Spokane7
59°
November 23, 2011
Pedestrian dies after being hit by semi
A semi-truck that hit and killed a pedestrian this morning in Spokane has been stopped in Wenatchee, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The semi-truck hit a pedestrian at 2nd and Thor just before 6 this morning. The pedestrian, who has not been identified, died from his injuries, KHQ reported.
Spokane police say they’re not sure if the driver knew he hit someone.
Motorists are urged to avoid that area as intersections are blocked off while the investigation continues.
Ed Byrnes on November 23 at 7:43 a.m.
Semi truck drivers are supposed to be professionals. I hope this offender is found quickly and held fully accountable for this homicide.
Ed
jddavis on November 23 at 8:14 a.m.
Ed—Check the article again; the driver may not have known it even happened. Not enough details as of yet…
JayNW on November 23 at 8:47 a.m.
KHQ just reported the driver has been located/stopped in Wenatchee
Ed Byrnes on November 23 at 8:56 a.m.
jdavis, a professional driver not knowing that they hit a pedestrian? That is negligence at best.
terrymr on November 23 at 9:03 a.m.
Not knowing that you hit a pedestrian doesn’t seem to work as a defense for anybody else.
D Statler on November 23 at 9:07 a.m.
How do you get ran over by a semi truck at 2nd and Thor ? Sounds alittle fishy to me.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on November 23 at 9:13 a.m.
^ clearly it’s a conspiracy by the feds, under control of the UN. No other explanation makes sense.
IHike4Fun on November 23 at 9:24 a.m.
Ed,
Big truck weighing close to 40 tons with lots of engine noise driving in the dark hits a pedestrian weighing maybe less than 200 pounds who might have had dark clothing. It seems to me that given the right conditions the driver might not have known he hit anyone.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on November 23 at 9:42 a.m.
I know someone who was a passenger in a Jeep Cherokee when the driver backed into another car. Neither my friend nor the driver had any idea it had happened. They couldn’t figure out why the driver behind them followed them all the way home, honking furiously until they realized a piece of his bumper was hanging off the back of their car. If a Jeep Cherokee vs. a small car can do that, then a semi vs. a man could easily go the same way. Doesn’t make it OK, just makes it believable.
jddavis on November 23 at 9:55 a.m.
Ed—one scenario could be the truck was turning and the trailer hit the victim. It was dark, and the driver wouldn’t be able to detect the accident unless he/she could see it in the mirror.
Not enough facts…but I believe very possible.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on November 23 at 10:00 a.m.
I spend about a third of the year on the road driving, sorry to say, but semi truck drivers are the WORST drivers on the road. 95% of them think that because they have a HUGE truck they can do whatever they want from driving 85 mph down the freeway passing everyone to just pulling out and cutting you off…..they don’t care about you because nothing will happen to them in their big truck.
Ed Byrnes on November 23 at 10:50 a.m.
So am I no longer responsible to be in control of my vehicle at all times and to be aware of the environment I am driving in since pedestrians are at fault, even if they die when I am supposed to be in control of my vehicle?
The only possible mitigating factor I can see in this case is if the pedestrian was acutely intoxicated.
Ed
deerbandit on November 23 at 11:00 a.m.
Ed dont be an idiot making a conclusion before any of the facts are known. If the person stepped off the sidewalk as the vehicle was turning and the trailer hit him, how is the driver responsible for that. Do you ever drive behind those big rigs and see the signs on the trailers that say, if you cant see my mirrors I cant see you. Come on, I guess you will blame Bush next also!
SpokoJoeSho_1 on November 23 at 11:09 a.m.
Finally something new for Tim Durkin to work on!
jddavis on November 23 at 11:12 a.m.
From the KHQ site:
“Witnesses tell authorities the pedestrian killed was acting strangely and has been darting in and out of traffic earlier, before getting hit.”
Hmmm…more details.
UvulaCrusher on November 23 at 11:36 a.m.
I’m glad to see there are at least a few people willing to wait for some facts to come in…I know that the rest are all-knowing individuals as they sit behind their computer…..not thinking about how dark it was etc…no mitigating factors…..and I for one, consider truckers to be the MOST CONSIDERATE drivers on the road…..they are the ones that people don’t let in…..yet they are the ones that get cut off…..they are also the 1st to stop and help out…..and the first on a lot of chilling accidents offering comfort or calling for help….I imagine there is a trucker up I-90 that didn’t have a clue why a trooper pulled him over, and was probably ready to defend his speed…..only to learn he’d been involved in an accident…..sad
EthicsinLE on November 23 at 11:47 a.m.
It is very easy to hit something in a semi and not realize it. I’ve investigated many semi related collisions where the driver had no idea. I’ve seen them hit objects and given the size of their truck, limited view and noise, they just don’t know. We don’t even know what portion of the semi struck the pedestrian, so no conclusions can be made. Semi drivers are heavily regulated and inspected. They have to undergo medical exams to get the medical card in order to drive, maintain a log book of hours driven and rested, have their truck weighed and inspected at ports of entry, they can have no alcohol (the .08 BAC does not apply to truck drivers) and so on. I’m sure this driver felt horrible when he found out he hit someone.
force_vector on November 23 at 11:58 a.m.
Why are some people so quick to assume the worst about others? Accidents happen, sometimes without negligence. Give people a break until you have sufficient facts to do otherwise.
ManleyPointer on November 23 at 2:51 p.m.
one, you can’t lump chip-truck drivers in with other truck drivers, or invoke chip-truck driver behavior as being somehow representative of truck drivers as a population. The vast majority of truck drivers are excellent drivers and thoroughly decent human beings; chip-truck drivers, on the other hand, are Spawn of Satan. They should have their mouths stuffed with garlic and wooden stakes driven through their diseased, malignant hearts, then be buried at a crossroads by the light of a full moon.
ManleyPointer on November 23 at 2:51 p.m.
In unmarked graves.
Al_Loysius on November 23 at 3:52 p.m.
SR has not updated this article since 8 am. Radio has been reporting for 10 hours that the trucks they stopped in Wenatchee were not involved. Plus, reports that the victim was acting strangely, plus, reports that the cops are checking the red light cameras for info.
At least those darn cameras have some use besides making money for the City.
catfuzz on November 23 at 4:27 p.m.
Gawd, the news reporting really sucks in this town. The latest is the driver stopped in Wenatchee is NOT the one responsible. People need to stop their arm-chair quarterbacking here. I’d be willing to bet that everyone already condemning the driver have never driven anything larger than a Geo Metro. Also, the story states that witnesses say the pedestrian killed was acting erratically before the incident. Let’s not pass judgement before all the facts are in. Fact: Trucks are far larger than cars. Fact: it was dark, rainy and visibility was severely limited. Fact: witnesses report erratic behavior by the victim. Every sign points to this being a tragic accident that was NOT the fault of the driver.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on November 23 at 5:38 p.m.
1111, really? Do you spend as much time on the road as I do? Or are you a trucker and just offended by the truth? Sorry, I stand by my statement, and I think you will find a few state patrol officers agreeing with me also.
kdicog on November 23 at 6:11 p.m.
Hey Liberal, i have driven over 35000 miles a year for the last 7 years in the Inland Northwest, mostly on highways and have had to deal with numbers truckers. i would say less than 1% act they way you describe. My guess is you are the type of driver who cuts them off and acts like it was their fault! I know since you are a liberal. anyone who disagrees with you is automatically wrong but I’ll take the risk!
catfuzz on November 23 at 6:56 p.m.
Liberal, you don’t have a clue. It is a fact that commercial truckers are the safest drivers on the road, as a group. 85% of wrecks involving truckers were caused by a non-commercial driver. Trucks can’t accelerate like your Prius can so sometimes they have to pull out into traffic. Use your brakes or change lanes. It’s that simple. As far as I’m concerned, truckers have more right to the roads than I do. They transport EVERYTHING you have. They pay through the nose in taxes and fees to maintain the roads. If you got it, a trucker brought it. It’s that simple. Get off your high horse and catch a clue.
reservedparking on November 23 at 7:41 p.m.
A semi-truck that hit and killed a pedestrian this morning in Spokane has been stopped in Wenatchee
No! That truck was exonerated as soon as they checked his logbook. How about ‘A potential suspect vehicle’, or plug in a ‘possible’, or an ‘alleged’. C’mon S-R, you CAN do better than this!
Ed Byrnes on November 27 at 1:49 p.m.
Interesting…the semi was located here in Spokane four days later…and no more speculation from anyone about the pedestrian…at least the driver and incident can be investigated as thoroughly as possible after the passage of time…
deerbandit please refrain from name calling. Look through as many of my posts as you wish and you will not see me doing as you did.
Ed Byrnes on November 27 at 1:50 p.m.
Here’s the link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45416345/ns/local_news-spokane_wa/