TRAFFIC ALERT: Crash near southwest end of West Seattle Bridge

(Reader photos)

4:05 PM: Thanks for the tips and photos. There’s no SFD callout for it so far, but as shown, there’s been another crash near the Welcome to West Seattle sign toward the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge.

The images show only that pickup truck, but someone called us saying it appeared two vehicles were involved. Yet another texter says the dividers are pushed out of place – something someone else had reported earlier this afternoon (we advised them to be sure and report it to 911 as that’s a safety hazard) – we don’t know whether that was fixed before this happened.

4:13 PM: We’ve received even more reader photos and reports just in the few minutes since publishing this. One person confirms, “This was the 2nd accident there in the last 2 hours as on the way out there was another van at the side of the road and Jersey Barriers pushed over to the eastbound lanes.”

Install a speed sensor and speed trap there ASAP!!! April 6, 2025 (4:41 pm)

The pickup is in the exact position the vehicle that crashed last month was in. I witnessed that vehicle fishtailing from the left lane at this spot and ended up facing backwards just like this pickup.

These collisions won’t stop until the state starts punishing people who drive recklessly or punish all of us by changing the speed limit to 25 since people don’t know how to drive in rain. Better yet require all out of state licenses to take the full written and driving tests.

At a certain point it’s drivers who don’t use BASIC COMMON SENSE that are putting us in danger.

Julian April 7, 2025 (1:05 pm)

Having out of state drivers retake the tests doesn’t help when the tests are pathetically inadequate. Realistically the entire system needs to be overhauled. Testing needs to include basics on vehicle function and maintenance. There should be tiers of licenses. We could stand to follow the German standards of testing since they know how to drive over there.
- 22blades April 7, 2025 (6:20 pm)
  
  Absolutely agree.⭐️⭐️⭐️
  A lot of this is on the state with lax training, testing & enforcement.

IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF SPEED April 6, 2025 (4:42 pm)

I tested the “stop speeding and go the speed limit” theory today and still almost crashed. I was driving my wife’s body on frame SUV with KO2 all terrains going 30 mph off the gas on that turn. As soon as I went to give the car the slightest bit of gas, we started sliding. Off the gas and back on, sliding again. It’s slick for a few hundred feet and IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW FAST YOU DRIVE. SDOT doesn’t seem to care about fixing this, so not really sure what more we can do.

Pete April 6, 2025 (7:39 pm)

You were accelerating on the turn? Weird. I’ve never lost traction on that bend in any conditions. I drive an F150 for work and a Prius the rest of the time.
Question Authority April 6, 2025 (7:55 pm)

Sorry to point out but you caused your own issues by getting off the gas, by changing the torque applied to the drive wheels you changed the dynamics. It’s a lesson learned by every professional driver in any race situation (or) casual daily driver. The correct method is to enter the corner slightly slower and still keep your foot on the gas and stay consistent, I’ll add that pickup trucks are notorious for spinning out due to no weight in the rear with an empty bed.
- Ferns April 6, 2025 (9:32 pm)
  
  You have to be kidding! This is certainly not something taught to drivers nor in the driving test for license. You’re citing professional drivers who are speeding on a racetrack. Clearly there’s a problem with this patch of pavement that is affecting many people and resulting in numerous accidents. you are choosing not to believe them. Going the speed limit on a turn, whether your foot is on the gas or not should not make a difference in whether you crash!
  - Question Authority April 7, 2025 (12:01 pm)
    
    The point is to be consistent so you don’t influence torque change to the drive wheels while in a corner.
Bbron April 6, 2025 (8:10 pm)

Just cause you have tires that say “all terrain” doesn’t mean they perform well on wet pavement (Google: “k02 wet pavement”). You’ve added a determent to your vehicle for the given conditions and expect the road to save you. We aren’t going to design roads so the worst case vehicle can be driven without any forethought. We have RCWs that put the onus on the driver to have the knowledge to operate their vehicle. Responsibility goes hand-and-hand with the freedom of vehicle choice.

Joe April 6, 2025 (4:56 pm)

We can just call this the usual place.

Curious George April 7, 2025 (11:41 am)

Darwin’s Curve. What’s the crash count for 2025?
- West Marge April 7, 2025 (5:17 pm)
  
  Perfect name for that curve, George.
  - Jethro Marx April 7, 2025 (5:47 pm)
    
    I’m afraid others have suggested the name before, and if you were to put up signage labeling it such, with a counter adding up collisions, we would all understand the problem better. I don’t mean crashes would decrease, but it would probably slow traffic.
    I would bet on fewer fishtails, more rear-endings while live-streaming or influencing thoughts on the subject.

Spike April 6, 2025 (4:56 pm)

I was stuck in a traffic backup in this exact spot earlier today, around 12:45 pm, due to a full-size van spinning out. The concrete barriers were pushed into the oncoming side already at that point. I’m not sure if this was the second incident mentioned by the reader in the update to the post or a third incident. Busy day for that stretch of road.

DRW April 6, 2025 (6:48 pm)

Welcome To West Seattle.

WSzombie April 6, 2025 (7:17 pm)

What’s a speed sensor and camera going to do, take pictures of trucks crashing at 25mph? If these accidents are purely because of excessive speed, why hasn’t a single one of them involved a Prius, Honda, or Mini Cooper? Why haven’t any happened on sunny days? Why haven’t they happened on any other section, or the eastbound side? 100% of these accidents occur with rear wheel drive vehicles, on a 50 foot stretch of road, only when it rains. Let’s apply occam’s razor here and accept the possibility the road needs fixing.

B April 6, 2025 (8:13 pm)

Drivers need to travel at a speed that is safe for the conditions. I take note of the road conditions when driving and slow down accordingly. For instance, with todays rainy conditions on a curve like this, I would probably slow down to around 5 mph below the posted speed limit. The problem with this section of road, is that the conditions are not apparent. Navigating this curve on a nice day is pretty straight forward. When the road is wet though, I believe that this section of road is booby-trapped for certain vehicles. Vehicles with high centers of gravity such as trucks/vans/jeeps seem to be most susceptible. Slowing down the usual amount for the conditions is not enough for these vehicles, and there is no way to tell that by looking at it. I think the dips at the end of the curve cause the front ends of these vehicles to bounce up and lose traction. I believe that fixing this section of road with consistent pavement throughout the entire curve and getting rid of the dips at the end of the curve would fix the booby-trap. Roads should be safe for all road-worthy vehicles!

Bbron April 6, 2025 (8:14 pm)

Queue the selective pattern recognition of folks clamoring that it’s the road and missing that it’s always an SUV/truck in rainy conditions. Based on experience as a pedestrian, aggressive drivers are 9 times out of 10 driving an oversized vehicle with an oversized ego.

B April 6, 2025 (9:14 pm)

Also queue the selective pattern recognition of folks who claim that every accident at this location is caused by aggressive divers in oversize vehicles.
- Bbron April 6, 2025 (11:56 pm)
  
  Find me an instance of a sedan crashing here.
  - Mike April 7, 2025 (5:32 am)
    
    Did you talk to these drivers? I’m curious how you know they have oversized egos. Although not a sedan, a Ford Mustang spun out, jumped the curb and was facing backwards the other day there. Almost every day in the morning we have to watch out for the center median barrier sticking out in the lanes heading East. Speed is a factor many times when people lose control there, but low tire pressure or tires with hard compound (almost every stock hybrid and EV) have dangerous lack of adhesion to wet roads. Unless more people are driving recklessly in that corner since the roadwork was completed there after the 2 year shutdown of the bridge, there’s something very wrong about the material and design there. I’ve noticed the hump right as you enter the curved part that didn’t exist prior to the closure and the materials used aren’t the same as the old parts it connects to.
    - Bbron April 7, 2025 (12:41 pm)
      
      Yes, ever since COVID there has been a massive increase in reckless driving.
    - Ivan Weiss April 8, 2025 (7:22 am)
      
      @ Mike: You are wasting your time trying to reason with this guy. He is a monomaniacal zealot to whom “my way or the highway” applies literally and figuratively. (1) People should be exercising a lot more care on that stretch of road. (2) AND the road needs to be repaired to provide greater traction. Both things can be true, and anecdotal evidence suggests pretty strongly that they are. But you’ll never get that acknowledgement from him.

MrBell April 6, 2025 (8:15 pm)

I nearly lost control driving around that corner at 30mph in my Bronco. The issue is not speed but the road surface that turns slick when wet. Due to the number of recent accidents SDOT needs to address this corner before someone is seriously injured or killed. And stop blaming the drivers. It needs to be repaved, like the first half of the corner!

Rob April 6, 2025 (8:31 pm)

It is notable that these accidents occur repeatedly at exactly the point where the pavement changes from the new grooved pavement to the older pavement which has slick rounded stones embedded in concrete. Also there is a slight hump at the transition, which lifts a vehicle up, unweighting the tires, just at that point. It is natural, even below the speed limit, to have a little power being applied since one is going uphill. So with the unweighting, some wet slick round stones, and torque on the tires, it is very easy for the tire to begin to slide, and once that starts, the coefficient of sliding friction is less than static friction, so the skid gets worse. Simple physics. This happened to me once in a light pickup without a load, and I was well below the speed limit and certainly not driving “recklessly.” The truck began to fishtail at exactly that point while I had been going perfectly steadily. Fortunately I recovered control. Since then I invariably downshift (manual transmission) at exactly that point, so that I’m out of gear and there is zero torque on the wheels as I go onto the older slick pavement. I haven’t had any trouble since. My point is this is a problem with the roadway, not necessarily the drivers. I suspect SDOT knows this by now.

B April 6, 2025 (10:10 pm)

Thanks for posting this Rob! The more that people speak up about near misses at this location, the more likely that the city might be convinced to fix this before someone gets injured or killed. This is a dangerous section of road.
Slider April 6, 2025 (10:33 pm)

Exactly this! Well said.
wetone April 7, 2025 (1:43 pm)

Rob, come on you trying to use common sense here ? really ;) I have personally worked that section of roadway many times and it was bad prior to closure of the High Rise. During the closure that section got worked on and the results are showing themselves today with the highest number of incidents in King County than any other. Maybe SDOT can install some speed bumps in that corner, that should make most here happy ;) They have surely helped fix all the speeding situations elsewhere throughout the city according to SDOT…..

Bucky April 6, 2025 (9:24 pm)

Thirty in a Bronco in the rain?
You are lucky.

Ben April 6, 2025 (10:16 pm)

I have it! Ban the rain! That’ll solve this safety issue! Global warming – making WS safe again!

Slider April 6, 2025 (10:32 pm)

This section of road is insanely slippery for some vehicles. It is not associated with speed, but rather any light acceleration while going around the corner. On some vehicles it feels like black ice, and on other vehicles it is unnoticeable.

D-Mom April 6, 2025 (11:16 pm)

Anyone crashing in this spot, should sue the city. This is beyond ridiculous and is not a speed problem. Enough already!

Steve April 7, 2025 (12:50 am)

Is this sarcasm? You need to take responsibility if you crash your car going too fast around a corner in the rain when there is a sign that says slippery when wet.
my two cents April 7, 2025 (10:55 am)

why don’t we continue on your idea of legal action in this case … Person sues City of Seattle for road conditions/factors/etc. that resulted in a crash/accident. Do you think that the City will implement any changes prior to the decision? I’ve watched some ‘LA Law’ in my day and it seems that the City would be opening up to additional claims.

Ronald Foust April 7, 2025 (12:00 am)

I have driven over that bridge in the past daily, before the bridge closure and never had any issues with that section of road. Is it the pavement that seems to be the issue? I have a two wheel rear wheel drive as well.

Bbron April 7, 2025 (12:09 am)

Lots of folks telling on themselves that they don’t know how to drive their vehicles. Should be a signal to fill the obvious knowledge gap regarding how to handle driving RWD in the rain.

Watertowerjim April 7, 2025 (5:55 am)

People think everyone that drives that road reads this blogs.

Fix it.

Jon Wright April 7, 2025 (8:21 am)

The city doesn’t need to “fix” the road, it needs to figure out a way to get people to slow down and drive a safe speed through that turn, especially when the road is wet.

Dave April 7, 2025 (9:03 am)

… and SDOT keeps on studying it, as they can’t accept the empirical evidence of defective roadway geometry. Where’s the new highly touted SDOT leader?

Wendell April 7, 2025 (11:36 am)

Are these spin outs happening in the left or right lane?

Brian April 7, 2025 (2:30 pm)

Yes

Lincoln Park Mom April 7, 2025 (12:49 pm)

Replace that small strip of concrete with a speed hump. Everyone wins.

Wendell April 7, 2025 (1:37 pm)

Except for those of us that responsibly commute on motorcycles. and haven’t had a problem on that curve for at least 25 years.

Steve April 7, 2025 (2:12 pm)

Pop Quiz: What does this sign mean?

Extra Credit: Is it on the bridge?

The King April 7, 2025 (5:56 pm)

It means there are eight surface changes in a single corner left lane of an elevated bridge in a city where it rains a lot, it’s not going to be fixed. Good luck
Midi April 7, 2025 (6:18 pm)

Sarcasm is hardly going to change the road pattern, but it does make this community feel less friendly. FWIW, this sign is on the right-hand side of the road as the road is turning to the left, meaning it’s not in the natural line-of-sight of most drivers
- Steve April 7, 2025 (9:38 pm)
  
  Slippery when wet is a non-intuitive sign. But yes the sign is too small, too far away, and I agree out of view. They can’t put it on the left in the middle as it would hang into the inner lane. A big flashing sign dead ahead to the outside of the road would be clearly visible. Signage or appropriate speed limits is not this area’s strong suit. People say fix the road but traffic should be going 30 around that corner as it leads to the stoplight after a blind corner. People think the bridge is a 60mph highway. Again poor signage for the 45mph speed limit. There used to be a regular speed trap. But slippery when wet means slippery when wet and that sign is there so it’s on the drivers to be cautious.