A one-car accident that killed four men on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8:40 p.m. left a large debris field filled with automotive, human and street infrastructure wreckage filling the 9500 block of Rainier Avenue South.
"I was sitting at my computer in the living room," recalled T.C. Kern, a resident of Spinnaker Bay Condominiums, which is located in front of the accident scene. "I saw this car fly by, then I heard a loud and very long scraping noise like it was riding the curb. I heard a loud pop, saw a huge amount of sparks and then the power went out."
Kern got up to take a better look out his window, and he saw several people walking around the crash scene, which made him feel the crash victims were ok. It wasn't until he, and several of his neighbors, rushed down to the condo complex's main gate to get a better assessment of the situation that Kern realized the fatal results of the accident.
Large crowds immediately gathered on both sides of the accident, with around 30 people to the east side of Rainier Avenue South and 30-50 people on the west side of Rainier in the Mayas Mexican Restaurant parking lot and by the bus stop directly across from a mangled black BMW convertible.
On the scene 22 minutes after the crash, reporter Dawn Trybjorn spoke with Kern and several other residents living near the accident who also heard the crash and were dismayed and horrified at the gory scene they found. The vehicle, which several witnesses claim was traveling around 100 miles per hour, was reduced to a crumpled passenger seat and trunk section with one victim still inside.
The impact of the convertible sedan shattered about 10 feet of curb on its way to cutting down the No. 107 bus stop pole. The car then smashed into a thick wooden utility pole, shattering it at the base and tossing it over the 10-foot high barbwire-topped fence surrounding Dan's Auto Repair lot about 40 feet away. The pole destroyed one car and damaged another inside the lot.
Plowing ahead, the car then rammed into a metal light pole. The impact knocked off the streetlight's upper portion, which then created a domino effect when some connecting wires were pulled down, taking a second street light with it. This second light fell across the top of a red SUV owned by Spinnaker Bay Condominium resident Dick Fritts, who was inside his home at the time of the accident.
The car then bounced off a second metal streetlight in front of Dan's Auto Repair, flipped on its top, and came to rest in front of the Rainier Avenue bus stop near 57th Avenue South.
Officers quickly rerouted traffic around the area and began marking off the debris field with flares and crime scene tape. During the initial chaos of the aftermath, Trybjorn heard a firefighter tell a responding police officer that the fourth victim, the man found inside the car, showed signs of life when they arrived. However, the young man died soon after the emergency response personnel placed a heart monitor on him and before they could begin administering first aid. By the time Trybjorn arrived, his body, along with that of the second victim lying next to the car, was covered in a yellow tarp.
In front of the auto repair business lay the remains of the third victim, who was decapitated. The fourth victim lay down the street. His body had been severed in two.
All four men were sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship is currently undergoing maintenance in Bremerton. Based out of Everett, the ship carries a crew of 5,000 to 5,500 during deployment. It recently returned from more than five months in the Pacific.
The King County Medical Examiner's office released the names of the victims as Carlos Ivan Garcia-Son, age 22; Brian Adam Lane, age 26; Anthony Stephen Cox, age 22; and Clinton Dale Campbell, age 24.
"It is unknown whether drugs and alcohol were involved at this time, but we are sure that speed was a major factor," Seattle Police Department spokesman Sean Whitcomb stated over the weekend.
One older police officer was overheard saying that this accident was the worst he had seen on Rainier Ave. S. during his many years on the force. Additionally, local residents were heard saying that the accident was an unfortunate confirmation that the complicated intersection where Rainier Avenue South transitions from four to two lanes just outside of the Spinnaker Bay Condos is not safe and needs to be re-engineered.
During the accident investigation and subsequent road closure, at least 10 families living in the Spinnaker Bay Condos were denied vehicle access and were escorted to their homes by police.
Seattle City Light officials managed to get power to all but 400 customers by 11:30 p.m. on Saturday with many regaining power by 3 a.m. Sunday, but the accident-generated blackout still affected 117 homes until 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Earlier in the day, firefighters returned to the sight to clean up the debris, and as of press time on Monday, power crews were continuing to repair the damaged lines.
On Saturday Linda Thieke, spokeswoman for King County Metro, stated that "the trolley lines were most likely just knocked down and crews are at the scene repairing them hopefully by Monday's commute."
While area residents were still finding pieces of the automobile as of press time on Monday, residential access along with electricity and bus services were functioning normally.
A tribute to the victims, including flowers and an American flag, began to form on the sidewalk near the accident by Sunday afternoon.
Dawn Trybjorn and Erik Hansen may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal and 461-1311.
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