Published December 1 2020
4th Bellevue traffic fatality this year
On Monday, a driver struck and killed a man attempting to walk across Northeast Eighth Street in the Crossroads neighborhood.
The incident took place around 5:20 p.m. in the 16000 block of Northeast Eighth Street when the man, 92, was attempting to cross the street mid-block and was hit by a westbound driver. The driver, a 47-year-old Bellevue man, cooperated with police investigators. He said he did not see the man step into the street. Police found no sign of impairment and the investigation into the collision is ongoing.
The man who was struck, also of Bellevue, had not yet been positively identified by the King County medical examiner.
The incident was the fourth traffic fatality in Bellevue this year. Three of them involved drivers running into pedestrians; in the fourth one, a driver struck a person riding a bicycle. In 2019, five people were killed in traffic collisions, making the two-year period with nine fatalities the deadliest ever for Bellevue. During the previous nine years, 2010 to 2018, a total of 16 people died in traffic collisions.
“On behalf of the city, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the man killed,” said Transportation Director Andrew Singelakis. “Obviously, with this latest collision we’re going in the wrong direction from our Vision Zero effort to eliminate fatal and serious-injury collisions on Bellevue streets by 2030. It’s been a difficult year for the community on our roads. We must and we can do better."
With less daylight and more bad weather as winter approaches, Bellevue police and transportation officials note that safety is a shared responsibility, and offer these travel tips:
- Scan the road ahead carefully. At intersections and elsewhere, watch for people walking, bicycling and driving.
- Obey traffic signals and signs. Drivers and bicyclists generally have the same privileges and responsibilities.
- Drivers should stay off their phones and avoid other distractions, driving slower when it’s dark and/or wet.
- Use a light at night. For people who bicycle, use a white light in front and red reflector or light in back.
- Communicate with others. Signal your turns and lane changes.
More information about transportation safety in Bellevue is available at Vision Zero.