46 Replies to "UPDATE: RV crashes by Longfellow Creek"

• JanS July 28, 2018 (1:05 am)

  leaking fuel…as, into Longfellow Creek? I surely hope not….that would be awful to that creek :(

  • WSB July 28, 2018 (1:06 am)

    Just got here, can’t quite tell yet.

• T July 28, 2018 (2:26 am)

  RV as in homeless RV?

  • WSB July 28, 2018 (2:45 am)

    If you mean, did the people in the RV use it as their residence, don’t know.

• Kate July 28, 2018 (7:59 am)

  Is that at West Seattle Athletic Club’s parking lot?

  • WSB July 28, 2018 (8:15 am)

    Yes, the east side of the parking lot as mentioned above.

  • Kathy July 28, 2018 (12:05 pm)

    West Seattle Health Club

• NW July 28, 2018 (8:40 am)

  The West Seattle Junction The Triangle Avalon acres upon acres of pavement which collects micro litter in parts of the peninsula out here our community drains once we have significant rain directly into Long Fellow Creek and from there Puget Sound. Right at our feet in our daily lives here in West Seattle is where the clean up needs to begin. 

  • Jethro Marx July 28, 2018 (9:39 am)

    Litter may be ugly, but it is not a significant factor in the health of the creek. The Roundup we spray on our yards, the excess nitrogen we use in feeble attempts to green our grass, and the pharmaceuticals that make their way into the water are far more harmful. But yeah, fuel spills aren’t great either.

    • NW July 28, 2018 (10:44 am)

      Liked ❤️

    • Mike July 28, 2018 (12:48 pm)

      Roundup breaks down and is typically filtered through layers of soils, rocks and rotting carbon based lifeforms prior to hitting most of our water ways.  Litter, however, does not break down as fast as it’s typically plastics and rubber based products that take longer to break down than we live for, these go directly into our waterways and fish / sea life eat it and die.  It’s rare you find anyone spraying Roundup onto pavement which would allow it to runoff directly into our storm drains, unlike litter, oil, fuel which do.  Roundup is also not the big problem with that area, heavy metals in soils and sediment are, which is why the Duwamish is a superfund site https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=1002020#bkground

      • WSB July 28, 2018 (12:56 pm)

        The worst threat to Longfellow Creek is runoff and that includes what people use on their yards, what leaks from motor vehicles even when they’re not crashing, etc.

        https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/2017/02/21/whats-happening-coho-salmon-longfellow-creek/

      • Jethro Marx July 28, 2018 (1:30 pm)

        “Roundup breaks down…” is straight Monsanto propaganda; the action of glyphosate in soil is complex and not fully understood. If you have some deep knowledge of chemistry please share it but parroting the pseudoscience of a well-heeled player in the herbicide game is not going to cut it. Spraying such herbicide indiscriminately along cracks in the sidewalk and driveways is one common way it’s used.

        • Mike July 29, 2018 (1:41 pm)

          If it didn’t break down, you, I and pretty much everyone that eats any produce at grocery stores would be dead.  Organic has “less” roundup on it as even organic farms are next to typical farms using roundup and other chemicals and most in the drylands are using the same water amongst each other as well, including recycled water from Simplot where our fries are processed.  It’s not pseudoscience, it’s actual science.  You’re sounding like the anti-vaxxer people.

        • Jethro Marx July 29, 2018 (2:56 pm)

          We’re diverging a bit but since you seem interested, this looks like real science: “stable in water” and “moderately persistent in soil” being key points. https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/emon/pubs/fatememo/glyphos.pdf

• MJ July 28, 2018 (10:01 am)

  Leaking fuel into a stream or waterbody is a fineable offense.  Its good nobody was seriously hurt and I hope any cost associated to clean up the creak is borne by the RV owner not taxpayers.

  • WSB July 28, 2018 (10:28 am)

    We will be checking with Ecology among others.

  • Jort July 28, 2018 (11:08 am)

    If they’re homeless and have no money, perhaps we can impound their RV and sell it for $500! Or, if all else fails, maybe debtor’s prison! ENFORCE THE LAWS, right?!

    • Kirsten July 28, 2018 (2:07 pm)

      In 1970, the Court ruled in Williams v. Illinois that extending a maximum prison term because a person is too poor to pay fines or court costs violates the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.  So you’re actually proposing breaking the law with your suggestion. Not enforcing it.

• TJ July 28, 2018 (10:46 am)

  In all fairness to taxpayers, this story deserves serious follow-up and should be used as an example of where our tax money goes to the homeless or people using these derelict RV’s. And by follow-up, I mean follow-up by our city council who wants more money from us. There are a lot of blank checks from this incident. Who will pay? The clean-up of the wreck and creek? The tow fee? The hospital bill for the 2 people? The vet bill for the dog (who requested and sent the dog to the vet?)? The traffic citations that had to have beeen given? We are talking about thousands of $$ here. If it was me I would be expected, and would pay, all of these bills. Now if they do then I apologize for the speculation, but with everything going on I think it is fair to speculate and ask these questions.  

• MJ July 28, 2018 (11:34 am)

  JortEveryone needs to be treated equally, isn’t this the fair way to apply the law?  MJ

  • CAM July 28, 2018 (1:23 pm)

    Actually, MJ treating everyone exactly the same is the exact opposite of “fair”. In reality, people have differences, different levels of abilities in all areas of functioning, and some individuals unfortunately have disabilities. If we treated all of these people exactly the same we’d be ignoring the fact that some people are not capable of achieving the same results as others. What you are arguing for is survival of the fittest. Organized societies formed centuries ago in order to band together to ensure better chances of survival for everyone because they knew that some individuals were not as able. Fair doesn’t mean we treat everyone exactly the same no matter their circumstances.

    • Jim July 28, 2018 (2:28 pm)

      What you are suggesting, Cam, is not being fair.  It’s being charitable.  “Fair” means having standards that are without prejudice or favoritism.

      • CAM July 28, 2018 (11:48 pm)

        Jim, your definition of charity is somewhat distressing. Your definition of fair would require us to assume that all people start off in this world with the same set of circumstances, advantages, and disadvantages. Unfortunately that isn’t true and people are born into a world that is prejudiced against them and which regularly selects “favorites” to heap unmerited rewards onto while others struggle for even the basic necessities. If you can’t see that or don’t recognize it you aren’t looking. 

        • Jim July 29, 2018 (7:49 am)

          Grab a dictionary and look up “fair.”If we change the meaning of words to fit our individual agendas we will have a hard time communicating.

    • T July 28, 2018 (2:29 pm)

      I feel selective enforcement has gotten us to where we are now. Life isn’t fair. Why should others be able to break laws people like myself cannot? It’s uncivilized and nothing appears to come from it except more lawlessness and disdain for those breaking the law and those not enforcing the law.

  • Concerned July 28, 2018 (1:48 pm)

    Except the laws aren’t applied equally. That has been painfully apparent. The homeless aren’t held to the same laws as those who can afford to pay fines 

• MJ July 28, 2018 (2:35 pm)

  CAMI was referring to rules and regulations.  For example littering is littering.  Yes some people may be able to throw their litter 10 feet and others 5, but its still littering!MJ

• WSB July 28, 2018 (2:59 pm)

  Please note that there is no accusation to date that any law was broken here. The incident is classified simply as a collision. As noted above, the police officer with whom I spoke at the scene said initial reports are that the vehicle’s brakes went out. That can happen on any type of motor vehicle. Two people and a dog were hurt. I will be following up on the possible environmental aspect but don’t expect to be able to reach DoE until Monday. This happened almost exactly where the rest of the creek’s north end is undergrounded: http://www.seattle.gov/util/cs/groups/public/@spu/@conservation/documents/webcontent/02_030283.pdf

• Linda Anton July 28, 2018 (6:48 pm)

  The people in the RV are ok. However it was an accident, an accident and our thoughts should be with these people and their families. That must have been VERY scary!!!!

• Rick July 28, 2018 (9:18 pm)

  Just shows the level we’ve reached with assumptions due largely to what we’ve been forced to endure.  Sad all the way around.

  • JanS July 29, 2018 (3:20 pm)

    that would be ASSumptions,  Rick. RV? Must be homeless/houseless druggies…not one person thinking it may be a vacationer trying to take advantage of less traffic congestion at night.We make up our minds early, and then pass it on as fact. Sad, indeed.@Linda Anton…scary, yes…that was my first thought…terrifying.

• WTF July 28, 2018 (10:59 pm)

  In response to Jort comment It’s people like you that have divided what once was a tight knit community pre 2007.Its obvious that your not a homegrown WestSider and more than likely part of that Midwest wave of yuppies that pushed so many of our neighbors to the street.If your not from the West originally keep your thoughts to yourself.A RV is a RV and accidents happen.Homeless or not the only thing that separates one from the other is Money and according to the Bible a living man should only possess the bare necessity to survive anything more and your living in sin.

  • CAM July 28, 2018 (11:41 pm)

    I believe that you may be missing the sarcasm in Jort’s response. 

  • JanS July 29, 2018 (3:24 pm)

    WTF…I have a question…WTF? Are you serious? I am a transplant. I have lived in West Seattle for over 43 years. I’m still a non-native transplant.  I try every day to be nice to the people around me. You? How rude  !  Being a native does not make you better, believe me. I read comments on here all the time about stuff like you’ve written. Wow. Just wow. Let me add..tight knit community? More like tight knit  judgmental person. And it’s sad.

• Rick July 29, 2018 (5:44 am)

  It would be fascinating to see if or how the tone of these conversations would change if all the commenters were in a room face to face. I believe that would apply to the internet in general.

  • JanS July 29, 2018 (3:26 pm)

    I agree, Rick, I agree.  You can plunk any name you want in here, write whatever with impunity, and never be the worse for wear, remaining anonymous. Sad, indeed.

• flimflam July 29, 2018 (8:32 am)

  clearly IF this indeed was a homeless person’s RV, the idea that they should just be able to roll around without inspections, without proper working condition, without tabs, without insurance has delivered this RV into the creek.laws should absolutely be enforced equally – what if every car in the city didn’t pass emissions? wasn’t in working order? would that be safe?i don’t think its too much to ask, especially wit large vehicles like RV’s. it could have killed someone, several people even. very lucky it “only” ended up in a lovely creek.

  • JanS July 29, 2018 (3:28 pm)

    clearly, you are ASSuming again. Why even bring that up? You have no idea what the facts are.

  • JanS July 29, 2018 (3:58 pm)

    flimflam…the more I think of what you posted, the angrier I get. Yes, someone could have been killed …THE PEOPLE IN THE DAMNED RV…and you have not a drop of sympathy. You don’t even mention them..you overlook that fact to bring up something that is, at the moment non-existent, as  the facts are unknown to you.  Any RV, with anyone in it, and maybe 3 dogs, and 2 kids, or a big SUV, or YOUR car, could have done the same thing. And you would resent being automatically thrown into  the pool of irresponsible houseless persons.  How’s that view, looking down your nose? Seriously !

    • flimflam July 30, 2018 (6:35 am)

      two points – 1st, i clearly start my post with an all caps “IF”, so i was certainly not ruling out that i could be wrong. 2nd, of course the occupants of the RV could have died, they are included in the “someone could have been killed” comment.the follow up info will be interesting, should it come forth.

  • Mitch July 29, 2018 (4:47 pm)

    Flimflam: I’m sorry about your shift key and space bar. I can only imagine how challenging  that must be. 

  • Helenweales July 29, 2018 (7:26 pm)

    @flimflam- I agree completely. Bad for the people in the RV, and would have been tragic for anyone coming up the hill at that moment. The brakes COULD fail for any vehicle, but certainly more likely in a vehicle that is not maintained. Hopefully the drivers have insurance.

• Lara July 29, 2018 (12:41 pm)

  I’m really concerned about the lack of community and even humanity that is increasingly apparent in the words and tone of the comment sections of this (and other WS) sites.  We need more empathy and understanding that life experiences change reality.  What is absolute “truth” for one person can be completely different for somebody else.  So many people presume that there is a universal right and wrong when it comes to laws and society. That’s simply not accurate. The first step is to realize that there is most definitely a “truth” completely opposite of yours that is just as accurate. Your perspectice is not the only correct one. Remember… laws aren’t truth. They only reflect the values of the people who enacted them. I think we can all agree that murder is wrong, but when we start getting into “malum prohibitum” conduct, we need to be more open minded and less judgmental. 

• JM July 29, 2018 (7:30 pm)

  If you look at all the debris still there you can get an idea of why the brakes failed. Full sized washer and dryer, tool chests, lots of heavy metal parts. Too much for an old rv. Glad everyone is ok but this could have been a lot worse. 

  • WSB July 29, 2018 (7:32 pm)

    I meant to add our photo from Saturday morning showing that (you can see some of it in our photo from Friday night but it was too dark and the RV wouldn’t even have been partially visible if not for brief illumination by one of the responding units). Adding now.

Sorry, comment time is over.