Two hit-and-run accidents leave trail of damage

Geeky Swedes Ballard

Two separate hit-and-run accidents in Ballard this weekend left a trail of damage of five parked cars, trees, a fence and a front yard.

The latest accident happened at 9 p.m. on Saturday night. A car traveling westbound on 65th St. bounced off one parked car and collided with another, pushing it into two more parked cars. A homeowner quickly called police, and she tells us she heard the heavily-damaged car drive a few block away.

“Several residents were awoken to the sound of a blue Toyota Tacoma pickup with severe front end damage, riding on its front rims, careening down 14th Ave NW, followed by numerous cars who had apparently witnessed this truck being involved in a hit and run accident,” explains My Ballard reader Joseph. The car was abandoned on 61st near 14th, and witnesses tell us that the driver was able to escape. Several trees and a planter were damaged.

In a separate incident Friday after 11 p.m., “The driver of a black truck smashed into my neighbors car and drove into the other neighbors yard,” said Saffa in an email. “Then accelerated after the impact and drove through the other side of the fence, demolishing their yard.” Saffa says the driver escaped, but police found a license plate that fell off the vehicle at the scene.

“Those of us who live on NW 85th see this type of thing all summer long as Golden Gardens closes at 11 pm and people who have been drinking get behind the wheel and drive,” Saffa explains. (Thanks Saffa and Joseph for the photos.)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

19 thoughts to “Two hit-and-run accidents leave trail of damage”

  2. FYI: most if not all of the destruction of signage and foliage that occurred along 14th Ave NW and NW 60th St on Saturday night was inflicted by the hands of vandals after midnight, not by the stolen car incident at 9pm as reported here. I approached the scene by bicycle around 1:15 am and it was clear that the damage had been inflicted only minutes before as the street was still completely impassable from debris. Proceeding north along 14th Ave NW from NW Market, a stop-sign had been uprooted at the southwest corner of NW 57th St. A recently planted tree in the median adjacent from the glass blowing studio at NW 58th St. had been uprooted and completely blocked the northbound lane of 14th Ave NW. A real estate sign from the east side of 14th Ave NW had been uprooted and tossed in the street. Between NW 58th and NW 59th St. many large sections of overhead tree branches had been pulled down and completely blocked the northbound lane of 14th Ave NW. A few dozen plantings from the large concrete planters located in the median at NW 60th St had been uprooted and tossed randomly in the intersection, completely blocking 14th Ave NW in both directions. Heading east along NW 60th St for two blocks, several more recently planted trees on the north side of the street had been pulled down and snapped at the base. At this point the damage ceased. I backtracked and cleared 14th Ave NW of debris, replanted the one intact tree at NW 58th St, and returned all the intact plantings to their concrete planters at NW 60th St. This took about 20 minutes. Eventually a woman in an SUV stopped and called SPD. I waited another 15 minutes but the police failed to show. This damage was clearly inflicted by hand, piece-by-piece, most likely by a group of drunk people walking home together from the bars in downtown Ballard. I feel bad for the residents and homeowners who had to deal with this mess on Sunday morning. It takes time and money to plant trees, and Ballard can certainly use a few. Jerks!

  6. last night (sunday) around 9ish pm. i saw a guy running fast and every sing and trash can he came across he pushed over! i seemed drunk but who knows some people just have problems and dont respect some peoples home town! i tried to fallow him but he was running fast and i got stoped at a light. watch for these people! they need a “good talking to!”

  7. nordic35, You said “i seemed drunk” and then you say you tried to “fallow” him but got “stoped” at a light.
    Even if there is a jerk knocking over trash cans, you’re guilty of DUI and apparently PUI or PWS (Posting Under the Influence or Posting Without Spellcheck). Next time call the cops if you see someone vandalizing the neighborhood, especially if they’re knocking over singers. We may not agree with caroling out of season, but that’s no reason to accost every singer you come across.

  9. My car has been hit and run twice in the past year in my neighborhood…I am sorry this happened to you guys. All I can say is if anyone sees, hears anything, let people know, it really does help dealing w/ the insurance. I was able to locate the person/car that hit the second time and gave pictures to the insurance company to follow up on…and they are. Between the blight in yards/lots and people in general not having any regard for the property of others, my patience for this community is really being tested.

  11. Cars on our street were vandalized the previous weekend. These kids must come here knowing there is zero police presence in this part of Ballard.

  12. It’s OK! the drivers were trying to hit bicyclists!.

    Yes, pulling out shrubbery and signage sounds like something 20 somethings would do walking home after closing time. Duh! Are you kidding me? Seems more like drunk high schoolers out to no good. But of course the teens wouldn’t be any Ballard teens as they are upstanding young citizens and it had to have been 20 somethings or teens from OTHER areas. I loves me that Ballard denial.

  13. Really weird the mods took down my comment mentioning the last time this happened in Ballard. Remember that kid who killed two other people and maimed a girl? Oh he killed himself too.

    You think that tragedy could have been avoided if vocal neighbors had called attention to it?

    I can’t believe the mods took my comment down. Will they admit doing so when this driver kills 3 people in 6 months?

    Shame on you. Get out of the blog business if you’re going to police like zealots. Trust me. Or don’t, I don’t care, but your little corner of the ethos will be abandoned if you keep up with the heavy hand. Or it’ll be frequented by mindless twats trying to silence any other voice that counters their style while they slam the report button.

    Have fun being a grade school crossing guard!

  14. BdonkaDINK, I was hoping to get a slight chuckle out of that comment and not have it come off as an attack. I guess that didn’t work so well. I don’t know the poster personally, but it seemed to be more the mistakes of the lazy typer than the non native speaker.

    inkspittle, Ah yes, I am an arse. You are a fine upstanding member of the community who would never resort to demeaning comments when someone’s humor doesn’t come off well.

    anonymous name, I know, I know, the irony of commenting about your manners in the same post I’m defending myself against similar accusations of a lack of civility, but let’s put that aside for a moment. First, you don’t even have a name, name. I don’t mean that you have to post under your real name, but you haven’t even bothered to take the minimal step of creating a recurring identity.
    Your comment about the young man who died recently wasn’t in the nicest of tones, so don’t be surprised that it was removed. The parents, friends, and family of the deceased are regular readers here so if you’re going to make a point using recent incidents, please do so with a little more tact.
    Your current rant will also probably be deleted for using profanity, so then you can come back and try again. When you do, create an ID and use a little more sensitivity and we’ll be more likely to read your comment and maybe even agree with it. You do make a good point about letting people get away with these sorts of things leading to an escalation of the consequences. You just need to state it better and not make enemies of your audience before you get to your point.

  16. inkspit, I never said I was important. You do seem to be obsessed with other people’s level of importance though. You say I have an inferiority complex and then tell me I’m not important.

  17. Yeah, suck an egg. I’m the “name” you refer to and really, get over yourself. I’ll say whatever the f@ck I want. This is America afterall.

    I couldn’t care less about the feelings of a family who let their son drive around drunk with a car full of people less than 6 weeks after his lst arest.

    Think twice before coming at me. A lot, a lot, of people in this town feel likewise. You know, like a lot of the family of everyone else killed or maimed…

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