Another Car Accident At 42nd Avenue NE And NE 41st Street And Updare On Accident That Knocked Down Talaris Fence

We received this email about yet another car accident near at the intersection of NE 41st Street and 42nd Avenue NE:
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Last Thursday, December 5th, there was a bad car crash yesterday about 5:15pm at the bottom of the hill at the corner of 42nd Avenue NE and NE 41st Street.

I heard the crash, but did not see it happen.  From the damage, direction/location of the vehicles, it looked like a car

was turning left onto NE 41st and was hit by a SUV going up the hill.

There was one person taken away in an ambulance, though I don't know the extent of their injuries. There was also a fire truck and two police cars who came to help.

I spoke briefly to the people from the SUV to let them know 911 was coming.  They had already gotten out of their vehicle on their own. Their SUV did have to be towed away.

The SUV ended up almost perpendicular again my curb on the hill side of 42nd Avenue NE. The other vehicle ended up around the corner in front of my neighbor's house just before you go up NE 41st Street.

It looked to be hit on the driver's side. That neighbor said both vehicles crossed the corner of their property and came very close to their fence. From the extensive glass, the crash itself happened right in the middle of the intersection.

We're not sure if someone running a stop sign on 42nd, or speeding on 41st (or both) caused the accident. As you are all too aware, hese are things we've all been concerned about already.

We reported last week about another accident in this same location that happened Sunday about 2am, November 24th,  when a car hit the median on NE 41st Street and a wheel came off knocking down a large part of the fence at Talaris.

Additional information is available now about this accident. According to the police report, the driver was headed eastbound at a ‘high rate of speed’, spun around 180 degrees, took out the fence and the tires were ripped off the rims. Approximately 200 feet of skid marks were observed.

The driver, barely 21 years old, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Breathalyzer results show that the driver was likely nearly three times over the legal limit of .08 BAC. There were three other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash. No serious injuries occurred.

And in October we posted about a dog that was struck and killed by a speeding driver on NE 41st Street, another dangerous hill just one block east. We also posted comments from neighbors who live and drive through that area who are concerned about the safety of that area.

Last month, Jim Curtin, with SDOT provided analysis of the area, and concluded that SDOT needed to move forward with safety modifications, which are now in the works, depending on weather and other factors.

These include replacing faded regulatory signs at the intersection and replace the stop bars. Additionally, a new advisory sign indicating an advisory speed of 15 mph going downhill will be installed west of the Laurelhurst Park entrance and a new 30 mph speed limit sign will be posted at a location east of 48^th Avenue NE or 50^th Avenue NE for the westbound direction.

 

SDOT will also cut back vegetation in the right-of-way to improve sight lines for all who travel along the corridor. This work will occur on NE 41^st Street between 42^nd Avenue NE and 43^rd Avenue NE.

 

Seattle Police (SDP)  has started patrolling the speed limit on the NE 41^st St corridor during the afternoon.
A family that lives near the intersection said that they keep a first aid kit in the front closet to treat those injured in accidents at that intersection.

"We hope that with all these recent accidents that drivers will really slow down going up and down the hills and heed the posted street signs.  It is heartbreaking for us to hear the car screeching and sound of impact of the car accidents and then learn that more people and pets have been injured.  It just doesn't have to happen at all," a nearby neighbor told us.