UPDATE: Police search after crash in Sunrise Heights

| Crime | Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

6:03 PM: Thanks for the tips. A police search in Sunrise Heights followed a 2-car crash at 31st and Elmgrove. Readers report one person was taken to the hospital and the other driver bolted, which led to the search.

6:23 PM: We’re in the area. Elmgrove is blocked off, with police cars and crime-scene tape. Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are here; police confirm one driver was transported to the hospital and the other is being sought.

Police say the car below is the one whose driver was taken to the hospital; they’re looking for the driver of the one above.

They expect Elmgrove will be closed another hour or so.

7:10 PM: Updated which car was which, after neighbors corrected us.

8:17 PM: We asked SFD about the driver taken to the hospital. Tge man’s believed to be in his early 30s and his injuries were not life-threatening.

Liz August 8, 2018 (6:49 pm)

You have the pictures swapped. The black car in the yard belongs to the person who went to the hospital. The one in the street is the driver’s who fled the scene.

Fred August 8, 2018 (7:29 pm)

That last picture has the car in my Mom’s front yard. It landed two feet away from taking out her gas meter. This could have been much worse.

Dan August 8, 2018 (8:39 pm)

I live on this corner. Every time I drive or bike through that intersection I think about how dangerous it is. I could be mistaken but I don’t think any corner has a sign of any kind.

Liz August 8, 2018 (11:52 pm)

You’re right—there’s almost no signage on many side streets. Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people don’t know that these are uncontrolled intersections and therefore they cruise through them, often without so much as a glance for possible cross traffic. I see it all the time, and am baffled at how many people don’t pay attention to this.
- Seattlite August 9, 2018 (10:02 pm)
  
  LIZ — Just for clarification…Are you saying that Driver’s Ed classes or the Driver’s study handbook doesn’t address uncontrolled intersections? Since a high percentage of Seattle’s residential intersections are uncontrolled, it seems that it would be a high priority to teach new drivers how to negotiate them.
  - Liz August 10, 2018 (12:02 pm)
    
    That’s a great question and I don’t actually know the answer to that. Based on what I see (almost daily), it doesn’t seem like it’s taught, but it also could be one of those things that people don’t remember. I also wonder if it’s because people assume, since there’s no sign, that cross traffic has signs to stop/yield? It just seems that there are way more accidents at these types of intersections than there should be.

KBear August 8, 2018 (10:43 pm)

An uncontrolled intersection is not inherently dangerous, and not all the rules of the road can be posted on signs. The problem is we allow ordinary people to operate multi-ton vehicles with very little training or oversight. The state could do a better job of testing, and the city could do a better job of enforcing.

Dkm August 9, 2018 (9:19 am)

Yes, you are right, I don’t believe the state teaches about who has the right-of-way, and May let many slide by in testing when they shouldn’t. I am sorry to bring this up, but side street driving has increased since the city continues to take our lanes down from 2 to 1.
Swede. August 9, 2018 (9:22 am)

Nailed it! It’s crazy how easy it is to get a driver’s licence, and how lax the restrictions are afterwards. Take you own, uninspected, small passenger car with an automatic transmission. Back around a corner and parallel park between some cones in a parking lot. Done! Now you are allowed to drive a 26000 lbs semi truck with a manual transmission true downtown in rush hour. Safety third.

31st Ave Lady August 9, 2018 (12:03 pm)

Was just thinking, that the goofy backing around the corner thing that people seem to practice around here (and I live on this block and ironically have seen student drivers practice it at this very intersection!) comes in handy when you T-bone someone at an uncontrolled intersection and have to move your car to allow others to pass through. The uncontrolled intersections are actually made worse by the folks on corners putting up ginormously high fences or hedges, impeding visibility. I don’t think many people know that they have to yield to traffic from the right at these intersections either. There is a misconception that E-W or N-S people have the right of way. Right now, I always assume the people I meet at these intersections do not know the rules since I’ve seen a fair number of these collisions over the years. This is the first one where the guy took off running though.

Fred August 9, 2018 (5:22 pm)

31st Ave Lady, you may know my Mom. Her fence was damaged by one of the cars involved in the crash. When it comes to the unmarked intersections, I just stop if I see another car coming the other way. It seems most drivers do not know the rule you stated for unmarked intersections.

RT August 9, 2018 (3:38 pm)

Possibly a stolen car?

T August 9, 2018 (9:26 pm)

I see people blow through uncontrolled intersection sections too. I’ve seen it since I moved to Seattle in the early 90s. The practice hasn’t improved and now that there’s so many more people, the accident potential has increased dramatically. I always slow down before I cross the intersection but even when cars meet at the same time people don’t know the law. I’ve been honked at because I didn’t fly through the intersection or when I yielded right of way. I also agree that not enough education is expected by the state / or skills tested by the state. Also agree about enforcement, I think someone brought up that point.

Sorry, comment time is over.