UPDATE: Flipped-car crash at Alki/Harbor
1:44 PM: Big emergency response headed for what’s reported to be a flipped-car crash at Alki/Harbor. Updates to come.
1:49 PM: This is right at Duwamish Head. Reader photo added (thank you!). SFD says two vehicles were involved, everyone is out and being assessed for injuries. Avoid the area – road is currently blocked both ways.
2:08 PM: SFD says two people have minor injuries.
2:16 PM: Our photographer has arrived and sent photos of both vehicles – the one that flipped (above) has already been turned right-side up by the towing crew. They report one of the injured people is being taken to a hospital via private ambulance. Police say they’re investigating whether this is the result of one driver crossing the line into opposite-direction traffic.
If you are wondering about the helicopter, just TV. This should be cleared before too long.
2:44 PM: Texter reports the street has reopened.
Accident at Luna pier, road will be closed for awhile
A couple more joining the West Seattle Elite today.
Alki Resident-I don’t understand your comment. Could you explain?
Alki resident is referring to the number of people who have flipped their cars on West Seattle streets in recent years.
.. and seemingly more than any other neighborhood! We are the vehicle-flipping capital of the hoods!!
Just when I think nothing can surprise me anymore when it comes to Seattle driving, something like this happens and I’m reminded how things like this can happen at 1:45pm on a Wednesday afternoon.
How do you flip a car on a road that had a 30 mph speed limit? That’s impressive speeding!
Well a combined 60 MPH does create a lot of energy. It also looks like the SUV’s driver’s side front tire got wedged in under the front fender of the station wagon, and completely ripped off. My guess is they frantically cranked the wheel to the right at the last second. The tire was turned hard enough that it went under the station wagon, as both front left fenders connected with each other. That tire was the only part of the SUV that felt the full force of the other car and came to a complete stop. The rest of the SUV still had forward momentum, and IT rotated, rather than the tire itself. You know those cartoons where someone grabs a plane propeller, and the plane starts spinning instead? Same concept!
Speed doesn’t matter, you can flip a car at 5 mph if you hit something the right way. Check out YouTube.
“Speed” doesn’t mean traveling faster than the posted maximum. If you flip a car at 5 mph, then 5 mph was too fast to be driving the car. Speed is always a factor in automobile collisions.
Also, SUVs really like to flip over. They’re all top heavy and a lot less safe than a “car” in this way.
norstgirl Alki resident was inferring to the WS I flipped my car club. Other than theft, flipped car is a top discussion topic.
Thank you
This is flippin’ crazy!I’ll see myself out…
I think auto makers while making cars safer they are now flipping easier (though the people are safer). The number of cars everywhere not just our special bumper car pennusula are flipping, on freeways and side streets alike.
The people *in the car* are safer, pedestrians and cyclists be dammed.
SUVs are prone to physics no matter what safety equipment you put in them. High center of gravity and high sense of entitlement are a dangerous combination.
What’s the official count for cars flipped in the last…let’s say year, WSB?
I’ve tried to standardize the terminology, so a search on “flipped” brings them all up:
https://westseattleblog.com/?s=flipped
https://twitter.com/FlippedWest
Funny!
I know this spot well. They are the lookie loo’s who I swear have never seen water, they slow down and point out at the water taking their eyes off the road and car veers into the oncoming traffic or they hit a pole as they are gawking. I am glad I had to pick someone up at the airport or I would have come home this way,
As a new, like 3 weeks, Alki resident…~*Yesterday of all days, found a new way home, besides using Admiral Way… remember new Alki resident~*…All of a sudden the emergency vehicles are passing me at different times, so I literally had to pull over about six times before I even got to the Marination area~* When I rolled up cops turned me around..Now that I’ve read what happened.. I can totally see someone veering in/out of the road there. Staring at the awe of Seattle DT, ships & water. I mean, I did the first times…~* So… there’s a flipping car phenomenon …that’s hilarious 😋😋Washington does have the 3rd worst drivers in the nation. You guys know that right?! This I guess, can be evidenced by things like flipping car phenomenons😂Coming from SF California, I’m not totally surprised .I’m glad no one was hurt.. CA love~*
Not only are flipping cars a regular thing but so is crossing a double yellow. I see someone cut the corner and cross the double yellow almost every time I drive
Reset that ‘days since’ counter…must be like 6 now? The last flip was also on Harbor, just last week?
Allison,Welcome to Seattle. The other thing about this Area there is just after the Boat Launch there is an Angle in Parking where the cars slow down to try to park so they can look out at downtown Seattle & take pictures. You have to be careful of the people who suddenly slow down looking for a spot to turn into and also the people not looking when they back out into you as you are coming around this curve. Oh and by the way Nobody seems to use a Turn Signal anymore. I go home Via Alki every day now as there is less traffic and I have one stop sign at the end that I have to stop at, it is a nice change of pace compared to California Ave and all of the stop lights.
I think the current high rate of flipped cars is due to inattention, from texting or whatever. When the driver puts their eyeballs back on the road where they should be, they find that a car or a pole or a tree or a pedestrian has suddenly jumped out in the road right in front of them, so they jerk the wheel to avoid the obstruction – and flip the car. We need to cite those damn trees for acting so irresponsibly.
CARFLIPAPALOOZACARFLIPAPALOOZA
My comment is fighting back for some reason but I found that there have been at least 27 documented flipped cars in West Seattle in the last 6 years. 4.5 a year