Seattle pedestrian hurt in crosswalk

Woman in serious condition; hit-and-run driver stopped
By KATHY MULADY, P-I REPORTER, November 27, 2007

A Seattle woman was in serious condition Tuesday in Harborview Medical Center after being hit by a pickup truck in a crosswalk at the intersection of Aurora Avenue North and North 90th Street.

The accident happened just after 9:30 p.m. Monday, Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt said.

Witnesses said they saw the pickup hit the woman, who is in her 50s, and drag her under it. Witt said the witnesses tried to stop the driver, but he left the scene.

Within minutes, patrol officers a few blocks away stopped the suspected hit-and-run driver. The 59-year-old Seattle man was evaluated immediately for drug or alcohol impairment, but showed no signs of being under the influence. His vehicle was impounded, but he was released.

The woman suffered head and pelvis injuries.

The accident is under investigation, and it is unclear who had the right of way at the intersection, Witt said.

City Council members made pedestrian safety a priority this month as they added $3 million to Mayor Greg Nickels' proposed 2008 budget specifically for a speed-trap camera van and safer sidewalks. The city Transportation Department has a total of $7.6 million in its budget for pedestrian safety projects and programs.

According to the city, there had been 398 reports by Nov. 21 of people being hit by vehicles. Of those, 27 were struck this month.

Four of those pedestrians this year have died.

Last year, nine people died after being hit by vehicles; eight pedestrians were killed in 2005.

Two of the deaths in the past 14 months were caused by accidents on 35th Avenue Southwest in West Seattle, one at the intersection with Southwest Othello Street, the other at Southwest Graham Street.

A year ago, Tatsuo Nakata, 29, a legislative aide to City Councilman David Della, was killed when he was hit by a car in a West Seattle crosswalk. Before that, council President Nick Licata's stepson was seriously injured as he crossed a busy North Seattle street to catch his bus to Ballard High School.

Some street improvements, traffic patrols and increased awareness of pedestrian safety may have contributed to fewer reported collisions between vehicles and people this year.

"The pedestrian safety program and infrastructure improvements have helped, but there is a randomness to a lot of statistics sometimes," said Casey Hanewall, chief of staff for the city Transportation Department.

Still, he said, "We generally see more collisions in the winter when it is dark and wet."

MORE INFORMATION

Pedestrian accidents in the city of Seattle -- Source: City of Seattle Department of Transportation

2007
Jan.: 44
Feb.: 51
March: 55
April: 33
May: 37
June: 31
July: 39
Aug.: 16
Sept.: 29
Oct.: 36
Nov.: 27
Total through Nov. 21: 398
total for 2006: 565
total for 2005: 473

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