Shortly after 1 a.m today a car smashed through the barrier blocking access to the closed 15th Avenue Northeast bridge, Seattle Police report.
The vehicle proceeded through the barrier and traveled approximately 200 feet before striking a parked construction truck and bridging equipment. The driver, a man in his 20′s was pinned in the vehicle and unconscious as officers and fire personnel arrived.
Firefighters cut the roof off the car and medics took the driver to Harborview Medical Center. “The driver had an odor of alcohol on his person so a DUI officer responded to Harborview Medical Center to process him,” according to police.
The bridging equipment referred to is very likely the device installed to do the final paving, which spans the roadway and is mounted on rails which are temporarily mounted on the the sidewalks on either side. It’s basically a truss floating about 4 feet about the surface . No wonder the resucue crews had to remove the roof of his car had he been walking, he might well have slipped on the icy surface, but the bridge was passable
The roadway itself has been scoured and seems to be awaiting a spell of warm dry weather for final paving.
I think the driver caught himself. Lucky he isn’t dead, when will people learn?
Darn. *I* wanted to be the first one across the bridge! (jk)
Hopefully this won’t put the bridge opening behind schedule! Glad they caught the drunk driver too!