything to do with RVs, maybe this was directed at someone else?
    - WSB November 11, 2017 (11:24 pm)
      
      To all above; that’s just where it fell in the stream.

newnative November 11, 2017 (9:23 am)

Omg people, the RV was hit. Did it occur to any of you that that may be the reason it has moved away from the curb? Somebody slams into a parked vehicle, it could have been a bicyclist, and you’re faulting the homeless?! The person inside was likely hurt, traumatized.

JF November 11, 2017 (5:58 pm)

Thank you.

nonni November 11, 2017 (9:35 am)

looking at the photo

the van hit closer to the center of the RV, not just the part extending into the travel lane. Unless it was parked too close to an intersection and the van driver was coming around a corner, texting, too tired to be behind the wheel or driving without headlights, how did they fail to see white object approaching the size of a billboard?

Lamont November 11, 2017 (11:24 am)

You can see the mudflap of the right rear tire right above the curb, that RV looks to be parked as close to the curb as was legally possible. It may be taking up nearly the entire width of the shoulder, but I doubt it’s over the line by more than inches.

If you want to sharpen your pitchforks, I’d probably go after texters and distracted drivers on this one. The road there is wide, and even if someone is illegally parked, there’s no reason to run into them. Good visiblity, wide lanes, huge RV, didn’t jump out of nowhere, etc.

Or it may have just been an accident.

JFC November 11, 2017 (1:10 pm)

Homeless????

Why would the RV be categorized as ‘homeless’ in these comments. Believe it or not a lot of RVs are recreational vehicles and used as such. Predudice abounds!!!

Mark November 11, 2017 (1:40 pm)

Lamont

If you are riding a bike the enchroachment into the bike space reduces bike safety, there is a raised median at this location.

GWS November 11, 2017 (3:41 pm)

The travel lane at that location is pretty wide so even if the RV is encroaching a bit, there’s plenty of room in the travel lane for cars (and trucks) to get around the RV or truck. Since I doubt the RV stuck it’s tail end out into traffic just as the van drove by, the van is probably the at fault vehicle. It’s up to the cops to determine the reason why the van hit the RV.