A Seattle police officer and multiple Uber passengers were injured in a collision early Friday morning at 5th Avenue and Seneca Street, marking the second police vehicle crash downtown this week.
The crash occurred around 2 a.m. when a police cruiser responding to a domestic disturbance call with lights and sirens activated collided with an Uber carrying six family members. Two passengers were hospitalized, including a woman with a minor head injury and a 27-year-old man in stable condition.
The 24-year-old Seattle police officer was taken to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. The Uber driver was not hospitalized but remained at the scene.
Uber passengers claim the police officer ran a red light before t-boning their vehicle as it made a left turn onto 5th Avenue. The patrol car then struck a nearby light pole after the collision.
“It was a t-bone collision. I can’t tell you how fast they were going, but they hit pretty hard,” said passenger Rolando Petit. He and the driver said they didn’t see the patrol car until the last second.
Both vehicles sustained significant damage. The Uber’s front end was crumpled, while the police SUV had extensive front and side panel damage with deployed airbags.
This is the second Seattle police vehicle crash in less than a week. On Tuesday, an SPD officer responding to a call was struck by a King County Metro bus at 6th Avenue South and South Holgate Street. In that incident, the Metro driver told investigators he didn’t see or hear the patrol car until it was already in the intersection.
Seattle Police Department is conducting a full internal investigation into Friday’s crash to determine whether protocols were followed and if any policy violations contributed to the collision.
