On January 12th at approximately 7:43 a.m., an 81-year-old woman driving a Saturn was traveling southbound on California Avenue SW, approaching SW Dakota Street. At the same time, a 53-year-old female was crossing westbound in the marked crosswalk at SW Dakota Street. The driver did not stop and the pedestrian was struck by the Saturn. The pedestrian suffered head and leg injuries.
Seattle Fire Medics transported the injured pedestrian to Harborview Medical Center for emergency care. Traffic Collision Investigation detectives responded to the scene to investigate.
A Drug Recognition Expert officer determined that the driver was not impaired by alcohol or drugs. She was interviewed and released at the scene to a relative. Detectives are continuing their investigation. At this early stage, it does appear that the driver’s failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk may have been a contributing factor.