UPDATE: Bicycle rider to hospital after crash on Admiral Way

9:48 AM: As initially mentioned in our traffic roundup, emergency crews are at the scene of a crash on Admiral Way east of Schmitz Park. A bicyclist and vehicle driver are reported to have collided. A texter says Admiral is currently blocked both ways.

10 AM: We haven’t heard an update on the rider’s condition but the log indicates they’re being taken to the hospital, so we’ll add followup information from SFD when available.

10:22 AM: SFD’s Kaila Lafferty tells WSB that the rider is a man in his early 50s who was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.

Mel July 8, 2026 (9:54 am)

So upsetting. Hope the bicyclist is ok.

Jessica Tabutol July 8, 2026 (9:59 am)

The accident that closed Admiral is a bicycle accident. I went around and saw a police officer carrying a woman’s bike to her car. The front wheel was bent. But the woman was walking with him so hopefully that is a good sign!!

WSB July 8, 2026 (10:03 am)

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Thanks for that update.
- WSB July 8, 2026 (10:22 am)
  
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  …although the person you saw with the bicycle might have been a relative or friend of the rider, as SFD just got back to me and says the rider was a man in his 50s.

North Admiral Cyclist July 8, 2026 (10:16 am)

About 9:45 am or so, I was headed up Admiral Way and saw a person wearing bike garb being attended to by EMS personnel. The person was laid out in the middle of the uphill traffic lane and had a neck brace in place. There were two fire trucks blocking Admiral and a medic vehicle was just arriving. Pedestrians and bicycles were allowed through on the sidewalk, but vehicles were turned around.

Concerned bicyclist July 8, 2026 (10:50 am)

I wonder how this happened. Admiral does have clearly delineated bike lanes, doesn’t it? I hope the bike rider will be ok.

North Admiral Cyclist July 8, 2026 (12:47 pm)

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Yes, this section of Admiral going up the hill has a bike lane separated from the traffic by a narrow, painted “buffer” area. I’ve ridden this lane for years, including since the bike lane went in 10 years ago. The biggest safety threat to bicyclist here are cars and trucks leaving their parking spot at the curb without looking. Not saying that happened here, but that’s the most common problem.
- Tierra July 9, 2026 (6:57 am)
  
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  I live nearby and saw the response, but not the accident. It’s a very dangerous intersection. Drivers speed up the hill turning unprotected left onto Admiral, and they also speed down turning right from Admiral onto SW Lander. A few months ago there was a bike accident nearby where a bicyclist crashed into a barrier. It needs speed bumps to slow drivers in both directions on Lander

KathyB July 8, 2026 (10:55 am)

Did the vehicle operator stop or is this a hit and run?

WSB July 8, 2026 (12:18 pm)

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I have almost no details on the circumstances but … there was a mention of another vehicle and no indication that its driver had not stopped at the scene.

Lauren July 8, 2026 (11:59 am)

Safety enhancements are desperately needed for cyclists in our community. I myself would love to use a bike for my primary West Seattle transportation but don’t feel safe doing so.

Jay July 8, 2026 (3:33 pm)

Cars regularly cross into the bike lane, especially on curves. It’s just paint. There’s no safety. I was almost killed here back in 2019 a block from where she was and gave up cycling for a whole year. We need protected bike infrastructure. We need concrete barriers. It shouldn’t be optional for drivers to respect the bike lanes.

Alkistu July 8, 2026 (4:44 pm)

These are tough days in the bicycling community. We definitely feel neglected here in West Seattle as needed safety improvements get repeatedly delayed. The advocacy groups in our community know what needs to be done to create hardened separation from car traffic. Even the car drivers know how crazy people are driving.

Neighbor July 8, 2026 (9:42 pm)

I live very close to where this happened. My husband heard but did not see the accident. The truck involved did not leave the scene. It appeared to my husband that the truck had been at the stop sign on Lander and the person on the bike was heading towards the west going downhill on Admiral. The truck after the accident was stopped barely past the stop sign. It’s a bad intersection. There is a bend in the road uphill to the east on Admiral that makes turning east from Lander onto Admiral risky due to speeding cars going west downhill on Admiral. I can understand how someone at the stop sign on Lander waiting to turn east and is unfamiliar with the intersection might be surprised with how fast cars and bikes can seem to suddenly appear when they are heading downhill on Admiral there. Not long ago, across the street at 53rd and Admiral, green striping was placed across Admiral where the uphill bike lane crosses 53rd. No green striping on the downhill bike lane on Admiral at Lander. I wonder if that would have helped.

WSbiker July 9, 2026 (9:40 am)

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I bike ride through here often. From the article and comments I am still unclear whether the biker was heading uphill or coming down. I will say this, if biking downhill, bikers should slow down and use caution while approaching Lander….. when vehicles are perched at that stop sign coming up from Lander, I always try to gain eye contact with the driver, if not, slow down big time and possibly stop. The big pickups and box trucks today have reduced panoramic windshield view (see bikeblog.org), and they want to blast off up that hill to get somewhere fast.