West Seattle, Washington
30 Thursday
Just in case you saw the big initial Fire Department response – there was a “saltwater rescue” call in the 5000 block of Beach Drive just after 6:30, but it closed fairly quickly, since the people thought to be in trouble were both reported to be out of the water and fine.
Thanks to everyone who’s tipped us about a multiple-car crash on Delridge Way between Dakota and Genesee (including Dana, who sent the photo above). Our crew (who took the photo below) just arrived and tells us four vehicles were involved, with one person going to the hospital by private ambulance (which generally means non-life-threatening injuries).
It’s in the southbound lane, but traffic is getting around both days – just be ready for a slowdown in the area.
(NEWEST INFO: 1:53 am, police have just reopened Delridge)
9:37 PM: An incident with major police/fire response has Delridge blocked at Kenyon.
9:46 PM: Police at the scene say this is a two-vehicle crash and one person is dead at the scene. Two others have been taken to the hospital.
11:04 PM: The vehicle in our photo is one of the two involved, a Honda CR-V. A pickup truck is the other vehicle, and is up on the sidewalk about 50 feet south of the CR-V, according to the WSB crew that was at the scene. SPD Lt. Alan Williams reiterated at the scene that this is a collision involving two vehicles, no pedestrians. The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is at the scene and that means this section of Delridge will be closed for at least a few more hours. It is their second investigation in West Seattle in less than 48 hours – they also investigated the deadly motorcycle/SUV crash in The Junction early Friday.
11:50 PM UPDATE: Police have just published an update on SPD Blotter, and they say the driver of one vehicle was drinking:
At approximately 9:11 p.m. officers responded to a 911 report of a two vehicle rollover collision in the 7900 block of Delridge Way SW. Preliminary investigation indicates that a Honda CRV was eastbound on SW Kenyon Street and was executing a left turn onto northbound Delridge Way SW when it was struck by a southbound Chevy pickup truck which subsequently overturned. An adult male who was riding in the bed of the pickup truck was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene by fire department medics.
The events leading up to the collision remain under active investigation.
The driver of the Honda, a male in his 50′s, was evaluated for signs of impairment due to alcohol and/or drugs. No impairment was detected. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries.
The driver of the Chevy truck, an adult male, was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The front seat passenger of the Chevy truck, an adult male, was treated at the scene by fire department medics and released.
The driver of the Chevy was also evaluated for signs of impairment. Indications of alcohol consumption were detected and he was placed under arrest and processed for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Upon completion of his evaluations and treatment he will be booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Vehicular Homicide.
No citations will be issued at the scene, which is standard procedure in serious traffic collisions involving extensive follow up investigation and collision reconstruction.
Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate. Delridge Way SW is closed for approximately one block in each direction from the scene and traffic is being detoured. The road should be back open at approximately 1:30 a.m.
1:53 AM UPDATE: Police have just announced via radio communication that Delridge is reopening.
(SCROLL DOWN for newest information)
3:40 AM: We are at California and Oregon, where a motorcycle rider is dead at the scene of a crash that happened just after 3 am. Police at the scene are not able to say much yet, but a Jeep Liberty also was involved in the crash; its driver was not seriously hurt. The intersection is taped off and likely to be closed for hours.
4:10 AM UPDATE: The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad, which investigates crashes with deadly and/or life-threatening injuries, is here. They’re expanding the closure of California northward to Genesee; Oregon is closed between 42nd and 44th. The motorcycle, and victim, are on the west side of the street just north of California, and the collision took out a big planter. SPD describes the victim as a man in his 60s. The SUV driver, also male, had a dog in the vehicle, and someone has come to pick it up. TV stations are here too and gearing up to report on this during morning newscasts.
5:02 AM UPDATE: Metro says Routes 22, 50, 55, 128 are being rerouted around the crash scene until it’s cleared.
6:16 AM UPDATE: We’re checking back at the scene.
Investigators think they will be there a few more hours, so please note that if you go through that area in the morning, you will need to detour.
8:05 AM UPDATE: Open again, per Metro alert that buses have returned to their regular routes.
9:48 AM UPDATE: SPD has just posted this update:
Just shortly after 3:00 a.m.,a patrol officer was stopped facing southbound on California Av Sw at Sw Alaska St. The officer noticed a red Jeep Liberty turn left from SW Alaska onto northbound California Av Sw. Moments later, the officer heard a loud crash behind him; he made a u-turn and came upon that same Jeep Liberty involved in a collision with a motorcycle at the intersection of California Av SW and SW Oregon St. It appears the Harley Davidson motorcycle was travelling west on Sw Oregon St and was struck in the intersection by the northbound Jeep Liberty.
On scene patrol officers initiated CPR on the 62-year-old male motorcycle operator; Seattle Fire resumed life saving efforts when they arrived, the male was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene shortly thereafter. The King County Medical Examiner responded and took custody of the male.
As is routine, a DUI unit responded and evaluated the driver of the Jeep Liberty; no signs of impairment were detected.
The investigation continues.
A two-car crash at 46th/Andover (map) this past hour left one car upside down, and sent two people to the hospital. That’s what WSB’s Katie Meyer, who also took our photo, reports from the scene.
Both were transported via private ambulance, indicating the injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening. The flipped car had collided with a van, though the circumstances aren’t known.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
10:52 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is at the scene of that flipped-vehicle crash in the 5400 block of West Marginal Way SW (just north of the Lafarge plant). Avoid the area.
11:07 PM: Christopher says the vehicle’s female driver was reported to have suffered “bumps and scrapes,” no serious injury, and was being taken to the hospital by private ambulance to be checked out. Police told him at the scene that the driver said she swerved to avoid an animal, hit a utility pole, and that’s what flipped her Toyota SUV. He says City Light was arriving at the scene when he left – likely to check out the not-insignificant damage to the pole.
11:20 PM: Police have reported (per scanner) that southbound W. Marginal is open again. (added) Shortly thereafter, the other direction reopened too.
8:53 PM: Emergency crews are handling a crash across SW Thistle from Chief Sealth International High School. Our crew says that’s blocking eastbound Thistle at the scene. The crash originally was dispatched as a “heavy rescue” situation, but many of the crews were subsequently canceled. Our crew says it looks like two cars went up over the sidewalk and through a fence at an apartment complex. A private ambulance is there, which suggests the injuries are not life-threatening. Avoid the area.
9:11 PM UPDATE: In addition to going through the fence, it looks like at least one vehicle hit an apartment, breaking a window, and firefighters are helping clean up the glass inside.
As for how it happened – police were still sorting that out.
4:55 PM: Also happening right now: A police response in Highland Park. We’d been monitoring this just before the aforementioned port rescue broke out. Per scanner traffic, it started as a report of a possible carjacking, but then the story got more complicated. They’ve been searching for suspects in the Highland Park Elementary vicinity. Police explain it via Twitter this way: “Officers investigating very strange carjacking report in West Seattle. Started off as report of 6 ppl fighting in 3800 blk of Delridge……suspect fled the scene, but later called 911 himself, spoke briefly with an operator and hung up……officers are now looking for the suspect and a white Toyota Corolla.” Scanner indicates there may be a South Park address associated with this.
5:40 PM: No official updates; a WSB crew just checked the Highland Park vicinity where police were earlier, nothing happening.
5:57 PM UPDATE: Via Twitter, SPD now says, “Officers have taken two people into custody in connection with the carjacking in W. Seattle. More details when we sort all this out.”
LATE-NIGHT UPDATE: No official update yet, but activity into the evening in Highland Park may have been related; we’ll be checking back in the morning.
(Seattle Fire Department photo, shared via Twitter)
4:45 PM: Big emergency response headed to the 3400 block of West Marginal Way right now, with word that rescue help might be needed on a crane. This is at the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5, a possible medical emergency. More to come.
4:54 PM UPDATE: You might see a TV helicopter related to this. No word yet on how the rescue’s going.
(Photo by Mike Scharer)
4:59 PM UPDATE: Rescuers have made it up onto a crane. They say via radio they have found “an adult male, conscious, alert, stable” who might be doing well enough to bring down via elevator rather than in a more precarious way.
5:03 PM UPDATE: Sounds like they plan to bring him down in a basket instead.
(Seattle Fire Department photo, shared via Twitter)
6:28 PM: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore told us at the scene that the crane op, in his 60s, apparently had heat exhaustion. More when our crew gets back.
(Video by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
7:43 PM: Added video of Moore’s briefing for reporters at the scene (including ours), and photos. The patient was brought down from 140 feet up, he said, and at last report is in stable condition.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:57 PM: We’re on our way to check out an emergency response that has escalated to a hazardous-materials response in the 3000 block of Avalon Way. Avoid the area; updates shortly – and yes, that’s why you are seeing a helicopter overhead; it’s TV. Emergency crews on scene say there’s a “strong smell of gasoline” at the site, which was once a church.
6:08 PM UPDATE: We’re on site – the action is close to Avalon/Yancy. Adding the top photo, sent by Jeff. At least one TV chopper still overhead. No word of any injuries; investigators still trying to find the source, as far as we know. Via the scanner, they’re discussing air-sample readings that so far aren’t showing anything discernible. SFD’s public-information officer has been dispatched so we’ll have a steadier source of information shortly.
6:30 PM UPDATE: A million apologies for our server getting overloaded and shutting down. It’s been reset and hopefully that will be the end of it – we keep increasing capacity and it still isn’t always enough for the next breaking story, so we keep exploring new options for something close to infinite bandwidth. Meantime, nothing new here – fire crews have yet to pinpoint the source, so far as we hear – still investigating all around the building – but keep avoiding the area. For those who are worried about hazardous fumes – there’s been NO confirmation of anything risky – this is all mostly a precaution because of the previously mentioned “strong smell of gasoline.”
6:43 PM UPDATE: Thanks to area resident Jeff, who has the overview of part of the scene and has been updating us – adding another of his photos above this update. He’s seen SFD crews first bring in a tarp, then bring in fans, and he noticed the smell getting stronger at one point, but he hasn’t seen them bring anything out. Also of note, the official incident address has been updated to 30th/Adams.
7:05 PM UPDATE: This is now officially scaling down. Bottom line, according to SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore, they didn’t find anything (except evidence of squatters, which neighbors tell us has long been a problem). If you’ve had trouble placing this building – here’s a wider view from William, who lives across the street:
So SFD says the air is safe, no one ever needed to evacuate, and they’ll be packing up. Traffic is moving on Avalon.
7:46 PM UPDATE: Back at HQ; added the photo above showing the big turnout of SFD vehicles, and here’s our video of Moore’s briefing:
As SFD was wrapping up, SPD was going to take a look around, per scanner traffic. So we’ll be following up to see if anything was determined regarding the presence of squatters in the building.
(SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE here)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:36 AM: Big emergency response right now at 17th and Cambridge. Two vehicles involved. More to come.
3:09 AM UPDATE: This was a T-bone crash, with both vehicles ending up on the sidewalk – two people had to be extricated, described as the male driver of the Honda and female driver of the van; both were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The extrication is what made it an “automobile rescue” call, if you watch the online 911 log. Via Twitter, SPD says the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is responding, as it does to major crash scenes, which means the scene will likely be closed off for a few hours.
9:09 AM UPDATE: Updated information from SPD BLotter:
Two people were injured in an early morning collision. This morning just shortly after 2:00 a.m., an adult female was driving a full sized van N/B on 17th AV SW, and drove through the stop sign at SW Cambridge ST without stopping.
The van hit a small car travelling W/B with 2 occupants, pushing it completely through the intersection, and up the sidewalk into a fence, and crushing the driver’s side halfway into the passenger side of the car.
Both occupants of the car sustained critical injuries. Seattle Fire responded and treated them on scene. Both were transported to an area hospital. Â The 4 occupants of the suspect van got out and ran westbound across Delridge Way, where responding officers caught them.
The female suspect/ driver was processed and booked into King County Jail for DUI – Vehicular Assault.
MONDAY NOTE: Again, please see our updated story from Sunday, with Monday additions, for the newest information.
2:54 PM: Heads up if you’re headed to or from Highland Park, among other affected areas: A crash at West Marginal Way SW and Highland Park Way (map) is leading police to close West Marginal at the scene and for at least a few blocks north.
3:18 PM: Our crew at the scene says a car hit a pole and hydrant (though there’s no water flowing from the latter) on the west (southbound) side of the road a short distance north of Highland Park Way. While the car will be towed soon, the pole and resulting suspended wires have to be taken care of by City Light. P.S. Just added a cameraphone photo but because of the sun and tree cover, the pole hit by the car is hard to see – we’ll substitute clearer photos when our crew gets back. The driver was not seriously hurt.
3:35 PM: Via radio, police are saying City Light can’t get there for another hour or so because it’s shift change.
Meantime, the closure is requiring semi-trucks to turn around as well as smaller vehicles, since they are heavy users of this road. So we do advise avoiding the area entirely TFN.
4:01 PM: Substituted a clearer photo. West Marginal at that spot is still closed off, be forewarned.
5:20 PM: Open both ways, but City Light repair crew has outside southbound lane blocked.
(Photo courtesy Charlie G)
FIRST REPORT, 10:48 AM: Beach Drive SW is closed in the 5400 block right now while Seattle Fire crews stand by until Puget Sound Energy arrives to take care of a natural-gas leak. Radio communications describe it as “small.” No injuries reported. (P.S. Thanks to the readers who texted photos and info – 206-293-6302 any time!)
11:51 AM: Thanks to Davis for texting an update – the road has reopened.
(Photo by @lolomatic via Twitter)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:50 AM: Emergency crews are on their way to the 2500 block of Harbor Avenue for a “heavy-rescue” call. So are we. More to come.
10:06 AM UPDATE: A car is on its side. Harbor Ave is closed at the bridge.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
10:33 AM UPDATE: As a WSB commenter notes, at least one parked car was damaged in the crash. Our crew at the scene says it appears at least two people are being transported by private ambulance; we’re checking on the total number of people injured. If you hear/see helicopter(s) in the area, at least one TV helicopter has come over to check out the scene.
11:02 AM UPDATE: Harbor will be closed for at least two hours, per radio communications – the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad has been called out to investigate this crash.
(Photo by Leo Shaw)
11:19 AM UPDATE: As noted in comments, some people ran from the scene after the crash. At least one person was seen in handcuffs at the scene later. SPD can’t confirm for us yet whether anyone has been arrested, but they say one vehicle involved, either the van or a parked car, was confirmed as stolen. We’ll continue to update, once the scene reopens, and once SPD has more information on how this all shakes out.
1:38 PM UPDATE: Police are reopening southbound Harbor Avenue.
4:34 PM UPDATE: Just in case you were still wondering – we’ve verified in person, Harbor has since fully reopened. We also have an update on injuries from Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore: “There were 5 people inside the minivan. All of the patients self-extricated. We treated a 52-year-old male, 21-year-old female, and 17-year-old female. AMR transported all three to HMC. We did not treat the male driver or another male passenger.”
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: A summary is now on SPD Blotter; aside from what we’ve already reported, the only additional note is confirmation the Lexus SUV was indeed the stolen vehicle police mentioned when we first spoke with them.
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
4:10 PM: Multiple ambulances are being called to 12th and Holden in Highland Park for a crash. We’re on our way to find out more.
4:16 PM: Per radio communications, 2 vehicles, 7 patients, at least two seriously hurt. Large emergency response in the area so stay clear TFN.
4:30 PM: Our crew on the scene says the vehicles are a van and an SUV. Multiple SFD medic units and private ambulances there. Photo added. The wrecked vehicles are on the south side of Holden, about 100 yards west of 12th.
4:45 PM: Seattle Fire’s public-information officer is on scene, so we’re expecting some additional information from our crew shortly. The 12th/Holden area has long been flagged by the Highland Park Action Committee and other area advocates/neighbors for safety concerns.
4:56 PM: The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad will be coming to work on this, which means the area is likely to be closed at least a few more hours. If you are heading west on Holden, you will have to detour onto 12th; if you are heading east on Holden, you will have to detour onto 13th.
5:11 PM: SFD spokesperson Lt. Sue Stangl confirmed to us and other media at the scene that seven people were taken to Harborview Medical Center – two of them children – but none is believed to have life-threatening injuries. In all, she says, the first crews arriving at the scene were told that 10 people in all were in the two vehicles; one had to be extricated (cut out) of the wreckage.
Though some at the scene reported smoke, neither car caught fire, she said.
5:32 PM: Briefing video added (and shortly afterward, two more photos). We’ll check on SW Holden’s status in a few hours – please let us know if you see it reopen sooner (via comments here or text/voice 206-293-6302, our 24/7 line) – thank you.
9:37 PM: Drove by to be sure SW Holden had reopened – it has.
ADDED 8:16 AM MONDAY: Seattle Police have published a summary on SPD Blotter. The only information beyond what we’ve already reported includes the vehicles’ directions and the fact neither driver is believed to have been impaired:
… At about 3:52 pm on Sunday, it is believed that a Hyundai Santa Fe was travelling westbound on SW Holden. At the same time, a Dodge Caravan was travelling eastbound on SW Holden. For reasons still to be determined, while the cars were mid block, they collided head on.
Seattle Fire responded and treated the three adults and two small children that were in the Santa Fe. All the occupants were transported to Harborview Medical Center. Two of the adults suffered serious, but non life-threatening injuries. The two adults (one man and one woman) in the Dodge Caravan were also transported to Harborview, one with serious but non life-threatening injuries. The three young children in the Caravan were evaluated at the scene by Seattle Fire, but they did not have to go to the hospital.
As is routine in serious collision investigations, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) officer responded to the hospital and evaluated both the female driver of the Caravan and the male driver of the Santa Fe for any signs of impairment. It was determined that neither driver had any signs of impairment from drugs and/or alcohol.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 11:48 PM: More people are starting to ask about “booms” heard in the past half-hour-plus, in areas including Upper Morgan and North Delridge, wondering if it was gunfire, so we’re mentioning it here: So far, police-radio traffic indicates, they believe it’s fireworks. No evidence of anyone having been shot, or of non-injury gunfire. (If you have any further information, to the contrary or otherwise, please let police know.)
ADDED 4:12 AM: If you are up and noticing some searching in the Fauntleroy ferry-dock area, scanner suggests it has something to do with a report of a watercraft or dinghy of some kind. There’s no rescue response at this time, no reported need for one, so far.
3:56 PM: The big emergency response to West Marginal Way/Spokane is for a report that someone might have jumped or fallen off the high bridge. Seattle Fire confirms that’s what was reported to them.
4:27 PM: We are on the high bridge westbound right now. There is a slowdown to 99 because of police cars with a white car on the shoulder at the top of the high rise, blinkers on. A tow truck is getting ready to tow it.
4:33 PM: Two commenters say they saw it happen – someone got out of that car and went over the bridge.
Suicide, while difficult to discuss, is an epidemic – taking five times as many lives in King County as homicide. If you or anyone you know has had thoughts of self-harm, please know there is help available around the clock, via the Crisis Clinic hotline: 206-461-3222.
4:45 PM: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore confirms that the person found under the bridge “is deceased.” The last bridge death reported here was four months ago.
5:48 PM: The photo we have added above is the crew from the Medical Examiner’s office, arriving in the area just after 5 pm. It is their job to make the official identification of victims and determination of cause of death, and to make sure family members have been notified.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
9:18 PM: Another big police/fire response in progress- this time, for a “heavy rescue” call in the 3400 block of SW Roxbury.
9:24 PM: First responders report the person/s got out of the crashed vehicle without needing “heavy rescue” assistance, so it’s been scaled back. Our crew should be there shortly.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
9:33 PM: A 26-year-old man rolled his car in front of the residential complex at 35th and Roxbury, and he is being taken to the hospital, according to radio communications, as a precaution, though he appears to be unhurt. Alcohol, emergency personnel report, may have been involved.
9:46 PM: Traffic effects – Roxbury is blocked between 35th and 34th. But 35th itself is not currently affected.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:56 PM: Avoid the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW (map) for a while – there’s an emergency response for what is described via radio as a car-motorcycle collision. While the initial callout was for a “6 per” medic response, indicating potential life-threatening injuries, we’re told a private ambulance is now on the way. So are we, and we’ll update with whatever we find out at the scene.
1:08 PM UPDATE: Per scanner – westbound Alki Avenue is now open at the scene; eastbound still closed.
1:20 PM UPDATE: At the scene – police confirm one person went to the hospital (we’re trying to get more details); the vehicles involved are a Jeep Cherokee and Yamaha motorcycle.
ADDED MONDAY EVENING: We heard back from Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore, who confirmed that the person taken to the hospital was the motorcycle rider, and was described as conscious and alert when transported.
7:17 PM: We have multiple reports of a search under way off the Washington State Ferry Wenatchee, in Elliott Bay north of Alki Beach, after a report of someone overboard. The U.S. Coast Guard is helping search. The ferry was headed to Bainbridge Island.
7:26 PM: Wenatchee is continuing on to Bainbridge. No official report on the fate of the person reported overboard.
11:26 PM: More information late tonight from the community-news website Inside Bainbridge: They report the search started after someone on the Wenatchee reported seeing a body in the water. Searchers couldn’t find it, though, and IB says the USCG stopped searching about two hours ago.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
9:34 PM: Big response to the eastbound bridge, Spokane Street Viaduct section, for a “heavy rescue” call. One texter says it’s a rollover crash.
9:51 PM: Still not much information on this; commenters who passed the scene say it’s before the 99 exit. The eastbound bridge remains open.
10:46 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is back from checking out the crash aftermath. Two SUVs were on the outside shoulder by the time he got there (one is shown above). The exit to 99 was blocked at the time but the traffic camera now shows it, and the rest of the scene, clear. At this point we aren’t likely to have information about injuries, if any, until morning.
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore tells us that one car was on its side when SFD crews got to the two-vehicle crash scene, and, “We had to lift the occupants out of the cab of the overturned SUV. They did not have any significant injuries.”
3:48 AM: Multiple medic and fire units have responded to a crash on Harbor Lane, off Harbor Avenue, a few blocks west of the bridge. Four people were in the car, according to radio communications, and two were reported to be badly hurt. More to come.
3:57 AM: Radio communications say all four people were ejected from the car after a high-speed impact that also took out a tree before the vehicle rolled multiple times.
They’re all being taken to the hospital. A man believed to be in his mid-20s was described as the most seriously hurt patient; no ages have been mentioned for the other three. Police said over the radio that they would be closing Harbor Avenue.
4:10 AM: WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand is at the scene. The address has been updated to the 2700 block of Harbor Avenue (map). Patrick says the vehicle is in the north/westbound lanes (headed toward Alki), and confirms what we had heard via radio, that the car took out a tree. Police have closed that side of Harbor but the south/eastbound lanes, headed toward the bridge, remain open.
4:26 AM: SFD says all four people are in their 20s, two women, two men, all were ejected from the car. While the north/westbound lanes of Harbor remain closed, and the other side open, that side MIGHT close once the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad arrives to start doing its work, police at the scene told Patrick.
7:25 AM: The road should be open before long – the tow truck was reported to be on its way.
6:44 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter has just published a post about the crash, confirming that – as suggested in some of the comment discussion here over the course of the day – the 21-year-old driver is under investigation for driving under the influence.
1:57 PM: Big “heavy rescue” callout right now in the 2700 block of SW Trenton, and a texter (thank you!) tells us it’s a crash at the Westwood Village post office. (added) We’ve just arrived at the scene – looks like a pickup truck has hit the building to the left of the entrance. Avoid the Trenton entrance to WV – lots of emergency vehicles. More to come.
2:12 PM: One person is being checked out by medics. We’re trying to find out more about possible injuries. Just added a photo (above) from Natascha, showing the inside of the post office.
2:23 PM UPDATE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore is here now so we should get updated information shortly. Adding a different angle of the scene, from Val – thanks to everyone who’s been sharing photos (we have two photographers here but all views appreciated!). Again, AVOID the Trenton entrance to the shopping center for now.
2:32 PM UPDATE: Moore says that the driver of the pickup was not hurt. The person who was being checked out by medics has cuts/bruises from being hit by collision debris. The concern now is that the truck hit a brick support column – so the building’s structural integrity has to be addressed. Obviously the post office is closed TBA – if you have USPS business, go to the one in The Junction (on California SW between Genesee and Oregon). Moore estimates about three dozen people were evacuated here after the crash, including employees.
(This photo and next by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
3:03 PM UPDATE: Added video of Moore’s briefing. He says that while the brick column posed a challenge for SFD to remove, it apparently does NOT leave the building structurally compromised. We’ll be checking with USPS on when they believe they’ll be able to reopen the branch.
3:33 PM UPDATE: Adding two photos by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli showing the aforementioned brick column.
3:55 PM UPDATE: We asked local USPS spokesperson Ernie Swanson about the branch’s status. He replied: “The retail lobby is closed for the remainder of today. At this time we do not know if it will be open tomorrow. The area where the Letter Carriers work was not damaged so there should be no delay in mail delivery.”
FRIDAY MORNING, 7:39 AM: The post-office-box and mail-drop lobby is open, and from inside that lobby, looking through the doors to the “retail lobby,” it looks all cleaned up and ready to reopen at 8:30 am as usual – we will go check again then to be sure. (Update: Yes, it is.)
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