UPDATE: Fauntleroy blocked for 7+ hours after driver hits pole by Trader Joe’s

5:12 PM: Thanks for the tips. A crash at 38th and Fauntleroy is at least partly blocking the road. No SFD callout so apparently no injuries but SPD is on the scene. One driver apparently hit a streetlight pole.

5:20 PM: Texted photo added. The texter says at least two vehicles were involved. This is on the westbound/southbound side of Fauntleroy. (Per SDOT, those lanes have since been blocked by police, along with one lane going the other way.)

5:26 PM: Metro says Routes 116, 118, and 119 are rerouted off Fauntleroy because of this. And per scanner, this is going to be “shut down for a while” because City Light can’t get a crew there quickly.

5:40 PM: That photo is from SDOT, which reports all lanes of Fauntleroy are now blocked at the crash scene.

5:52 PM: Another photo added, tweeted by @michaelkmason. S/WB traffic is being diverted up Oregon.

7:02 PM: The live camera on the city map shows the closure continues; City Light doesn’t appear to be on site yet.

7:42 PM: SDOT camera shows that City Light is now on scene to repair the pole.

9:04 PM: Just went by. They’re still working.

11:00 PM: Live SDOT camera shows still closed, SCL still working.

12:18 AM: Fauntleroy has just reopened, more than 7 hours after the crash.

sw September 4, 2018 (5:29 pm)

Not surprised. Fauntleroy is becoming a hazard at rush hour due to many drivers not giving a rip about their surroundings. God forbid you have to wait 30 seconds for traffic to clear so you can get to Trader Joe’s. And yes, a lot of these offenders have out of state plates or license plate frames from out of town/state dealerships. Try fitting into the neighborhood, m’kay?

Colleen A Harris September 4, 2018 (5:35 pm)

Glad to hear everyone is ok – always more surprised there are not more accidents at the Trader Joes traffic jam.

NW September 4, 2018 (5:51 pm)

This is a speedway and people should use caution and slow down through out Fauntleroy Way starting at the West Seattle Bridge westbound and eastbound. Is driving 10 to 15 mph or more really going to save that much time?

wsea123 September 4, 2018 (6:01 pm)

It’ll save about 10-15 miles every hour 😝
NotOnHolden September 4, 2018 (6:02 pm)

This area is nuts! There are people I pass on the high bridge and then the come flying past me when we get to the curve before Fauntleroy, it’s crazy because I walk and see people walking and riding bikes all the time and I know people are speeding and not paying attention.

MJ September 4, 2018 (6:12 pm)

Colleen agreed the TJ’s parking, access and circulation is not ideal. TJ’s should consider switching the enter driveway to the SW spot and make the NE driveway exit only. And make the parking back in operation that is safer.The photo of the incident shows it very near the TJ NE driveway that is enter only currently, a customer backing out of one of the end stalls at this driveway blocks a motorist from entering the driveway that is a safety issue.

P September 4, 2018 (6:27 pm)

That pole is so far out of the way though. What happened??

Fred September 4, 2018 (6:36 pm)

I was just there and it looks like it was rear-ended. I don’t know what happened, but I do know that when parking backs up out of TJ’s (when someone is waiting to take the 1st spot, for example) it is a nightmare.

WSB September 4, 2018 (6:35 pm)

For the record, WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO OR WHAT LED TO THIS. None. Zero. So please, no vilifying of the drivers involved. We do not publish these stories so somebody can be pilloried. We published this because a major traffic diversion has resulted.

mok4315 September 4, 2018 (7:12 pm)

Thank you! So tired of people jumping to conclusions every single traffic accident!
Interrobang September 4, 2018 (7:59 pm)

Agreed and thank you! Hope all parties are recovering well.

Vincent September 4, 2018 (6:42 pm)

Boing!!

Michael September 4, 2018 (9:26 pm)

No idea of the cause but it surprises me this does not happen more often. With the constant oblivious cell phone drivers, high speed, narrow lanes and sudden stops for TJs I’m surprised we don’t see something like this all the time.

Mike September 4, 2018 (10:39 pm)

I agree!
Driver September 5, 2018 (1:21 am)

Wasn’t there a car hitting a pole accident at Trader Joe’s a year or two ago?
Matt September 5, 2018 (8:10 am)

For those reasons I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more everywhere. I’m sure that is due to the sheer amount of overly defensive drivers out there. But shhh… we can’t talk about that here. No one is at fault in a crash on the WSB.
- D-burger September 6, 2018 (5:23 pm)
  
  Agreed. There seem to be a disproportionate number of overly defensive, if not outright timid, drivers in Seattle. Every time I travel, drive at my destination, and return, I’m struck by how much more difficult drivers here make it for other drivers to get around efficiently. Sometimes the best defense is an diligently aggressive maneuver.

HS September 5, 2018 (7:04 am)

“pilloried” What a great word.

KT September 5, 2018 (8:07 am)

Two hours for City Light response???

just wondering September 5, 2018 (8:45 am)

Wasn’t there a previous accident with a car or truck running into Trader Joe’s?

WSB September 5, 2018 (9:09 am)

Last December, a suspected drunk driver flipped their car, hitting equipment on the north side of the block, and the resulting crash led to a multi-day closure until the power could be restored.
https://westseattleblog.com/2017/12/followup-west-seattle-trader-joes-closed-because-of-power-outage-caused-by-early-morning-crash/
https://westseattleblog.com/2017/12/followup-west-seattle-trader-joes-open-again-after-4-day-power-outage-closure/

(Added: Since Seattle Municipal Court is cross-referenceable with SPD incident #’s – unlike Superior Court – I was able to look up what happened in that case. The driver charged in that crash, 27-year-old Elmer B. James of Tacoma, has not yet gone to trial. Muni Court records show charges were filed in May, five months after the crash.)