On Sunday, June 15, one of our worst fears almost came to pass on Bicycle Weekend. A 16-year-old kid riding an electric motorcycle on Lake Washington Boulevard was forcefully hit by a car from behind. The motorcycle rider was approaching Lake Park Drive S from the north, having stopped for a vehicle in front of him who was, in turn, yielding to a pedestrian crossing the boulevard. The initial collision threw the kid off his bike. Immediately after, the driver of the car proceeded to crash into the jettisoned motorcycle, crushing it — seemingly on purpose.
The driver sped up, turned south on Lake Park Drive S, out of sight, with a shower of sparks coming from the bike trapped under its front bumper. The driver never came back to check on the motorcycle rider, instead pulling off on Mount Baker Boulevard where they pulled the crushed cycle out from under their car.
Their car was photographed by witnesses at that location. The car’s brand, color, and model are clear from the photos, including images showing the driver removing the cycle from under their car, dumping the bike and some of their car’s parts on the roadside.
Fortunately the kid escaped without serious injury, but the victim, their family, and witnesses (including one of the authors of this letter) were understandably shaken. How could such a lovely day on the boulevard be marred by such a senseless act of violence?
We have been a part of a coalition advocating for traffic safety improvements on Lake Washington Boulevard. This incident could have been prevented if the road had a safer design. Unfortunately, Mayor Bruce Harrell decided to remove an all-way stop sign planned at the Lake Park Drive intersection as part of the Lake Washington Boulevard safety project.
Had a stop sign been in place on Sunday – it could have been installed months ago – chances are good that the driver would have stopped and avoided colliding with the young motorcycle rider in front of him. When the planned stop sign was removed by the Harrell Administration, our primary concern was that drivers wouldn’t yield to people walking and rolling crossing Lake Washington Boulevard between Mount Baker Beach and Mount Baker Park.
This crash demonstrates that concern was justified. Hopefully the mayor will recognize his mistake and lead with safety at this intersection, rather than following a handful of uncompromising complainers who have hijacked the process, which had been originally launched to enhance safety on the boulevard for everyone.
Fortunately the worst case outcome did not occur. With the help of witnesses who pitched in, the victim compiled substantial, solid evidence. Passing this evidence over to the police and our tough-on-crime Seattle City Attorney surely means the hit-and-run driver would be held accountable.
Replacing a destroyed electric motorcycle will also be a significant cost for a teenager to bear. And the City not pursuing legal action against the hit-and-run driver will make it harder for the teen to recover damages for his totaled vehicle.
By our inexpert estimation, failure to yield, failure to exercise due caution, failure to remain at the scene of a collision, and tampering with physical evidence would all be reasonable charges to bring based on witness statements. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.
The police are asserting that this hit-and-run on a kid enjoying a day at the park is the same as any other property damage hit-and-run. An officer with the Seattle Police Department’s Traffic Collision Unit said that in the last year there were 10,000 hit-and-runs in the city, and by policy, as there were no injuries (other than skinned knees) in this incident they do not have the capacity to pursue those at fault.
The problem is that the police are treating a kid on a motorcycle getting hit by an adult driver with positive identification like a driver hitting a trash can, mail box, or parked car and then not leaving a note. We all know this is different, so why won’t the police act on it?
We understand that the police must make decisions to prioritize incidents for investigation, but we think that the blanket refusal to investigate traffic crimes unless there was a death or serious injury is a mistake. We call on the newly appointed Chief of Police Shon Barnes to take a serious look at whether this approach aligns with his desired approach to public safety. If he disagrees, he needs to step in now and issue different directives to prioritize investigating all serious traffic collisions.
In the case of egregious traffic violence with numerous witnesses and a positive identification of the vehicle, and or driver, victims deserve to have the police performing a full investigation. Imagine if a known person shot at someone and a positive ID was obtained, but the police refused to charge because the shooter missed! We’d never accept that outcome. But because the driver uses a vehicle instead of a gun, it’s just police policy to shrug. Such a policy encourages people to drive with impunity.There’s still a chance to right this wrong. We ask all of the candidates currently running for elected office in our city to raise their voices with us. Enforcement shouldn’t be the first choice for achieving traffic safety, but in the face of unrepentant acts there have to be consequences for actions.
In response to this senseless act and our experience with seeing far too many drivers ignoring the Bicycle Weekends street closure putting revelers in danger we are calling on volunteers to create a people-projected Bicycle Weekend at the Mount Baker Beach on Saturday, June 28th at 12pm. Sign up here
Jason Rock
Jason Rock is a machine learning engineer and transportation advocate who has lived in Columbia City between Rainier and MLK Way with his wife for more than two years. He is an active member and organizer with Rainier Valley Greenways and Safe Streets.
Terry Holme
Terry Holme is a member of Rainier Valley Greenways & Safe Streets. Now retired, Terry has lived in Mount Baker for 35 years, dedicating his volunteer time to Seattle Parks and Recreation serving in numerous capacities. He is committed to seeing the Lake Washington Boulevard waterfront parkland enhanced and conserved, now and into the future.