43 Replies to "UPDATE: Rescue response for 30th/Barton crash"

• West Seattlite April 3, 2024 (7:31 pm)

  Thanks for the timely reporting again WSB. I heard all of the sirens while taking a walk and was wondering what in the world was going on.

• JJ April 3, 2024 (7:34 pm)

  Lots of sires, lots of cars, Barton backup, cars are turning around.

• Rhonda April 3, 2024 (7:36 pm)

  No major injuries, thank God.

• Cathy April 3, 2024 (7:53 pm)

  Thank you WS Blog. I was on Barton behind a bus that was rerouting and could see emergency lights. Glad to know no serious injuries.

• Heather April 3, 2024 (7:55 pm)

  Really glad to see the man able to walk away from this accident.  We saw one person taken away by stretcher, and I hope that they’re OK.  There are many near misses at this light,  I live here and the timing of the light is problematic. 

  • Will April 3, 2024 (8:32 pm)

    I live a couple houses down from the accident. Lots of crazy driving through that intersection. 

  • 1994 April 3, 2024 (9:28 pm)

    Just wondering why the timing of the light is problematic?  So on my future trips through the intersection, walking or driving, I can be more aware. Just wondering. 1 lane in each of the 4 directions would seem pretty straight forward but so many people don’t pay attention to their driving.

    • Greg April 3, 2024 (9:46 pm)

      The light is very slow to change for the cross street so people get impatient and run the light. Also people pull up past the stop line (the sensors are back where the white line is, before the green bicycle stop box) so they’ve inched past the sensor and wonder why they aren’t getting the light. If they were to stop where the stop line is the light might pick them up better. 

      • 1994 April 3, 2024 (10:41 pm)

        Appreciate your description of the problems observed…..people need to pack their patience and pay attention. Sorry to hear the accident happened and hope the T-boned driver is OK.

      • KB April 3, 2024 (11:04 pm)

        As a cyclist I agree. Something about the sensors are off. My bike never registers when in the bike box. I often cross on red when I’d really rather not. 

        • DL April 4, 2024 (8:32 am)

          This seems worth reporting to the find it fix it app! 

        • Greg April 4, 2024 (1:12 pm)

          bicyclist or motorcyclist? I doubt the sensors would pick up your bicycle. You’d likely have to go push the crosswalk button (yeah, annoying). If you’re on a motorcycle, then you have a clear view of the street in front of you so make sure you use that advantage to drive directly over the sensors. You can tell where the sensors are because of the big round cutouts they made in the street to install them. There are two of them at this this light, probably per direction. People often refer to the sensors as “pressure sensors” but thats not at all how they work. There is a loop of wire under the street and when a metal object passes over them it induces an electrical current in the loop which triggers the light cycle. The TL;DR of that is you need a big metal object to pass over the sensor and bicycle won’t likely do it. I also think (though this is an educated guess) that inching your way over the sensor would be harder to detect and might not trigger the light. Not suggesting everyone scream up to the light then slam the brakes, but maybe drive up at a normal speed and stop firmly at the white line. Don’t stop early then inch up to the line.

      • Kelly April 4, 2024 (6:48 am)

        I have also been nearly hit twice by cars coming up Barton not even noticing the light and running it. 

        • bill April 4, 2024 (8:17 pm)

          Replying to Greg (his comment does not have a reply button): The sensors will detect bicycles if properly adjusted. Examples are at most intersections in the city. Sounds like these need to be reported to SDOT.

• Local April 3, 2024 (8:19 pm)

  

• Faunty April 3, 2024 (8:28 pm)

  Went by about 8:20, westbound was clear, but eastbound blocked by several police vehicles. Buses backed up. 

• Anonymous April 3, 2024 (9:26 pm)

  My daughter was t-boned in our vehicle. She was S-bound on 30th Ave, just one block from home.She’s in ED at hospital – so it’s pre-emptive to report “no serious injuries”

  • WSB April 3, 2024 (9:39 pm)

    Sorry to hear that. No major – as in life-threatening – injuries is the initial description from SFD, but I’m waiting for an update from them.

  • Neighbor April 3, 2024 (10:00 pm)

    Praying for your daughter. I spoke to you on the phone while she was in the car waiting for paramedics

  • Anonymous April 4, 2024 (3:59 pm)

    The vehicle headed S on 30th Ave SW thru this intersection was not making a Right Turn on Red. That was not the issue.  The Green Bike Box is not the issue. Driving W on Barton at a time of day when the sun is  setting isn’t the iissue. The possibility that the SUV was W-bound on Barton maybe going to the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock is not the issue. The poor response time of the traffic lights for vehicles going S or N through this intersection is not the issue. BTW: The response time for the Lights at this intersection are set to give preference to  Metro buses headed E on Barton to the Transit Hub. (Metro buses do not go W on Barton from the Transit Hub)The Gateway designation for Walkers and Bike Riders on 30th Ave SW from Myrtle to Roxbury is not the issue.The only issue is this:  the driver of a vehicle is responsible for safe operation of their vehicle. Period.The driver of this extended cab SUV hit the vehicle that was headed S thru the intersection with/on the Green light.  The SUV became airborne (read this twice), Rolled (read this twice), ripping off the top of the SUV, hit the front of another vehicle that was headed E on Barton before that vehicle even reached this intersection (think about this), slid off that vehicle and the SUV landed on its side. Stop! Think about the dynamics! The driver of the SUV had to be extricated  by SFD. How did the passenger get out?  And both these people refused medical treatment. The top of the SUV is ripped off, but they didn’t need medical attention. Was this just an Easter week miracle?  What about the 3rd vehicle, and it’s driver?Me thinks there’s more to this story than all this huff and puff about the timing of the intersection lights, triggering of the lights by green bike boxes, and the setting sun.

• AH Neighbor April 3, 2024 (10:05 pm)

  I have had a near miss there at that exact intersection.  I was going south bound on 30th a few months ago when a car ran their red light going west almost t-bone my car.  Lucky I hit the gas pedal a bit harder just a split second when I saw that car coming fast toward me as I crossed the intersection green light.

• sixbuck April 3, 2024 (10:57 pm)

  Due to the time of this incident, I’m wondering if the setting sun may have played a part. If you cannot see you need to slow down, even if due to sunlight. 

• Ban the green bike box April 3, 2024 (11:34 pm)

  That green bike box is dangerous. It causes too many drivers who have been waiting for the very-long red light to creep through the intersection after waiting for the elusive green light. But it’s WAY too easy for them to miss a west-bound car that may be blinded by the low, early-evening sun. It’s an inherently dangerous intersection for anyone headed north or south on 30th.

  • Bbron April 4, 2024 (3:25 am)

    so your solution to unsafe driver behavior is to remove the smallest bit of infrastructure meant to make an alternative mode of transportation safer? if drivers are needing this much state intervention to ensure folks drive safe and don’t put themselves in harms way, those drivers need to be banned. seriously consider the bus…

    • CarDriver April 4, 2024 (12:03 pm)

      Bbron. Drivers who are at fault should be cited. But giving the city a free pass to ignore design/infrastructure/maintenance flaws won’t make things safer/better for ANY pedestrian/bike rider/car driver/delivery driver/bus driver.

  • Alex April 4, 2024 (6:38 am)

    “Is it faulty sensors? A lack of patience? A driving culture that magnifies the American tendency to disregard the wellbeing of others when there’s a modicum of inconvenience? … No it’s the cyclists who are wrong!”

  • Foop April 4, 2024 (7:13 am)

    Don’t block the box and this becomes a nonissue.how about we install red light cameras here.

  • Ban right turns on red April 4, 2024 (8:02 am)

    So, this is all speculation without seeing an actual report on this. But I invited you to do a preliminary search on what causes more accidents: “Green bike box” or “right turns on red”. I wonder what the problem is here 🤔The only reason we allowed right on red as a country was because of the oil embargo in the 70s to “save on gas”, well past time to revisit that….

  • Keep your dang car out of the green box April 4, 2024 (9:20 am)

    Stay out of the bike box, back where the sensors will detect your car. 

    • Anywhere but here April 4, 2024 (2:39 pm)

      A year or so ago I narrowly missed being t- boned by a person  who I assume was blinded by the sun running a red light west bound. I was headed south on 30th and the only reason I was able to stop in time was because I took off on my green light FROM BEHIND THE BOX. If I had been IN the box like a rule breaker I would have been absolutely nailed. 

  • Greg April 4, 2024 (1:20 pm)

    Please don’t blame bicyclist safety for people who don’t follow rules. I agree that people tend to drive past the bike box, past the white stop line (hint hint) before stopping and then the light doesnt trigger for them and then this leads to them making the poor choice to run the red light. The blame goes to the drivers and potentially a lack of adequate education/signage that tells people to stop at the stop line (seems obvious, but..). But ultimately the blame lies on the drivers because they ran a red light. It seems obvious, redundant, and unnecessary but perhaps the white stop line needs the words “stop here to activate traffic signal” painted in to it.  But the last thing at fault is the green box that is there to make cyclists more visible so that they don’t get killed.

• miws April 4, 2024 (1:32 am)

  That light has been pure evil for 50 years. In the ’75-’76 , school year they changed the boundaries of school bus service and we lost ours. That was along the route two housemates and I walked from Arbor Heights and it felt like 1/2 hour wait to cross Barton. —Mike 

  • Dan April 5, 2024 (8:59 pm)

    Oh, I can top that!   I witnessed a collision at this intersection about 60 years ago, before there was even a light there.  That time a northbound driver on 30th Ave SW pulled out in front of a driver westbound on SW Barton St.  It broke the front seats in the guy’s VW Beetle and he ended up in the back seat.  We were just kids so when we asked him if he was ok and he said yes we just hopped back on our bikes and rode off. 

• Kt April 4, 2024 (8:20 am)

  If I am driving on 30th and stuck at that light, I always hop out of my car and hit the crosswalk button to get the light to change.

• bill April 4, 2024 (9:23 am)

  Everyone complaining about the slow light response needs to report it via FindItFixIt. Draw attention to the problem and SDOT will respond, particularly when a bunch of similar reports comes in.

  • WSB April 4, 2024 (9:29 am)

    Also, please call SDOT with signal problems, 206-684-ROAD. (And other non-emergency road/street/signal/sidewalk trouble.)

  • Greg April 4, 2024 (1:26 pm)

    I agree. The light timing does suck and certainly could be improved upon. Also if they took the blinders off the crosswalk signals so people stopped in cars could see that change to “don’t walk” and would at least know the traffic signal registered their presence.Another thing they could do is choose a different route next time. I find it hard to believe that a majority of people frustrated by that long light are driving through the intersection for the first time. I would wager a vast majority of them already knew that was a long light and drove down that street anyway. They could simply adjust their behavior and take a different street next time. Barton has been designated a pedestrian friendly corridor (hence the speed bumps, the green bike box, and the no turn on red) so maybe people that are in a hurry should drive on a different street. 

• learnFromLondonOrParis April 4, 2024 (10:20 am)

  Make it a roundabout, problem solved. Suck up the pride and learn how to imitate better cities.

• WSRob April 4, 2024 (1:49 pm)

  It was the setting sun. I know. Almost did the same thing. That street at that time you’re looking right into the sun and can’t even see the light. 

  • Anonymous April 4, 2024 (7:51 pm)

    So it’s the Sun’s fault for this accident.Certainly Not the fault of the motor vehicle driver who didn’t slow down when the evil Sun shine in his eyes.  Oh heavens! This poor momentarily blinded driver! Where’s the sentiment for the person who was injured?  What…  ?  Is the concensus it was the person’s fault for being there?” So glad the man was.able to walk away!” Bahhhhh!    What’s your feeling about the person who Couldn’t walk away?  Who went to the hospital? Yeahh… now where do I go to file a claim against the Sun?

    • miws April 5, 2024 (2:17 am)

      It’s going to be utter chaos during the upcoming solar eclipse! —Mike 

  • AMD April 4, 2024 (8:33 pm)

    RCW 46.61.400.3:  The driver of every vehicle shall, consistent with the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, drive at an appropriate reduced speed…when special hazard exists with respect to pedestrians or other traffic or by reason of weather or highway conditions.It is not the sun’s fault.  It is the driver’s fault for failing to appropriately adjust their speed to the conditions.

• Steph April 4, 2024 (9:32 pm)

   It seems this would be a good spot for those flashing lights on signs.  There’s something about that intersection light that makes it easy to miss seeing. 

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