Spokane7
55°
January 29, 2012 in News, City
Man hit by car at Buckeye and Wall
Pedestrian seriously injured
Nina Culver
The Spokesman-Review
Police found an unconscious and seriously injured man lying in the road shortly after 9:30 p.m. Saturday after getting a report of a car hitting a pedestrian.
Witnesses said the driver was going east and hit the man as he was crossing the intersection heading south, according to a Spokane Police Department press release. Major Crimes Collision Investigators were called to the scene.
Police arrested Spokane resident Candace L. Wilson, 30, for one count of vehicular assault. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233. Police did not release the identity of the injured man.
Recent stories by Nina Culver
Recent stories in News
Gay marriage foes: referendum has enough signatures May 30, 2012 30- 1992 murder trial begins against sex offender May 30, 2012 1
- Supermajority for taxes unconstitutional, judge rules May 30, 2012 29
- Man dies following early Saturday car crash May 30, 2012 16
- Sex trafficking suspects released as probe continues May 29, 2012 7
westerly on January 29 at 4:07 p.m.
Geeps spokane pedestrians are fair game for autos, it seems..why? One dead and one injured.
David Bray on January 29 at 4:35 p.m.
In psychology we once discussed the change in attitude when a car driver got out of his vehicle and became a pedestrian. The car driver, who was angry or upset at pedestrians who caused a problem with their inattention and attitudes, became just as angry at car drivers when they got out of their vehicles and walked around… It was almost an instantaneous change and almost always took place in minutes when their mode of transportation shifted.
That said, I personally find that way too many walkers in Spokane are inattentive, arrogant or just want to believe they ALWAYS have the right-of-way and it’s the drivers who need to get out of their way. I’ve had more people nearly end up under my wheels in Spokane than anywhere else in the country I’ve been to. I think I’m fortunate not to have run someone down.
Shelala on January 29 at 4:49 p.m.
My prayers go out for the victim and I hope they recover, but why was the driver arrested when recently a SPD cop who was texting ran over a man at a crosswalk killing him and faced nothing?
avocet on January 29 at 5:50 p.m.
“That said, I personally find that way too many walkers in Spokane are inattentive, arrogant or just want to believe they ALWAYS have the right-of-way and it’s the drivers who need to get out of their way.”
This is a direct result of the “pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections” law of the last several years. It is ludicrous. I grew up here, and it used to be that as a pedestrian, you WAITED until traffic was clear OR you went to an intersection controlled by a traffic light to cross.
It has gotten so bad that pedestrians now believe that they have the right of way REGARDLESS. They just walk out into the street against a red light, in the middle of a block, etc. Insanity!
The current laws are nonsensical and are just asking for trouble and incidents such as this. A 2-ton (plus) vehicle should have the right of way for the simple reason of physics.
For everyone’s benefit, we need to go back to the old (logical) ways where pedestrians wait for a clearing in traffic to cross, or go to a traffic light. SIMPLE.
mrd on January 29 at 5:51 p.m.
Makes one wonder, doesn’t it Shelala. I know with the poor lighting sometimes it is very hard to see a pedestrian walking across the street, especially when they wear dark clothing. Hopefully there will be more explaining this story.
AnalyzeThat on January 29 at 7:46 p.m.
Avocet hit the nail on the head - we have far too many pedestrians in this town that just step into the street and expect to be seen, especially when its dark. They need to remember that they will see a car with its headlights on coming toward them much sooner than the driver will see them crossing.
That being said, I’ve nearly been hit twice in the past month as I was crossing in a downtown crosswalk when I had the green light and walk sign.
Everyone needs be responsible for their own safety in whatever role they are in - driver or pedestrian - and watch out for the other person/car!
catfuzz on January 29 at 9:56 p.m.
It goes both ways. Pedestrians need to be responsible just as well as drivers do. They DO NOT always have the right-of-way or there would be no need for crossing signals or crosswalks. I had a guy stroll across the street just as I got a green light downtown. He just glared at me as if to dare me to do something about it. I told him they have “don’t walk” signals for a reason and all I got back was a load of profanity. And this wasn’t some homeless guy or punk kid, just an average joe.
__Dan__ on January 30 at 12:02 a.m.
The SPD news release made the statement that pedestrians always have the right-of-way. Pedestrians DO NOT always have the right-of-way (see WAC 132E-16-040 Pedestrians — Right of way.) Take a minute to look this WAC up on the State’s web site. Pay particular attention to Subsections 2 and 5. Pedestrians, note…even if you’re in the right to step out in front of a moving vehicle…you could be right, right to the grave. If you’re wearing dark clothing at night, you must assume that drivers cannot see you! Be cautious out there folks!
TK McGuinness on March 01 at 7:48 a.m.
This guy was just crossing the street at an intersection. A moment if inattentiveness on either part led to this unfortunate collision. The crime here was not who had the right of way, but rather a car driver who failed to remain at the scene. The guy is still clinging to life, barely. Does it matter if he was homeless, or a punk kid?He is a human being. He is my cousin. . Other than he and the driver, no one knows what happened. He can’t remember and the driver left the scene.