UPDATE: Hit-run driver injures pedestrian near Westwood Village

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | Westwood

12:11 AM: Police are investigating what’s reported as a collision near Westwood Village involving a driver hitting a pedestrian in the 25th/Barton vicinity in the past half-hour, then leaving the scene. The initial description of the vehicle was only “black sedan.” The pedestrian is reported to have a serious leg injury.

12:18 AM: Dispatch has been told they’re taking the victim to Harborview Medical Center.

10:01 AM: SFD tells us the pedestrian is a woman in her mid-30s and that she was in stable condition when transported.

ADDED WEDNESDAY: Here’s the SPD summary:

At 2347 hours, a witness called 911 Dispatch (CARE) to report a vehicle vs pedestrian collision in the 2500 block SW Barton St. Officers arrived in the area and located the victim lying in the roadway with obvious injuries. The witness stated he observed the victim crawling across the roadway when a dark colored sedan struck her and continued without stopping. SFD arrived and treated the victim who was transported to HMC.

Alki Jack July 15, 2024 (11:08 am)

Who could seriously injure someone and then just flee the scene with them lying there? What has become “normal” these days, the vehicle was either stolen, had no plates or stolen plates.

Brian July 15, 2024 (12:40 pm)

It could have just been a bad driver in their own car without a sense of personal responsibility for their actions. Seems like that is hip and cool these days.
HS July 15, 2024 (12:58 pm)

To jump to conclusions, it has been a trend on TikTok.
Derek July 15, 2024 (6:31 pm)

As someone who had their house robbed, I see now more than ever this is a symptom of our economic system more than our punishment system. It’s social inequality that breeds crime. Fix the wealth gap and watch crime incrementally go away. This affects someone driving terribly and fleeing a scene. They don’t want the repercussions and dealing with the money issue of it. We will continue to have this as normal until we start taxing the crap out of the elite richest people.
- Wseattleite July 15, 2024 (7:36 pm)
  
  Wow Derek, your train of logic is amazing and just what I would have expected.
- Scarlett July 15, 2024 (7:36 pm)
  
  Predistribution of income, such as through more unionization, is more important than redistribution via transfer payments. Ultimately, you can’t tax your way out of the gaping wealth chasm in the U.S. though I agree that some work needs to be done on the progressive taxation end.
- KD July 15, 2024 (9:01 pm)
  
  Derek, almost all robberies and burglaries are fueled by the addiction need and not your theory. It is wrong of upper wealth not distributing money made by the workers, but that’s not the most common reason for the crime. It’s drugs, drugs and their damn bloodsucking dealers supplying them.. if they get their $$.
  - K July 15, 2024 (9:30 pm)
    
    Untreated substance use disorders are a symptom of wealth inequality, for what that’s worth.
    - Adam July 15, 2024 (10:41 pm)
      
      Yeah. I mean I’ve never heard of a rich guy with blow or soccer mom popping pills.
- what? July 16, 2024 (8:52 am)
  
  Wait, is this line of reasoning supposed to offer an excuse for fleeing a scene? I just can’t imagine there’s much hope for someone who’s abandoned all sense of human decency. If a person is that morally bankrupt, I don’t think a healthy bank account will do much more than gloss over the underlying issues. I just don’t think people can choose to act decently only when the circumstances are favorable. Where would that leave us as a society?

WS Troll July 15, 2024 (11:42 am)

Why are hit and runs involving pedestrians ever classified as anything other than attempted murder‽. Drivers hit pedestrians. Responsible, good people stop and take responsibility for their actions. Maybe it wasn’t even the driver’s fault. But the moment a driver flees the scene, it should be assumed that the driver was attempting to commit murder, and now attempting to get away with it. We need to make leaving the scene a castrophically worse option for the driver than if they had just stayed put and taken responsibility. Running from a crime like this should come with a mandatory 30 year sentence – then add on any additional sentence for hurting or killing a person.

Jeepney July 15, 2024 (12:14 pm)

To charge someone with murder you have to establish intent.
- WS Pedestrian July 15, 2024 (4:49 pm)
  
  Hitting someone with an 8,000 weapon and leaving them to die sounds a lot like intent.
  - Adam July 15, 2024 (10:50 pm)
    
    That’s an egregious mis-defining of “intent”. It literally doesn’t allow for an accident. If some dumb kid was texting and accidentally hit someone, that’s attempted murder? And I gotta see this 8000 lb black sedan. That’s almost 3 sedans.
    - Km July 16, 2024 (7:17 am)
      
      Someone texting and driving and striking someone is NOT an accident. They were 100% responsible for their actions.
  - Jethro Marx July 15, 2024 (10:52 pm)
    
    You keep using that word; (‘intent’) I do not think it means what you think it means.
Seattlite July 15, 2024 (1:20 pm)

Maybe the negligent driver who hit the pedestrian and then drove off has outstanding warrants. Or, the negligent driver is driving without a valid driver’s license. Or, the negligent driver was drunk or high. Those are just a few reasons why a negligent driver would choose to leave the scene after hitting a pedestrian.

Alki resident July 15, 2024 (12:37 pm)

There’s a Tik Tok sensation going on right now, I happened to see a post of kids in a car deliberately running into a bicyclist and they were badly injured and not sure if he was killed or not. Please be careful. I hope this girl makes a full recovery and police find the suspect.

Kersti Muul July 15, 2024 (1:10 pm)

At 1130 I had the pleasure of sitting at a red light there (26th and Barton) while a man exposed himself, gyrated and then sat on the bike rack pretending to 💩 with his pants still down.Second time in two weeks I have had this experience (two different men, two different areas)

anonyme July 15, 2024 (1:44 pm)

This is one of many reasons why I avoid WV as much as possible. Unbelievably, police no longer consider such behavior worthy of their time. As for pedestrians, the so-called safety improvements have proven completely worthless. I see drivers zooming through the flashing red light crossing area all the time, passing within inches of pedestrians trying to legally cross the street. All the money spent on flashing lights and other public relations bells and whistles does nothing to change bad attitudes. I suspect some actual enforcement involving big fines, impounds, and perhaps jail time might help with that.
Alki resident July 15, 2024 (2:24 pm)

I guess you’ve never ventured downtown or Burien the last few years.
waikikigirl July 15, 2024 (2:56 pm)

UGH sorry Kersti you, people, anyone, should not have to see those sort of things but it just seems that “it is the normal” nowadays. I have a friend that works at the Burien Ace Hardware and some of the things she sees and tells me I just can’t believe. What has our world turned into, it is so sad.
- K July 15, 2024 (4:57 pm)
  
  It’s not nowadays, it’s been like that for decades. In many neighborhoods and shopping centers. In many cities. It’s not an every day occurrence, but it is the natural consequence of defunding mental health treatment in America (which has been going on since the 80s).
  - waikikigirl July 15, 2024 (5:51 pm)
    
    @K, Yes it has been going on for decades. I used the word nowadays just as an expression of what we are seeing in the present, no need to take it literally. And it is an everyday occurrence here in Burien, come take a look by the 148th St Safeway, the transit center and in the KC District Court parking area (between 1st Ave So and 6th Ave SW)
  - Teri July 15, 2024 (6:44 pm)
    
    True🥲
JustSarah July 15, 2024 (5:13 pm)

Yes, the state of our mental health and drug treatment systems is shameful, right?

Admiral-2009 July 15, 2024 (2:46 pm)

The hit and run driver needs to be caught and held responsible. Hopefully the injured pedestrian recovers fully.

As a side bar: I suspect many of the hit and run driver’s do not have insurance as required by State Law. Maybe a mechanism to better assure compliance is to require proof of insurance when renewing your car tabs. And this would require better enforcement of expired car tabs.

Brian July 15, 2024 (7:06 pm)

A true pipe dream. SPD won’t even cite people for driving without a license plate. You think they’re gonna start enforcing tabs? Not gonna happen.

Alki Jack July 15, 2024 (9:39 pm)

Brian you are so correct. Loud pipes, reckless driving, rubber burning, drifting, super loud music, vehicles with illegal blue lights, no plates etc, etc etc. This behavior, if left unchecked, leads to violence, gun fire, harassment, road rage etc. That said what are us tax paying, law abiding citizens to do?

Sorry, comment time is over.