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Solo crash at Interstate 5
reported by Joel Stanner
Date:
2010-08-17
Crash type:
Solo crash
Geometry:
Bike lost stability and crashed
Description:
I was the first person to come across the crash victim on the Lakeview Connector Trail. I did not witness the crash, but the location has a major hazard that is highly likely to have caused the crash. Below is my description.
Yesterday night 8/17/10 around 10:23 PM I came across a downed cyclist on the Lakeview Connector Trail that connects Lakeview Ave. E to Melrose Ave E. He was lying across the trail face down with his bike on top of him. I determined that he was breathing but he was unresponsive. I immediately called 911 and they arrived about 10 minutes later and put him on a stretcher and took him away. I have no idea who he is, or of the extent of his injuries, but I did see some blood on his face. The approximate location that I found him is N 47 37.640' W 122 19.669'. I ride past here frequently on my work commute. This is a particularly dangerous section of the trail for two reasons. The light-post which was once there to illuminate that section of trail is gone, making it quite dark when it was once well lit. There are numerous large bumps and ridges on the right (East) side of the trail at that location that are very difficult to see at night due to the missing light. It's highly likely that he was traveling from South to North on the right side of the trail when he encountered the bumps unexpectedly, causing him to crash. The approach to this spot in the South to North direction is downhill and bending slightly right and can encourage high rates of speed. A rider unfamiliar with this section of the trail would not know that the lights were out ahead due to the bend in the trail, and also would not know that the right (East) side of the trail is un-ridable due to the bumps and ridges. We can only assume this rider was unfamiliar with this extreme safety hazard and rode into the unlit section much faster than he should have. Add note to this report
Factors & Lessons
Factor:
Road quality poor
Factor:
Dark
Factor:
Trail Light Missing
Factor:
Blind Downhill Turn
Explanation:
Cyclist's speed is unknown, but likely a factor due to the approach to the hazard being downhill.
Lesson:
Keep speed down on unlit sections of bike trails
Lesson:
Use a bright light to illuminate unlit trails
Explanation:
This hazard is almost unavoidable if you are not familiar with this section of the trail. The rest of the trail is lit, but it's at the bottom of the hill around a blind corner in a very dark area.
Conditions
Weather:
Clear
Lighting:
Night
Visibility:
Poor
Using bike lights:
Yes
Wearing helmet:
Yes
Road conditions:
Dry
Traffic:
Light
Additional conditions description:
aprox. 65 deg, light wind
Cyclist
Cyclist age:
30
Cyclist gender:
M
Cyclist experience:
Intermediate
Bicycle type:
Road
Injuries:
Serious
Injury description:
Rider was unresponsive but breathing. He was slightly moving a hand and foot occasionally.
Location
Location type:
Trail
Location description:
Lakeview Connector Trail
Location:
Interstate 5, Seattle, WA 98102, USA
Lat/Lng:
47.6274075088138, -122.327753305435
Crash ID:
431
Additional notes
+ (Anon.) Fixed! Thanks, SDOT!
Hope they replace the light soon as well. |
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