Seattle Police said that a pedestrian was hit and killed by a bus in the Queen Anne neighborhood Thursday afternoon. The accident happened around 2:00 p.m. at the intersection of Mercer St. and Queen Anne Ave. and officials had to reroute traffic in the area.
No other injuries were reported.
This tragic accident is yet another reminder of the growing risk to pedestrians in the city of Seattle.
Rainier Valley Residents Worry Over Pedestrian Safety
In Rainier Valley, pedestrian accidents are putting residents on high alert.
After a tragic hit-and-run accident involving a pedestrian in October, residents are urging city officials to pay closer attention to their neighborhood.
The deadly October crash was one of 13 fatal incidents involving pedestrians in the city of Seattle this year alone and according to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), most of these accidents are happening in the same district.
Pedestrian Deaths On The Rise
According to local news outlets, the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways estimates that there have been 60 pedestrian accidents in Rainier Valley in the last five years and that 28 happened at the intersection of Rainier and Walden.
Residents of Council District 2, which includes Rainier Valley, told local reporters that poor lightning and confusion caused by recent construction projects have helped to make the area more dangerous to pedestrians.
Despite the increase in deadly traffic accidents, SDOT continues to implement its Vision Zero program, which hopes to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. As part of this effort, traffic officials updated and made improvements to the sidewalk and curb ramps in the Rainier and Walden intersection. They hope that the changes will help to prevent further accidents, keeping pedestrians safe.
For more on the Queen Anne neighborhood accident, follow this link. To learn more about the Rainier Valley residents’ concerns regarding pedestrian safety, click here.
