3 people hit by car on SR-7 near Parkland
PARKLAND, Wash. -- Three people were struck by a car and seriously injured as they crossed State Route 7 south of Parkland on Saturday evening.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill said the pedestrians were in a crosswalk when they were hit about 6:30 p.m. at the intersection with 134th Street.
All three people were taken to Tacoma General Hospital but their current conditions were not known.
Gill said the driver stopped at the scene and told troopers he did not see the people in the crosswalk.
All three pedestrians were wearing dark clothing, Gill said, and the crosswalk does not have lights or other controlling signals.
Gill said the driver was not arrested or cited, but the full investigation will take some time.
Troopers shut down the southbound lanes of SR-7 while they collected evidence.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Guy Gill said the pedestrians were in a crosswalk when they were hit about 6:30 p.m. at the intersection with 134th Street.
All three people were taken to Tacoma General Hospital but their current conditions were not known.
Gill said the driver stopped at the scene and told troopers he did not see the people in the crosswalk.
All three pedestrians were wearing dark clothing, Gill said, and the crosswalk does not have lights or other controlling signals.
Gill said the driver was not arrested or cited, but the full investigation will take some time.
Troopers shut down the southbound lanes of SR-7 while they collected evidence.
When a pedestrian is crossing in a marked crosswalk they have a feeling they should be safe, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY...when it is dark and roads seem wet and dreary I think drivers should WATCH for people in crosswalks! I am sure it was traumatic for the driver but my friend and her son are in much more pain  than the driver who hit them and got to go home!
I know this spot well. When it is dark out and the roads are wet it is almost impossible to see people trying to cross the road, especially if they were wearing black clothing. Hopefully everyone will be ok, including the driver.
Sorry to hear about this accident. Whenever there is a pedestrian vs car the car wins everytime. That being said the pedestrian has the responsibility to ensure it's safe to cross. Wearing dark clothing when it's dark doesn't help the driver see the pedestrian. I almost ran over 2 girls crossing 48th st from the mall to catch a bus. They were crossing while I had the green light. They were still crossing wearing dark clothing just after 6 am. If I didn't have a newer car with great brakes they would have been a hood ornament.
Every single day I see stupid people walking, jogging and on bicycles thinking they are M-1 tanks. And every day I pray I don't hit some idiot in dark clothing in the early hours on my way to work or when I come home. Even people walking their dog in the dark seem to think WE HAVE SUPER VISION. I am sadden by the people hit but I am not one bit surprised. A NEW LAW SHOULD BE ENNACTED REQUIRING FLASH LIGHTS AND REFLECTIVE CLOTHING.Â
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I am sorry for ALL the decent drivers and not so sorry for the people who just step onto the street thinking they are made of steel.
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 @Socialjusticeforall Thanks , that happens to be my Family . Watch what you write on the internet .Â
These are my friends and they are not idiots! A mom and her 15 year old son and his friend...I assure you they did not jusy step into the road!
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First, unlit crosswalks are deathtraps. Second, if i was the pedestrian, there is no way i'm trusting that 5000lb vehicle on a busy street will for sure come to a stop for me. Yes, motorists should pay attention but ultimately it's a question of who has more to lose. Life or a ticket. Â
While a large part of the responsibility needs to go to the driver the question is did the pedestrians step off the curb at the last moment in to the path of the driver?? I was a driver in that area some time ago and quite after one to many near misses that were the pedestrians fault. If you are in the cross walk you do have the right a way if the car can reasonably stop. Just because you are in the crosswalk you do not just get to trot out in to the street without looking. The last straw for me was a woman walking backwards talking on a cell phone looking at the moon over the horizon while she crossed the street. I clipped her with the mirror. People need to walk up and become responsible for themselves. In this case the details are just not there yet to tell who is more at fault but, at least the driver did take enough reasonability to stop and get help for these people.
people in local greater seattle area loves wearing dark
add rain and light glares from on coming cars.....it's really impossible to seeÂ
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Wear brighter clothing, or at least a reflective material whenever walking on any street at night.
the cross walk does not have lights or a controlled signal . humm maybe pierce county needs to add some of that construction work granted by our x gov  to Spanaways - Parklands area SASP! HWY 7 from Roy Y is littered with death marking. cross's all a long to 357th. a very depressing drive. not what i like to see on my trip to MT RAINER.
 @maggie112 Those crosses are not there for pedestrians who crossed the road, they are for car wrecks where people were killed, mostly by a drunk driver.
 @maggie112Â
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AMEN!!!!
this happened by me...  this just happened last week as well... it is very unsafe to use cross walks down pacific ave. , especially at night.. ive seen so many  close calls b/c of careless drivers... 90% of time people dont even stop for  pedestrians at cross walks on pacific ave...  also a lot of j walkers on pacific ave as well.. this needs brought up to the county as to how to make walking on pacific much safer..  lights at ALL cross walks on pafic ave would be a great start..
How horrible for the driver! Â Peds that step out into the path of traffic under the assumption it will stop for them are not very bright -- doing it in the dark dressed in dark clothing is just plain stupid.
 @NWNativeÂ
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YES THE POOR DRIVER ... how terrible that she doesn't have bodily injuries or even worse... who said they step out in front of her?? cross walk MEANS YOU STOP FOR pedestrians .. why do people think they own the road while driving?  people need to pay attention when they drive..
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 @dirtboy068  @NWNative It says that they were wearing dark clothing, and given that area doesn't have a whole lot of lights it is reasonable to assume that the people crossing could not be seen by the driver. I've driven that area many times and have had a few close calls thanks to people who think that you can see black clothing at night, or think that it's perfectly fine to cross Pac Ave a few hundred feet away from the actual crosswalk. They should have lights there letting drivers know about those wishing to cross, but it's also up to the peds to pay attention and not assume that drivers can see them!
agreed.. but  its also up drivers to pay attention to cross walks
@dirtboy068 @NWNative    Â
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Crosswalks means watch before you cross. People are not M-1 tanks and they will always loose against metal.  We need a new law that requires flashing lights on the person and bright clothing if crossing where street lights are not available to the driver to see.  I feel sorry for the driver.  Â
 @dirtboy068 That goes as well for pedestrians, they need to be alert, I do not walk out in front of cars on a busy road just because I'm in a cross-walk and have the right away, pedestrians need to look, it is their responsibility to keep themselves safe, no matter if you are in a crosswalk or not, they need to take some responsibility as well.
 @dirtboy068 If you are talking to me, I beg your pardon, where did I even remotely suggest it was automatically someones own fault for getting hit? so you don't think pedestrians have to watch out for themselves?, take any responsibility for their own safety when crossing a busy street?, just because they have the right to walk, they need not pay any attention when crossing a busy street?
i agree 100%.. BUT TO SAY IT IS AUTOMATICALLY somones own fault for getting hit is naive..Â
At least the driver stopped and didn't drive away. People need to wear some sort of reflective clothing when walking around at night. Better to be safe than sorry!
 @PrairieDawnÂ
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or people need to pat attention when they drive..
 @dirtboy068 How do you know in this instance the driver wasn't paying attention? This area is notoriously underlit, the pedestrians were wearing dark clothing, and there was no crosswalk lights warning that there were people crossing the road.
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As someone who is very familiar with this area, disasters like this are just waiting to happen. I live right off of Pacific Ave and there is a crosswalk that crosses Pacific Ave right next to my street. When it is dark out and I am trying to turn off of my road onto Pacific if there is someone is that crosswalk right there, they are invisible unless they are wearing bright clothing and are illuminated by headlights. They could be right in front of your face and you wouldn't see them.
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So before you start jumping to conclusions that the driver wasn't paying attention, take into consideration all the facts. The pedestrians should have been paying attention when they tried to cross an extremely busy road, in the dark, in black clothing. I swear, some people just lack common sense!
@dirtboy068 @PrairieDawn Â
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It is difficult to anticipate moves by stupid people who think they are made of steel.  Â
@dirtboy068 @PrairieDawn how about people take responsibility for their own safety rather than rely on someone else to see them.