On Friday morning, a 79 year old woman was crossing Rainier Avenue South and 23rd Avenue when she was hit by an SUV that was in the right lane going north. Authorities responded to the call at about 8:55 AM. They found the woman with head injuries that were considered to be life threatening. They treated her for a time and then transported her in critical condition to Harborview Medical Center. A witness at the scene said that the woman had been jaywalking across the street, and that they had been waiting at the same intersection with her. Many pedestrians choose to jaywalk at this particular intersection on Rainier Avenue, often to catch a Metro bus across the street.
Unfortunately, accidents like this are not at all uncommon. Many times pedestrians will assume that cars will stop for them no matter what, but if you are not following the posted traffic signals you cannot expect the vehicle to do the same. You have as much responsibility as the driver to keep yourself safe. In the end, it is not going to be the driver who is hurt in this accident; it is going to be the pedestrian. It’s not worth the risk just to save yourself a few minutes of time. As a Seattle personal injury attorney, I know firsthand just how devastating these types of accidents can be, so I wish the victim a speedy recovery. Hopefully this incident can act as a reminder to everyone to stay safe on the streets.