On Monday night in Capitol Hill, a pedestrian was struck and pinned under a car at E Pine Street and Bellevue Avenue. Emergency crews responded, but the victim later died at the hospital.
Rescue and response
Seattle Fire and Seattle Police arrived just after 8 p.m. to find the victim trapped beneath the front axle of a Prius, according to Capitol Hill Seattle. Firefighters began an intense extrication effort that lasted about 20 minutes before medics transported the person to the hospital. The emergency response shut down traffic in all directions while officers evaluated the driver and secured the intersection for the extended rescue.
What police said
Police later told reporters the victim was a 27-year-old woman who appeared to be crossing in or near a marked crosswalk when she was struck by a driver turning right onto Pine Street, as reported by KIRO 7. Investigators said the driver, a man in his 30s, stayed at the scene and cooperated with officers, who noted no obvious signs of impairment. He was released from custody while detectives work to piece together exactly how the crash happened.
Another nearby rescue
Just minutes after crews wrapped up at Pine and Bellevue, Seattle Fire and Police were dispatched again, this time to a parking lot off Broadway just south of Boren Avenue. There, a man was reportedly found underneath a vehicle, then extricated and taken to the hospital, Capitol Hill Seattle reported. Investigators said they are looking into how that person ended up under the car.
The Pike–Pine corridor and safety
The Pine and Pike corridor has been a major focus of city street redesigns, including one-way conversions and protected bike lanes, under the Pike–Pine Streetscape project, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. Local safety advocates have repeatedly pointed to conflict points in the area and pushed for more changes and stronger enforcement after earlier collisions, as documented by Seattle Bike Blog.
Investigation
Seattle police said the collision remains under active investigation and asked anyone who witnessed the incident or captured video to contact the department, according to KIRO 7. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause and manner of death if and when they release additional details.
