Boy hit by a car is reminder to focus on safety
Published 10:07 pm Sunday, January 10, 2010
An accident in which a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured after being hit by a car, possibly while jaywalking, last week brings up the need for caution by drivers and pedestrians, a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant says.
The boy was struck about 7 a.m. Thursday on Beverly Park near the Mukilteo Speedway. The boy remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Students continue to go to school in near darkness in the morning and sometimes come home late in the afternoon, also a time of limited visibility, said Lt. Rodney Rochon of the Sheriff’s Office traffic division.
Also, he’s seen many drivers recently operating vehicles with burned-out headlights.
“During this time of year it is very important that drivers make sure their vehicle are properly maintained and they drive at a safe speed for the conditions,” Rochon said.
Pedestrians bear responsibility for their own safety as well, he said. Wearing light or reflective clothing is a good idea, along with simply paying attention to traffic.
He cited talking on a cell phone or sending text messages as examples, “which can lead to a serious hazard such as walking into traffic because the person is not looking or paying attention.”
Q&A
Cheryl Redenius of Arlington writes: I live near Smokey Point, and have dealt with the construction on and around the bridge across I-5 at 172nd Street NE for quite some time.
After months of realigning the roadway to the left and right to accommodate the construction crews, the roadway is terribly patched and pocked. And worse, the lines have been redone so many times that at night (especially when the roadway is wet) you cannot possibly see which set of lines are the correct ones for your lane of travel. It’s gotten so bad I fear there will be a collision.
Can you tell me, will the road ever be smoothed out and will the lanes have good delineation and reflectors again? When might that be a reality? I am happy about the improvements, but the damage to the roadway is very dangerous. Thanks!
Amir Ahmadi, project engineer for the state Department of Transportation, responds: We are making great progress on the I-5-Highway 531 interchange improvement project and are on track to finish work next summer, about six months ahead of our original schedule.
We made the decision to open the new and improved ramps and widened lanes to traffic before completing final striping and paving so that drivers could take advantage of them now. We knew that the holiday season is a particularly busy time for this interchange and the new ramps would provide drivers with better access to and from I-5.
In the spring, when the weather is warmer and drier, we will finish paving on the project and will install the permanent striping, which is more durable and visible than the temporary paint. In the meantime, we will consider installing temporary reflectors to make the lane striping more visible this winter.
Janet Walker of Everett writes: Going south on Bothell-Everett Highway at the exit to the Eastmont neighborhood (north of Silver Lake) it is like a washboard in the left-turn lane turning into Eastmont. Can they do something about that?
Bronlea Mishler, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, responds: Our maintenance crews recently ground down the left-turn lane of the Bothell-Everett Highway near Eastmont and repaved it after finding a large number of potholes. This was likely the cause of the rough ride that Janet experienced. Our crews completed the work in mid-December, and the turn lane should now be smooth and pothole free.
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