UPDATE: Crash blocks California SW for more than an hour after driver hits three parked cars

Samantha Barnard November 16, 2022 (8:29 pm)

There must be injuries it looks bad. Prayers for those involved

Meyer November 16, 2022 (9:01 pm)

What crossroad or block of California Ave?

WSB November 16, 2022 (9:11 pm)

It’s in the first line of the story. 3400. Hanford/Hinds vicinity.
Jamie November 16, 2022 (9:42 pm)

It’s between SW Manning and SW Hinds

Andrea November 16, 2022 (9:08 pm)

We saw that car fly down California and go around another car in the center lane just before that happened.

bill November 16, 2022 (9:20 pm)

It’s a conundrum. Cars are so safe now that drivers like this survive and continue endangering the rest of us.
Jenny November 16, 2022 (10:41 pm)

I was driving the car he flew around right before he spun out and hit the parked cars. So scary! We pulled over and called 911. Thank God that driver didn’t injure or kill someone.

1994 November 16, 2022 (9:13 pm)

Yikes – looks like a lot of damage – hope the person/people are OK.

Rover November 16, 2022 (9:51 pm)

According to police on scene, driver has no insurance and was going 65 mph when he lost control. So too bad for the 3 cars that were hit; your cars are totaled and you will receive no compensation. Damage was MUCH worse than what is shown in these photos. Police say he will not be going to jail. Just FYI… Reckless Endangerment is an actual crime, and this individual put our community at high risk of injury and/or death with his reckless actions. Thank God all 3 victim vehicles were unoccupied or that I, or anyone else, wasn’t crossing the street with my child or my dog like I do 10 times each day. Thank you Washington State leadership.

Odd son November 16, 2022 (10:44 pm)

Rover, could not have said it better.
Burgerman November 17, 2022 (4:45 am)

Rover, did the police say why he would not be going to jail? Did they say if he would be charged with anything in court? I’m looking for facts, not personal opinions and political observations.
Lola November 17, 2022 (7:22 am)

Rover, do you know if they at least ticketed him? Not that he will pay it. I thought for sure it might even be a stolen car as that is what most of them seem to be these days when the hit parked cars. I can’t believe how reckless people are these days without caring that they are wrecking others lives.
seattlecris November 17, 2022 (7:31 am)

I’m sure the owners of the hit cars have uninsured motorist endorsements on their policies.
Guy November 17, 2022 (8:29 am)

Rover: how is this the result of “Washington State leadership” and not attributable to the City?
26THAVE November 17, 2022 (8:56 am)

I think WA state requires drivers to have “under/uninsured motorist” coverage. This should cover it, In the end we are all paying for this in our premiums
- rear ended November 17, 2022 (9:12 am)
  
  Wrong. As someone who was rear-ended by another uninsured driver last year, I know first hand that under/uninsured motorist coverage is not required in WA state. This claim will be processed through their general coverage subject to the deductibles therein. Wish WA would require proof of insurance in order to renew tabs
  - Roms November 17, 2022 (9:51 am)
    
    That’d be great if the state did. But then, law enforcement is not allowed to pull over cars with no or expired tabs, so that’s basically not enforceable. And it’s not the few PEO (who can ticket parked cars for that) who are going to make a dent to this messed up situation.
    - Jort November 17, 2022 (10:36 am)
      
      Police are absolutely, 100 percent, unambiguously allowed to pull over people for expired tabs. Police are choosing not to do so. This is an important distinction. There are absolutely zero laws that prevent the police from completing these stops. Just “administrative guidance” coming directly from the chief of police, himself. This is not the “fault” of Kshama Sawant and the Liberal Bogeyman Who Is Destroying Seattle. This is an intentional choice by police.
    - Jort November 17, 2022 (12:30 pm)
      
      This is fully and completely false. Seattle Police are fully, legally and entirely allowed to pull people over for having expired tabs. The Seattle Police department has chosen not to. There is no legislation or requirement compelling this decision: they are voluntarily choosing not to complete these stops. This decision did not come from Kshama Sawant or an “activist,” it came directly from the chief of police, himself. https://westseattleblog.com/2022/01/heres-what-spd-isnt-likely-to-pull-you-over-for-any-more/
  - cjboffoli November 17, 2022 (9:58 am)
    
    Tabs? Last night’s car didn’t even appear to have plates. No plate on the front. The plate on the back was a paper dealer ad. And the windows were tinted so dark that it was impossible to see a temporary paper plate inside, if one was even there. All just more of the sense of anarchy that pervades our local streets these days, with those who refuse to meet legal requirements for vehicles, and too few police personnel for enforcing compliance. But at least last night’s driver didn’t just walk away after the crash, like so many do. So I guess there’s that.
  - waikikigirl November 17, 2022 (10:52 am)
    
    Exactly. I was rear-ended a few years back in my new car didn’t even have it a year yet. We pulled over to exchange info she had her insurance card and DL I took a picture of everything (lic plate too) turned it into my insurance they covered the repairs but they got ZERO from her, her insurance was lapsed she was paying it month by month to the ins. co that sounds like “HONK” and long story short it went against my driving record because I turned it into my insurance for repairs. So much for being responsible.
  - Lola November 17, 2022 (11:26 am)
    
    Rear Ended,Auto insurance requirements in Washington. The state of Washington requires all drivers to carry car insurance. Furthermore, you must provide proof of coverage in the event that you are pulled over or are involved in a collision.Sep 22, 2022

Ron November 16, 2022 (10:14 pm)

I let this car pull out from Habit Burger on the way home from work. They had no lights on, I plinked my lights at them and they just bolted into to oncoming traffic.

Greg November 17, 2022 (4:58 am)

There is insurance for uninsured motorists.

momosmom November 17, 2022 (7:56 am)

I’ll say it… if you don’t know how to drive responsibly then DON’T DRIVE AT ALL!

Julian November 17, 2022 (7:57 am)

This person passed my car just before this incident. He was going at least + 60MPH right before the pedestrian cross sign by California/SW Hinds ST. So lucky no one was injured, especially the driver. He looked like he was only 15-16 years old

Mj November 17, 2022 (8:11 am)

The State has a mandatory insurance law. It’s past time to better enforce this law. Maybe incorporate a requirement to show proof of insurance when you relicense, pay for new tabs, your car each year. Unlicensed motorists increase costs for people playing by the rules.

Peter S. November 17, 2022 (10:09 am)

@MJ: >> show proof of insurance when you relicense, pay for new tabs, your car each year. << Great idea, but I doubt that would help much. I see cars with either expired tabs, no tabs, covered/shaded plates, and even no plates driving around on a regular basis. Those who don’t bother or can’t legally renew their tabs are unlikely to have insurance. Or, even a valid license.

Uninsured motorist insurance is not required in Washington State, although it is highly advisable for situations just like this. It’s a relatively inexpensive add-on under the theory that all drivers are SUPPOSED to have insurance, so getting hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance is unlikely. At least it used to be. My guess is that too will become more expensive as insurance carriers try to recoup their losses.

Oh, yeah. Then there’s the possibility that the owners of the hit cars don’t have appropriate insurance either. In which case they’ll just be SOL. Good luck with a civil lawsuit.

T Rex November 17, 2022 (8:44 am)

When I lived in California many years ago, you could NOT get your car tabs unless you provided proof of insurance. NO ONE should be able to drive a car without insurance, period. Idiots.

Brian November 17, 2022 (11:12 am)

It turns out you can just drive around without plates or active registration and it doesn’t actually matter at all.
- Joe Z November 17, 2022 (3:13 pm)
  
  Haha that is completely untrue. You’ll get a ticket if you’re lucky. More likely you’ll find that your car has been towed to an impound lot.

AL November 17, 2022 (8:54 am)

Rover- well said! So glad we can have this person roaming around on our streets. I am sad for those folks that have to deal with this. Thank goodness no one was hurt.

Sillygoose November 17, 2022 (9:05 am)

This is why I complain about this state no requiring proof of insurance when renewing car tabs!!!As well as if the developers were required to provide off street parking these cars would not be on the street to become victims of reckless driving as well as break ins.

Scubafrog November 17, 2022 (9:36 am)

Perhaps lawsuits against the “out of control”, alleged reckless driver will pay for damages and lawyer costs. It is sad to see a hit-and-run killer on California Ave, and people like this not even arrested. The People should decide if these alleged law-breakers have indeed broke a law, in a court of law – not the police, on a roadside. Too much police discretion.

Dave November 17, 2022 (10:02 am)

What did the police decide on the roadside?
Peter S. November 17, 2022 (10:29 am)

@scubafrog: Oh give me a break. I’m sure the cops would’ve been happy to take this knucklehead to jail. Someone with more knowledge can chime in, but I suspect current laws or lack of jail capacity prevented them from doing so. Washington State law now prevents them from even pursuing drivers who flee unless they have “probable cause”, which is a higher evidentiary bar than “reasonable suspicion”: https://www.seattle.gov/police-manual/title-13—vehicle-operations/13031—vehicle-eluding/pursuits
- M November 17, 2022 (11:28 am)
  
  There is a major difference between SPD not engaging in dangerous high speed car chases, escalating the risk for themselves and their community, versus choosing not to arrest perps hanging out at the scene, as the case with both recent California Ave scenes. This also underscores the fact that if your weapon of choice is a car, you generally won’t see many consequences for violent behavior. It doesn’t take a gun and a badge to show up and clean up a roadway and reopen it.

sgs November 17, 2022 (10:00 am)

Guardians of this teen, please make this a learning moment and take driving privileges away for a long time + somehow compensating damages. Better than having a life taken away on their conscience for a lifetime.

B November 19, 2022 (4:56 am)

I agree….this is how it’s gotta change! But I fear it’s too many w/o guardians. I was on scene by chance 15 seconds after it happened and the kid looked 25 at most, but I’d believe 17-18. I’m glad to hear he stayed (and was kept on scene by many witnesses). He was concussed if not in minor shock. We need a program where the families of these ‘criminals being given a chance by the system’ and the perp are reunited with the property damage victims to see if a bridge to responsible justice can be made in lieu of court justice.

Dave November 17, 2022 (10:00 am)

Every auto policyholder in Washington is offered underinsured/underinsured motorist coverage by mandate in Washington. The few who don’t choose that coverage must document that they’ve been offered the coverage and they reject it with a signed rejection form. Absent a signed rejection form an auto policy in Washington must be issued with UU1.

Jort November 17, 2022 (10:32 am)

California Avenue is designed — literally — to move as many vehicles through the street as quickly as possible. We should not act shocked and surprised that somebody will choose to drive 60 miles per hour on a street that allows them, by design, to drive 60 miles per hour. If we are serious about preventing issues like this in the future (and, by and large, our society is not serious about this), then we need to be putting medians throughout the center lanes and building out curb bulbs at every intersection. This will forcibly prevent reckless passing. But, this will take political courage as drivers view even superficial restrictions as existential threats. So I won’t hold my breath.

Odd son November 17, 2022 (11:01 am)

Uninsured motorist coverage is a double edged sword. I have it but it’s not free and there is a deductible. It’s sad we have to pay more because others aren’t responsible or aren’t following the law.

Flo B November 17, 2022 (11:22 am)

Jort. Thanks for pointing that out. Streets ARE supposed to move vehicles as efficiently as possible. But must point out all the restrictions you want WILL also impact emergency vehicle response times and will also impact transit times. Are you ok with that?

Jort November 17, 2022 (12:28 pm)

Yeah, that’s OK, because it actually won’t impact emergency response times and actually will improve transit times. The reason I know this is because literally every other city in the world that does this manages to do just fine. Do you think they just let buildings burn down and people die in their houses in the Netherlands? No. Also, buses also have fewer cars ahead of them, improving transit times. And, lastly, streets are not supposed to only move vehicles as efficiently as possible. They’re supposed to move people as safely and efficiently as possible (people are not cars). Before you capitalize the word “WILL,” you might want to make sure what you’re saying is actually true. Because it’s not.
- WestSeattleBadTakes November 17, 2022 (1:23 pm)
  
  These folks know nothing but will make illogical statements thinking they are correct. It is truly amazing. Thanks for fighting the good fight.
- Flo B November 17, 2022 (1:54 pm)
  
  Jort. Unless you’re counting on emergency vehicles and busses being able to levitate over all the road obstacles you want in place they WILL be impacted. Waiting for facts to prove your theory’s actually work.
  - bill November 17, 2022 (2:32 pm)
    
    Flo, I’m with Jort. Pay attention the next time you see an emergency vehicle. They drive extremely carefully, which means slowly, particularly on a street like California where a knucklehead could pop out in an intersection with no warning. Crashing and not reaching the scene or hospital is not an acceptable outcome.
  - Jort November 17, 2022 (3:09 pm)
    
    Have you ever left the United States and visited Europe? I’d strongly encourage you to check out some other cities outside of this continent if you’d like to actually see what it’s like for a society to thrive and grow without automobile dependency. Most cities in the Netherlands, for example, have relegated automobiles to supporting roles, only, reclaiming street space for people walking and on bikes. Yet somehow the Netherlands still has 1. fewer injured cyclists and pedestrians. 2. no appreciable difference in fire suppression. 3. no appreciable difference in emergency medical response. 4. disabled and elderly people are still able to be part of society. 5. contractors still able to work on projects. 6. groceries still make it into people’s homes. 7. children are still able to get to and from their school and events. I could go on and on. Honestly, I could. Nearly every single so-called “impossible barrier” that Americans imagine in their minds to rebut people-focused streets (instead of car-focused streets) is easily, quickly, readily and wholly disproven, quite simply, by looking for even 30 seconds outside of our own country. No levitating firetrucks are needed! Trust me! Amsterdam has not burned to the ground because of bike lanes! They’re doing fine, and so can we, and we don’t have to fantasize about imaginary issues that simply aren’t real and don’t exist.
    - Steve November 17, 2022 (5:56 pm)
      
      The Netherlands is 16,000 sq miles in area and has a population of 17 million. The USA is 3.8 million sq miles in area and has a population of 332 million. They are not relevant to each other at all. Just because something works in a much smaller country with a much smaller population does not mean it is applicable here. I have no desire for Seattle to be like Amsterdam. I know this may be painful for you to understand but many people don’t share your idea for how Seattle’s road infrastructure should be laid out. Perhaps you should think about relocating to another city.
    - WestSeattleBadTakes November 17, 2022 (7:39 pm)
      
      Goal post, shift!
    - Jort November 17, 2022 (10:16 pm)
      
      No thanks! I’ll just continue to work, relentlessly, at changing our city to be safer and more people-friendly, and the best part of all is that I will win at this, because no city in human history in this entire planet — not once, not ever — has successfully accommodated cars as a primary transportation method. Seattle will not be the first city in human history to do so. America and Seattle will learn this lesson. They can do it sooner, or later, but they’ll learn it and they’ll deal with it. There are no other options.
  - Joe Z November 17, 2022 (3:15 pm)
    
    Parked cars are the biggest impediment to emergency vehicles. Imagine if we only allowed parking on one side of residential streets in Seattle. It would be so much easier for emergency vehicles, not to mention delivery and garbage trucks. For some reason I don’t think we’ll see car drivers advocating for that anytime soon…
    - Flo B November 17, 2022 (4:50 pm)
      
      Joe Z. You’re correct. I’m not going to advocate for that and clearly, you’re not either.
    - Joe Z November 18, 2022 (9:59 am)
      
      I’m not saying yes one way or the other, but I just hate when people use the bogus ’emergency vehicle’ excuse to justify more car capacity.

Irritated by speeders November 17, 2022 (11:30 am)

Big fast cars are not made for stupid people. This is why you ALWAYS choose Underinsured Motorist coverage on your policy. Its cheap and will cover both bodily injury and property damage.

Flo B November 17, 2022 (12:18 pm)

Irritated by speeders. You’d be hard pressed to find ANY car that can’t do at least 100mph. Everything from Prius to electric cars/hybrids can do it. Don’t have to be “big” to go fast.

Rara November 17, 2022 (11:55 am)

So he didn’t go to jail?? My son got hit by a drunk driver in Burien a few weeks ago and the guy had hit another car before him totaling it and injuring the driver and left the scene. Then he hit my son and took off again. When the officers pulled him from the vehicle he was still trying to chug his bottle of whiskey. The car he was driving wasn’t even his and The owner of the vehicle had no insurance. Thank God we have uninsured motorist coverage. And thank God my son wasn’t badly injured because it could’ve been so much worse. I’m guessing he got three Felonies that night. It’s scary out there right now. I feel terrible for these people that had their cars ruined because of that guys speeding. Seems like he was impaired.

Mj November 17, 2022 (3:49 pm)

I walked by the site earlier today and one of the damaged vehicles is still parked on the street.

What is unfair is that the owners of the damaged cars, who knows they could be living pay check to pay check, have to deal with the impact of the reckless uninsured motorist. I really hope that the driver is made to pay for all the damages they caused.

Mj November 17, 2022 (3:53 pm)

Joe Z – street parking on both sides of residential streets significantly calms traffic speeds!

wetone November 19, 2022 (11:42 am)

Involved car looks similar to car that was bouncing off cars and finally spun around on Highrise going eastbound early morning last week. Until this city and state starts holding all people accountable for their actions I expect all illegal activity and law breakers to continue as new normal………. And Jort can keep all his work saving the word for himself ;) it does nothing for what happened here, which was illegal behavior………