A car heading southbound on 8th Ave. NW dislodged a manhole cover this evening, triggering an unusual accident that sent the driver to the hospital.
Bystanders tell us the car drove over the manhole cover in the middle of the intersection at 8th Ave. and 65th St. just before 7 p.m. The cover came loose, flipping up under the car, and the vehicle ended up on the sidewalk a few feet away, pointed in the opposite direction. The driver suffered minor injuries in the accident, and he was taken to the hospital for evaluation. The bottom of the car, from our vantage point, suffered significant damage.
The manhole cover shot down the street another 100 feet, coming to rest near a parked car. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anyone.
A sign advertising a pancake breakfast was placed over the empty manhole, along with some cones, to prevent other drivers from hitting it. No word on what caused the manhole cover to come loose.
Car hits manhole cover and spins out of control
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
We saw city workers in that area the other day. It looks like someone didn’t put the cover back right!
i would like to thank the citizens that got out and put the pancake sign over the *hole* in the street. it was another accident waiting to happen. kudos to their thinking and fast reaction.
That’s a ‘Person Hole’ not a man hole!
No…I’m pretty sure that’s a man hole.
I drove over than manhole around 5pm, it made a noise as I went over it- like clunk-clunk!
This is a lawsuit against the city that practically wrote itself!
Rob3rt: I get the feeling your comment above will be used against the city!
Alonzo Neighbor: ditto!
That manhole has been clunking around for at least a few weeks! As soon as I saw this headline, I knew where the location was.
Darn the luck. Now the city will have to send out that big truck with 6 guys to “fix this”. No doubt some over-time coming here. Meanwhile that intersection, along with dozens more, have signals from the 70’s or earlier. Talk about us being a “progressive” city. Whatever. Bet that person didn’t realize it WAS time for a new car!
FABULOUS quick-thinking by local pancake-savvy citizens. Sorry about the car, but cool manhole cover – would make some great garden art. Can I have it, now that it is no longer ‘in use’?
This is not a surprise I walk by pretty much every day west side of 8th going south and this
cover has been clunking for months mostly worst for the east bound traffic on 65th.
So glad it didn’t hit a person walking by!!!
Neoconxii – it is not neccessarily a lawsuit waiting to happen. Similar thing happened to me about 15 years ago at the Market and 22nd intersection. I wasn’t injured but the frame of my car was bent out of shape. The city was very responsive and compensated me promtly for my loss.
Good thing over the past few weeks those who noticed it too the time to be good citizens and call the City so they could fix it before something bad happened…oh wait….HOW many of you didn’t take the time?? Also, I guess its a good thing it was round!
took..sorry.
It never would have occurred to me that there was a problem with the cover just because it clunked. It really isn’t uncommon.
To: Mrs. Murphey,
I am glad to hear the city stepped up and compensated you and am glad you were not injured.