Seattle, Washington – Pedestrian Dies After Getting Run Over on Aurora Avenue

Seattle, Washington(August 13, 2019) – A pedestrian was killed after getting run over by a van on Aurora Avenue near the intersection with North 85th Street. The victim, a 56 year-old woman, was found dead on the scene. The driver of the van was not reported to be injured and was also determined to not have been impaired at the time of the accident.

Crews responded to the scene around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday night. The victim was trapped under the vehicle and had to be extricated by response crews. According to preliminary investigation, the van was southbound when the vehicle struck the pedestrian, who was crossing the street mid-block. The accident caused all southbound lanes at North 85th Street and all northbound lanes at North 83rd Street to be closed for a few hours.

About Pedestrian Accidents

Unfortunately, as shown in this case, pedestrians are at also risk while on the streets, with the National Center for Health Statistics estimating 7, 450  pedestrian deaths in 2017. Pedestrian accidents can fall under traffic or non-traffic depending on the location where they were struck. Traffic incidents happen on public roads, while non-traffic incidents occur on non-traffic areas such as driveways, parking lots and other private property. Most pedestrian deaths occur in urban settings, on urban roads (72%) versus on intersections (18%), and mostly at night. Much like motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents can happen simply because people are not as visible as other vehicles, a problem which is worse during night. And in an event of a car crash, similar to motorcycle drivers and passengers, the risk to pedestrians are greater than those inside a car, with fatality rate being 1.5 times greater than any car passenger.When it comes to risk, older adults, children, and alcohol-impaired drivers or pedestrians are at most risk in pedestrian accidents. The risk is further heightened in a situation where a vehicle is at high speed. Lately, distractions also cause accidents not only for drivers, but also pedestrians, specifically those who are using their phones while crossing the road. We urge everyone to exercise area awareness at all times and to keep their attention on the road. Avoiding accidents not only prevents loss, damage, injuries and death to one’s self, but also on other people in the surroundings.

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