UPDATE: Pedestrian hit by driver on Admiral Way

9:25 AM: Emergency responders are on westbound Admiral Way near 57th. We’re told a pedestrian was hit by a person driving a pickup truck. Seattle Police Traffic Collision Investigation detectives will be investigating. More shortly.

9:30 AM: Don Brubeck, who lives nearby, tells us the pedestrian is a man in his 80s who “was crossing the street to catch the bus to go to his gym.” He was conscious as medics were treating him, Don says. The driver, who was in the black pickup shown in our photo, is talking with police.

10:18 AM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley says the pedestrian is “approximately 70 years old” and was in serious condition when taken to the hospital. Meantime, TCI is on scene, and the westbound side is blocked – they’re expected to be there until noon or so:

While this stretch of the street was part of the Admiral Way Safety Project, the 57th SW intersection is one where “left turn access” was kept, the SDOT map on the project page (which also shows the bus stop) notes.

LE July 15, 2019 (9:34 am)

I drove by with my daughter and we saw the scene right before the firetruck showed up. Thank you to those of you who were helping the pedestrian. I am not normally a praying person, but I said one for all involved. What a horrible situation. I hope and wish the pedestrian a speedy recovery.

WSB July 15, 2019 (9:47 am)

I’m checking with SFD on his condition and will add when we get it. Takes us a while to get to that end of the peninsula so SFD had left before we got there.
- Weldon July 15, 2019 (2:42 pm)
  
  He looked back down the hill as I was coming up the hill & he turned & started running across the street then he was stuck back into my sight it was horrible I drive for metro so it looked like I was he’s bus ..felt bad no matter whos fault..hope he is doing ok… prayers for all…

Kathy July 15, 2019 (9:48 am)

Please, drivers. Obey the speed limits and watch out for pedestrians. Especially senior citizens are so vulnerable on our streets. We seniors have a right to get to our bus stops and shopping safely.

Nancy Stillger July 15, 2019 (10:00 am)

I live on 57th up the hill from Admiral a few houses. This is a dangerous intersection. We have been fighting for speed control and crosswalks near there for a long time. I pray the man is alright.

Kathrine Showalter July 15, 2019 (10:23 am)

Thank you Nancy for your comments. My husband and daughter were very involved in trying to get a crosswalk on 57th and Admiral as there is a bus stop on both sides of the street. There is a trail that leads to the beach on the north side. Of Admiral. My daughter has two children and lives close by and there are no crosswalks between our house and their house. I have a dog I walk and use the trail to enter Schmitz Park as well as to pick up my grandson at the Alki Community Center. It is time to address this issue again and this sad situation is a warning of more incidents to come.

OhHowIknow July 15, 2019 (10:24 am)

@Kathy & Nancy, was it confirmed that the driver was speeding, if no then don’t speculate on it I’m sure the driver is just as shaken up by this as the person hit by the vehicle.

WSB July 15, 2019 (10:44 am)

We do NOT know what preceded this. All we know is: Driver in pickup truck hit man on foot, latter taken to hospital, police investigating. Also, all intersections are crosswalks whether marked or not.
- LD July 15, 2019 (11:09 am)
  
  Is 57th considered an intersection if it does not actually cross Admiral? If so, it’s not obvious and a crosswalk would be very helpful.
  - Tony_T July 15, 2019 (9:00 pm)
    
    Most definitely it counts as an intersection with implied crosswalks. I stopped a policeman to ask that same question at SW Stevens (near Schmitz Park entrance) and the policemen said most definitely two Crosswalks across Admiral are implied there too because of SW Stevens.
- Nolan July 16, 2019 (7:54 am)
  
  And how much good has the legality of this crossing done for that pedestrian?
Josh July 15, 2019 (11:09 am)

No word that the driver was exceeding the posted speed limit, but that doesn’t mean the driver wasn’t speeding. Legal speed is the lower of the posted speed limit or “so controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle or other conveyance on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements” — in other words, even 10 mph under the speed limit may be speeding if it means you can’t stop for a legal pedestrian.
- KM July 15, 2019 (11:34 am)
  
  Well said, Josh.
- Shawn July 15, 2019 (2:17 pm)
  
  I’m assuming you always drive 10MPH wherever you go then, rain or shine?
  - JanS July 28, 2019 (11:32 pm)
    
    He said 10 mph UNDER the speed limit, not 10 mph ,period, as your driving speed.
- Lopes July 15, 2019 (2:39 pm)
  
  We don’t know anything:
  1. Was the driver speeding (by any definition)? (We don’t know.)
  2. Was the pedestrian crossing legally? (We don’t know.)
  3. Was there something–a car, truck, piece of equipment–blocking the visibility of either party from seeing the other? (We don’t know.)
  We do know that people often speed on this street and we also know that people often dart dangerously into the road when trying to catch a bus (I’m always amazed at the risks I’ve seen people take to catch a bus). But what happened in this specific instance? We simply don’t know.Hopefully the pedestrian recovers well and quickly.
Kathy July 15, 2019 (11:17 am)

No one is accusing the person driving of speeding. It’s just that speeding and inattention to pedestrians are common and frequent behaviors that make our neighborhood so deadly for us just trying to cross the street. We are begging all people reading this thread to obey the law when driving through our (or any) neighborhood and yield to all pedestrians. And pass it along to everyone you know who drives. Thank you.

run_dmc July 15, 2019 (11:32 am)

Don’t know, yet of course, whether this driver was speeding or driving carelessly. However, living in the area and driving on Admiral at least once a day, I can attest that I personally experience drivers speeding up and down the street frequently. You don’t have to even be a pedestrian to be worried/frightened by the speeding. (Although, crossing the road on foot at times even at a light can be scary). I’ve often been driving down Admiral and slowing way down to turn right onto 36th or 37th and have drivers speed right up almost onto my bumper because they either can’t slow down or are irritated at having to slow down while I turn right. My husband once had someone start honking at him as he slowed down, with right turn blinkers on, to turn. Because apparently, having to slow down and spend 1 more nanosecond to get to wherever they are going is the end of the world…. I’m sure this can’t just be our experience too.

TonyT July 15, 2019 (11:48 am)

I also asked for Crosswalks with no success. (I even supplied calculations to DOT that one can not fully cross when cars drive at speed limit when they come into sight and do not slow down). More often I find problems from speeding coming uphill from Alki rather than cars going downhill and one has to move fast to cross. Even if one starts crossing before a car is in sight beyond the curves. Several times I have been yelled at by drivers who obviously do not know that crosswalks are implied even if the city can not afford some paint to mark crosswalks.

Mike July 15, 2019 (12:22 pm)

Yes a most dangerous stretch from about 49th and admiral all the way down to the 63rd ave raceway where i live i think that almost everyone exceeds the speed limit. There are rhe weirdest combination of great and horrible conditions. I heard the guy in the car was holding him afterwords. This could be any of us and this needs to be a safe place to walk and drive

anonyme July 15, 2019 (12:34 pm)

Pretty sure the 70-year-old was not just sprinting out into the street. Speed, distraction, and the prevalent “I don’t give a crap” attitude, combined with a total lack of traffic enforcement is making this a dangerous and ever more unpleasant place to live.

WSB July 15, 2019 (12:58 pm)

“Total lack of traffic enforcement” is NOT true. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Here’s objective proof: Pull a Twitter search for traffic and SeattlePD and the log with more than 50 “moving violations” citywide in the past 20 hours will come up, including some in WS:
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=traffic%20seattlepd&src=typd

That is a dynamic search so anyone looking at this hours later may see something different. To pull SW only:
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=traffic%20seattlepd%20sw&src=typd

There are other ways to search but I find Tweets by Beat the easiest de-facto log to deal with. – TR
- Quora July 15, 2019 (1:27 pm)
  
  Can you search for the last speeding ticket that was issued on that stretch of Admiral? Can you also search for the last speeding ticket that was given between Admiral and Oregon on California, a frequent speeding hot spot that is never patrolled for speeding?
  - KM July 15, 2019 (3:32 pm)
    
    Moving violation/speed cameras, better designed streets, strict requirements to get a drivers license, all needed. 50 violations in 20 hours is pretty minor, I’m sure people see that many on their way to work everyday. I just saw 4 in 2 minutes on 35th Ave SW. Sigh.
  - hj July 15, 2019 (3:34 pm)
    
    You can search it yourself; here are some examples from the past few days meeting your criteria:Beat:W2, TRAFFIC (MOVING) VIOLATION at CALIFORNIA AV SW / SW OREGON ST reported on 7/11/2019 12:45 AM, Call# 19000253063Beat:W2, TRAFFIC (MOVING) VIOLATION at 44XX BLOCK OF CALIFORNIA AV SW reported on 7/11/2019 5:35 AM, Call# 19000253188Beat:W1, TRAFFIC (MOVING) VIOLATION at GARLOUGH AV SW / SW ADMIRAL WY reported on 7/5/2019 11:42 PM, Call# 19000246525
    - Quora July 15, 2019 (8:04 pm)
      
      But are those speeding tickets? As in, the police stopped and issued a citation for exceeding the speed limit?

Diane July 15, 2019 (12:43 pm)

re “Meantime, TCI is on scene”; what is TCI?

WSB July 15, 2019 (12:51 pm)

First paragraph, Traffic Collision Investigation (Squad). Specialty team that investigates some collisions – such as major injuries or fatality/ies.

Maria Pettinato July 15, 2019 (12:50 pm)

I have written the city a fee times to try to get something on this corner to no avail. Please join me in begging them for at least a cross walk.

MJ July 15, 2019 (3:35 pm)

A marked crosswalk in many instances creates less safe conditions by providing pedestrians a false sense of security, as if paint magically stops vehicles. Hopefully the ped hit recovers quickly.

TonyT July 15, 2019 (5:54 pm)

Paint might help not to get yelled at when one is crossing Admiral. I got yelled at – and worse -by belligerent jerks while crossing Admiral at those BY LAW implied crosswalks … even though I entered the street even before the speeding cars were in sight.

Greg Showalter July 15, 2019 (4:52 pm)

Having used the 57th and Admiral intersection for 35 years I can tell you that a painted crosswalk with appropriate warning signs and flashing warning lights would be extremely helpful in getting across this intersection alive. Last year many of us that use the intersection to get to the buss stops and the trail to the beach begged SDOT for upgrades. The upgrades did not happen because many of the people who live on Admiral adjacent to the intersection complained to SDOT that they did not want to loose the two parking places on Admiral that was necessary to construct the crossing improvements…..and now we have a pedestrian clinging to his life and a driver probably suffering through the worst day of his life. Like it or not people will continue to use this intersection to cross Admiral Way and SDOT needs to step up to the plate and make the intersection safer or face the lawsuits that should rightly come their way.

Linda Kustok July 15, 2019 (6:26 pm)

We have lived on Admiral Way for over 40 years, the excessive speeding and vehicle loud mufflers has gotten out of control! I have called the police department several times and their excuse is they do not have the man power to assign a patrol out to monitor this. A crosswalk might help on 57th but do not count on it. The crosswalk at 49th & Admiral which I cross with my Dog almost every day is a prime example. I can’t count the times that cars have not stopped at this crosswalk. So sad! If anyone is interested in meeting to discuss this dangerous problem please let me know? In the meantime be very careful on Admiral Way!

LyndaB July 15, 2019 (9:28 pm)

I’m gonna look for a reflective vest. Maybe embellish it “I love WS.”
Kim July 15, 2019 (9:36 pm)

I will meet with you! I’ve seen so many close calls on this side of Admiral.
Mike July 16, 2019 (7:41 am)

The crosswalk at 61st helped alot because tou can see the people getting ready to cross unlike the other places. It is the only safe crossing if there is one. Lights 4 way are only good solution. Does anybody know how the pedestrian is doing?
WS REZ July 17, 2019 (10:57 am)

Linda, I walk my dog at the 49th/ Admiral intersection all the time and once almost got run over with my dog by a speeding car that was clearly texting or looking elsewhere. I emailed SDOT and they are going to be installing flashing lights when crossing. Not sure exactly WHEN this is happening, but it’s happening, so that’s good news at least.

Jethro Marx July 15, 2019 (7:53 pm)

There’s a startup at UW developing a crosswalk that lights up when you step on it; if the city is serious about “vision zero” maybe they should look at something like that, for a start. Or is that more of a “10-year plan to end homelessness” kind of vision?

1994 July 15, 2019 (9:56 pm)

A marked crosswalk may or may not help. A pedestrian was recently killed on SW Barton Street at what looked like the special cross walk between Westwood Village and the Metro bus stop – see July 3 WSB article with photos.

Chris Walker July 16, 2019 (7:12 am)

May we talk about another problem area? The intersection of Alaska and 41st. Ave. SW Near Bank of America and Capco. I don’t know how many times I see people trying to cross here in lieu of walking one block west to a traffic signal with bonafide crosswalk signals. People inch out onto Alaska during rush hour even and assume hundreds of commuters will stop for them. Whether all intersections are crosswalks or not, if it’s not clear… this is a hazard. Needless to say, I hope the older gentleman is okay. But Admiral Way definitely needs more marked… and ‘marked with flashing light’ crosswalks AND more speed patrols… Be safe out there West Seattle Peeps.

WSB July 16, 2019 (8:01 am)

I hope you’re not saying the pedestrians are the problem. As a driver, I am ashamed of how many of my fellow drivers fail to stop for pedestrians. You should assume someone could be waiting to cross at any and every corner. Way too often, we will stop for a waiting pedestrian … and wait and wait and wait while multiple drivers coming the other way blithely ignore them (even when the pedestrian is waiting on those drivers’ side of the street!). By that point, invariably at least one driver behind us then tries to GO AROUND US, which is even worse. Wherever you are going, unless you are in an emergency vehicle, you can afford to wait a minute or two or three to stop so someone can cross. Crossing at an unmarked crosswalk is only a hazard because drivers feel they are entitled to ignore the people who are on foot. PLEASE, everybody, adjust your attitudes. – TR
- Nolan July 16, 2019 (11:05 am)
  
  Pedestrian safety is a matter of design, nothing more and nothing less. If an intersection is not designed with safety in mind, it is unsafe to cross, no matter how legally entitled you are to crossing it. If you want to prioritze safety, now’s the time to advocate for protected crosswalks, bridges, traffic lights et al — telling a handful of people in comments to “adjust their attitude” accomplishes nothing.
  - WSB July 16, 2019 (11:58 am)
    
    Spending on infrastructure is great too. But that’s not going to happen fast. In the short run, if more people paid more attention (among other human factors – don’t drink and drive, don’t text and drive), lives would be saved.
    - Nolan July 16, 2019 (1:06 pm)
      
      Sure. My point is that people take those cues from their environment, and that the street environment tells them “nothing to see here, drive on through”. The design doesn’t prioritize pedestrian safety, so the design needs to be fixed. Cultures are pathologically slow to change, and those fixes will both work and happen faster than any cultural change you want to effect. Platitudes directed toward drivers, statistically, will change exactly nothing.
    - WSB July 16, 2019 (1:28 pm)
      
      A human can change their attitude immediately. We’re all capable of it. We have a driver-in-training in the house and he’s capable of learning that way, too.
    - Nolan July 17, 2019 (2:35 pm)
      
      Hopefully, you’ll notice that your point relies on “can” while my point relies on “will”.
    - JanS July 28, 2019 (11:56 pm)
      
      Nolan, perhaps you DO need to change your attitude just a bit. I see you had to have the last word. Because of health issues, I can no longer drive, and a wheelchair is my mode of transportation. I live on Calif. Ave, near Hanford. I sit and watch speeders go through the light there, speeding, esp. motorcycles, even passing cars going the speed limit, by using the turn lane. They are adults, they have choices. Yes, they need to slow down and pay attention. Privilege personified ! My powerchair goes at top speed, 5 miles an hour. It’s scary out there.
- Quora July 16, 2019 (11:12 am)
  
  I don’t think he/she is saying pedestrians are the problem. I think what is being said is pedestrians also bear responsibility to not endanger themselves and others when trying to cross the street. Many wantonly walk through an intersection, cross a street wherever they please, and don’t give a &$!@ about what is, or is not, coming their way. I’ve seen people on their cell phone, head phones in, not even take a glance at oncoming traffic. It’s only like, I don’t know, the first thing you learn as a toddler. Everyone needs to pay more attention; not just drivers.
- miws July 16, 2019 (2:52 pm)
  
  Thank you for bringing these points up, WSB. Chris Walker; that “…one block west is a significant incline. Now, nowadays my occasional visits to the Junction are pretty much confined to California Av. If I lived in that area and had reason to regularly cross Alaska at 41st walking up what may seem like a short distance to some, would be quite difficult because I have chronic respiratory issues. Just a reminder to consider what might not seem difficult to some could be very difficult for others. —-Mike
KM July 16, 2019 (1:35 pm)

Chris, perhaps the question should be “why aren’t drivers stopping for pedestrians at legal crosswalks?” rather than wondering why pedestrians bother crossing where they are legally entitled to.. A great follow up question would be “Why are drivers swerving into the bus only lanes to pass drivers stopped for said pedestrians?” (The latter killed my friend’s fiancé) Blaming pedestrians for following the law is gross.
- Kathy July 17, 2019 (11:01 am)
  
  Safer streets by design are desperately needed, however, waiting for the city to redesign the streets to improve your driving behavior and ensure you follow the law is not the right answer. It is absolutely shocking, however, not too surprising, how many drivers do not respect the right of way of pedestrians at intersections, given the skimpy driver education and shortage of police for enforcement. I love that we have a lighted sign on Admiral Way telling people to look out for motorcycles. We need more of something like that saying to look out for pedestrians on our major arterials. Like pedestrian activated rapid flashing beacons at the crossings that are especially scary for pedestrians. We know where these are, we just need to have the will and funding to do it.
- Chris Walker July 18, 2019 (8:26 am)
  
  Thank you. You raise a valid point… And I’m sincerely sorry for your loss. Obviously I do not support drivers whom don’t stop for pedestrians in ‘legal’ crosswalks. Equally I don’t support not stopping for pedestrians whom are crossing where they should not be. Obviously I do not support drivers in ‘bus only’ lanes in order to beat the traffic. I for one would stop for someone whether they are in a ‘legal’ crosswalk or not. I also let people in when they are clearly trying to cheat the ‘get-in-line-like-everybody-else’ pattern… but that does not mean I support those who disregard what is obviously something that should not be done… whether it’s legal or not.

Mike July 16, 2019 (10:43 am)

Anyone know how the pedestrian is doing?

sam-c July 16, 2019 (12:31 pm)

Yes, please let us know if there are any updates on the pedestrian’s condition. The SPD blotter called it a life-threatening head injury.https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2019/07/15/detectives-investigating-after-west-seattle-crash-sends-man-to-hospital/
- WSB July 16, 2019 (12:47 pm)
  
  “Life-threatening” is why TCI was called out. I missed the blotter post – sometimes they write up incidents like this, sometimes they don’t (the recent deadly crash in Westwood never got a writeup) – but the only added detail is that the pickup driver was not impaired. As for the victim’s condition, without a name I’m not likely to be able to find out anything but of course I’ll try. (No name for the Westwood victim has ever been made public btw.) – TR

KL July 17, 2019 (2:09 pm)

Hi Neighbors – The comments above suggest that many of us who live along/on Admiral Way believe SDOT should be doing much, much more to protect people walking on and across Admiral. My experience is that SDOT and elected officials are much more likely to listen to a well-organized group of community members as opposed to single individuals. To that end: If you’re interested in working jointly to push SDOT towards implementing improvements that protect people walking on Admiral from any more injury or death, please email me at this address I just created: NeighborsForASafeAdmiralWay@gmail.com.A group of us have been in SDOT’s ears for years now (since the bike safefy improvements that all but neglected safety for people walking), and it would be wonderful to see a larger group of folks join forces to get our voices heard at SDOT and City Hall.

MamaBear July 17, 2019 (5:41 pm)

My 11yo was hit last week walking across a lighted crosswalk when it told him to go (Morgan junction area). He got “bumped” by a young male who rolled down his window and was very apologetic. Said he didnt have his license yet and his Mom was letting him practice. My kid didnt think to get a plate or much identifying info on him…unfortunately. We are thankful it wasn’t more serious.