Valley Fire responds to four incidents of pedestrians hit by autos

Spokane Valley Fire Department crews responded to a record four auto-pedestrian accidents between Dec. 22 and Wednesday, three of them on Sprague Avenue.

The most serious of the four left a 15-year-old boy unconscious in the road near the intersection of Idaho and Kildea roads at 9:54 p.m. on Dec. 31. “Witnesses said he was standing in the road like he was playing chicken (with the car),” said assistant fire marshal Bill Clifford.

A 19-year-old was hit by a car at Argonne Road and Sprague Avenue at 6:59 a.m. on Dec. 22. He was taken to the hospital after complaining of back and neck pain.

Two people were hit on Dec. 23 as they tried to cross Sprague Avenue. A man in the 10700 block of East Sprague Avenue was hit at 1:48 p.m. He rolled off the car and hit the pavement, but refused transport to the hospital, Clifford said. Just after 9:30 p.m. a man in the 11200 block of East Sprague Avenue was hit. Witnesses said he was stumbling before he was hit and firefighters reported that he had alcohol on his breath, Clifford said. He was not seriously injured.

The four accidents are included in the 39 accidents the department responded to during the two-week period. The most serious was a woman who was ejected from her car when it rolled in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 at the Broadway exit at 1:02 a.m. on Jan. 1. The woman was unresponsive when crews arrived, Clifford said. “She was evaluated very quickly and transported,” he said. “It was a very intense call.”

A Washington State Patrol press release said 36-year-old Melissa R. Richardson, of Spokane, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the accident, according to the press release. She was not wearing a seat belt.

There were several small fires reported to the department during the two weeks. A grease fire was reported in the 24900 block of East Joseph Avenue on Dec. 29. A wall heater started a fire in a triplex in the 12200 block of East Main Avenue on Dec. 31, causing $15,000 in damage. Improper wiring caused a small shed fire in the 1300 block of South Raymond Road on Monday.

A fire was reported in the 5100 block of North Tiara Court at 9:10 p.m. on Monday. “We had somebody that thought it would be OK to set their Christmas tree on fire,” Clifford said. “At least they did it outside. I’ll give them that much, but it’s still illegal.”

Crews also responded to a bonfire on New Year’s Eve and three brush fires.

Firefighters responded to a call of an infant left inside a car in the parking lot of the Albertsons on 32nd Avenue at 1:51 a.m. on Sunday. Crews called the police, Clifford said. The 457 calls also included one for a child accidentally locked in a car.

Firefighters apparently got a bit of a chuckle on Dec. 29 when they were called twice to rescue people from the bathroom of Starbucks at Sprague and Pines Road. The door was apparently malfunctioning, Clifford said. “Once they were inside the bathroom they were unable to get out again,” Clifford said. “We were able to pass a tool under the door that they were able to use to get out.”