UPDATE: Car-on-side crash at Highland Park Way/West Marginal

10:00 AM: SFD is sending a “rescue extrication” response to a 2-vehicle crash reported at Highland Park Way/West Marginal. Updates to come.

10:03 AM: SFD has rescued one person from a car on its side.

(WSB photos)

10:13 AM: We are in the area. The HP Way hill is blocked at the bottom if you are headed downhill – you have to turn around at Pioneer Industries.

10:19 AM: SFD is leaving.

10:47 AM: Added a photo we took (from passenger seat) while driving by after approaching from a different direction. This was at the bottom of the hill on the eastbound/downhill side.

Neighbor September 10, 2024 (10:59 am)

Don’t know how this happened but curious if it was from one vehicle turning left to go up the hill and another turning right from down the hill. Both cars would have to use the same lane and it’s tricky if you don’t know that or read the signs. Hope everyone is ok

westseattlebob September 10, 2024 (11:29 am)

What’s with all of the cars flipped on their side in my neighborhood??First one was on Holden and now this? Slowwwww down people, this isn’t I-5. No wonder why SDOT wants to limit traffic going northbound.

CarDriver September 10, 2024 (1:15 pm)

WSBob. Been reported here before. Speed is NOT the primary cause for all these. Vehicles going the speed limit-or less have and will continue flipping over. Simply blaming speed will never answer the question of why.
- Bbron September 10, 2024 (3:41 pm)
  
  what about speed reducing the amount of time for drivers to react or navigate their vehicles where they want it to go? sure, flipping != speeding, but it’s wild to think that every single one of these accidents didn’t have speeding as a factor. I guess all the folks that are speeding have been able to do so without incident ever, and it’s actually the ones going the speed limit that have the misfortune of being in accidents?
  - Look Both Ways September 10, 2024 (5:46 pm)
    
    National Safety Council data shows that a large minority (29%) of vehicle fatalities are associated with speed. For some reason, West Seattle commenters here routinely assume everyone is driving too fast; when in fact, distracted / poor / DUI driving (or biking / walking) is often the cause. Tons of incidents in parking lots, driveways, side streets etc. are not about speed. Same is true for many primary road incidents reported here on WSB.
    - Bbron September 10, 2024 (9:47 pm)
      
      that’s still pretty much 1 in 3. you call out driving under the influence, yet the same source says it accounts for 32%, so a difference of 10%. how is DUI “often the case” and speeding not?
  - CarDriver September 10, 2024 (6:23 pm)
    
    Bbron. It’s even wilder to think that speed is the only thing that causes accidents. There are many reasons for accidents but simply calling everything “speed” misses the mark completely.
    - Bbron September 10, 2024 (9:51 pm)
      
      I didn’t say it was the only case if you reread my comment. on every accident post you or others are in comments saying speed isn’t the case, but it can very much be a reason an accident happened along with additional factors. but I don’t even understand that because you bring up distracted driving which is an equivalent failure of driver responsibility. it feels like the only reason y’all comment it to rationalize your own speeding as safe and that as long as you pay attention you’ll never get in an accident while speeding

Kt September 10, 2024 (11:33 am)

Any theories why so many west seattle drivers wind up flipping their cars? Seems like this happens every other week.

WSB September 10, 2024 (5:59 pm)

It happens everywhere. (I hear citywide dispatches, so that’s not just conjecture.) But most places don’t have a neighborhood news site reporting on them. For citywide/regional news, there has to be something major – life-threatening injuries, fatalities, some visually dramatic circumstance – for a crash to be news.

cwit September 10, 2024 (12:08 pm)

2nd accident on this hill in about 2 weeks?

Jason September 10, 2024 (1:34 pm)

Remember when people said we didn’t need to protect cyclists and had to “think of the drivers in traffic!!!” well… no we need full on cyclist protection AND a road diet here.

Derp September 10, 2024 (2:17 pm)

Because of one accident you think the three people that ride the hill, need 100% protection. It is there already, the sidewalk. Why would anyone, ride in the street. That doesn’t make sense. Neither does shutting down one lane.
- platypus September 10, 2024 (2:58 pm)
  
  I think their point is two downhill lanes leads to excessive speeds. This is one possible outcome. Reducing the size of the road so that the resultant speed matches the speed limit will make everyone safer, keep people alive (inside and outside of cars), and keep traffic moving.
  - Derp September 10, 2024 (6:16 pm)
    
    Except, this was not excessive speed. Some yahoo turned right against the light and hit the car going up the hill that uses that same lane. I see people do it every time I go threw this intersection. Still no need to remove a lane of traffic for 3 bikes a day. Use the sidewalk
Alki resident September 10, 2024 (7:55 pm)

Shutting a lane down will cause fatalities. Bicyclists have full access to the sidewalk. I’ve yet to see more than two bikes on that stretch in my entire life.
- Brill September 10, 2024 (10:38 pm)
  
  How exactly will closing a lane kill people?

Marcus September 10, 2024 (1:47 pm)

Not the hill, been there since the 1940’s as least.

CarDriver September 10, 2024 (2:56 pm)

Back in the day when a bridge was proposed from WS to Vashon and across to the Kitsap peninsula this hill was going to be the route to and from

DrivingIsNotARight September 10, 2024 (2:20 pm)

speed related or not, this road needs the traffic calming measures
that have been mentioned, much like every other “arterial” in West
Seattle. I see far too many people doing 35+ down Fauntleroy and side
streets every single day.Driving is a privilege, not a right. If
you can’t keep all 4 tires on the road and at less than 5 over; you’re
part of the problem.Finally, even if speed isn’t the cause of
most car-on-side crashes; how is it so common to hit a parked car while
driving? I know our side streets are narrow; but that’s not an excuse.
If you can’t safely pass the “obstacle” that is a parked car: DON’T.

waikikigirl September 10, 2024 (3:12 pm)

I have keen idea, how about not looking at your phone while driving and keeping both eyes on the road this just may keep you from hitting a parked car, seeing the bicyclist and so on or leaving for your journey maybe 15 mins earlier then you won’t need that feeling to speed to get to your destination on time.
CarDriver September 10, 2024 (4:01 pm)

The VAST majority of speeders in a neighborhood live in the ‘hood. Have you gone around and talked with your neighbors? Will one of your neighbors speak to you about your, or a family members driving?
- westseattlebob September 11, 2024 (3:37 pm)
  
  That comment is both absurd and ignorant of the situation. Highland Park drive along with Roxbury are two of the other options to leave the peninsula besides the bridge. To say that the neighborhood is speeding and causing this is unbelievable. When we lost the bridge our neighborhood was rampant with speeders going through every street without regards to the community. Your lack of understanding of roadways is obvious and blind to the real problem we have endured for decades. It took the bridge going out to just get a traffic light at the Holden intersection, and speed is a constant problem on 9th SW as well as Highland Park drive, thus my comment earlier about most likely caused by speed.

West Marge September 10, 2024 (3:14 pm)

Can’t wait to see what happens when sdot puts a bike lane there! Lol lol lol lol…..

Dave September 10, 2024 (4:52 pm)

Look at the vehicles involved. SUV’s and crossover SUV’s all have a taller profile and higher center of gravity. Auto sales have been trending away from sedans for a long time. Watch the vehicle types of these rollovers.

Patrick September 10, 2024 (5:19 pm)

What’s with all the recent car flips? I know that it’s not as hard to flip a car as it looks like but this is definitely getting worse. We need more speed humps.

Citizen Joe September 11, 2024 (11:36 pm)

I see people speeding down that hill all the time. Posted limit is 25 mph but cars are easily going 40-50 mph. They don’t realize you have to brake especially hitting the curve before the light.99% sure speed was an issue.

Bubbleator September 13, 2024 (6:09 pm)

These roads have been configured like this for decades, and while there were certainly accidents you never saw this many rollovers routinely occurring. Seems like a human error thing to me.

Sorry, comment time is over.