[UPDATE 8:20 p.m.] Pedestrian Injured and Dog Killed; Alliance Closed in Arcata

Arcata Police blocked off Alliance after a pedestrian was injured. [Photo by Jonathan Beck]

Arcata Police blocked off Alliance after a pedestrian was injured. [Photo by Jonathan Beck]

About 5:35 p.m. a pedestrian was struck and injured on Alliance Road in Arcata. The pedestrian was taken to the hospital.

Arcata Police have blocked off Alliance between 15th and 17th.

“A white female is in handcuffs,” according to Jonathan Beck a witness. She is currently in the back of the police car, he told us.

Please note: don’t go west on M Street past Arcata High to avoid the closure because M is a dead end street.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: According to Tera Mar, a local woman who spoke to those at the scene, a woman was injured and a dog is deceased after being struck by a car. The driver, also a woman, of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian has been detained.

University Police are assisting APD at the scene.

UPDATE 6:46 p.m.: According to Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn, the woman pedestrian is in “serious condition.” He confirmed that “a dog was killed.”

He said the investigation was ongoing but he confirmed, “We have someone in custody.” When asked if alcohol or drugs were believed to be involved, he stated, “It is too early to tell.”

UPDATE 8:20 p.m.: Alliance is still closed between 14th and 17th. If heading south, you will take 17th to Q and then to 11th.

UPDATE: At 5:53 p.m., Arcata Police arrested Amber Lynn Lewis for driving under the influence.

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Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago

Ugh. Assuming the detention implies yet another drunk driver, this is, what, the fourth DUI death (I count the puppy!) in two weeks?

You’ve got a new post link in there somehow, and “taking to” the hospital…

Kelley Lincoln
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

Thanks. I got those fixed.

larry
Guest
larry
4 years ago

APD NEEDS MORE TRAFFIC CONTROLL

C
Guest
C
4 years ago
Reply to  larry

I agree entirely. 11th at 8am is 40mph minimum. The radar speed limit sign is the biggest waste of money I’ve ever seen. What happened to police giving speeding tickets in town??

RKtan
Guest
RKtan
4 years ago
Reply to  C

BS. I live on that road. You’re exaggerating. The school busses go through at 8am

connor
Guest
connor
4 years ago
Reply to  RKtan

i live on the road too. no one does 25. 40 is about right. when i go through at 25 people are riding right on my bumper. on a town road, no less!

C
Guest
C
4 years ago
Reply to  RKtan

I also live on this road, and I wish I was exaggerating. You mean the one school bus? Yeah you’re right the bus slows every single person down oh gosh how did I not know. I forgot everyone waits for the bus to go to work. The slow down, too fast sign flashing must also be wrong.

Muddy Black Dodge
Guest
Muddy Black Dodge
4 years ago
Reply to  RKtan

Wrong, it’s green flag racing on that section of road…

CitizenZ
Guest
CitizenZ
4 years ago
Reply to  C

Here’s the problem…when the police do their job, people whine and complain…but now, you want help? Make up your mind, your either with them or against them…

C
Guest
C
4 years ago
Reply to  CitizenZ

What are you talking about? Stop grasping at straws. Breaking the law is breaking the law. Police not enforcing speeding violations has nothing to do with anyone’s opinion. But nice try.

Julie Hochfeld
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  C

I can say, from firsthand experience, that Alliance Rd by Westwood Market is a very dangerous place for pedestrians, bicycles, and cars to cross, day or night. Even with the new crossing light at Alliance and Stromberg, drivers often don’t stop (I have experienced this more than once). Soon there will be construction of many new units on Alliance and 27th and I think we will need more traffic control than the often ineffective crosswalks or the road will become even more dangerous.

A. Eanni
Guest
A. Eanni
4 years ago
Reply to  Julie Hochfeld

Over a year ago we asked for a stop sign at Alliance and Stromberg because of the traffic. Were told a crossing light was to be installed. And yes, waste of time. Stops signs are way cheaper and more effective in slowing traffic down. Have almost been hit by folks not obeying the flashing yellow lights. They are not going 25 or even 30mph but more like 40.
Once the new housing goes in, Alliance Rd, as an artery, will be more unsafe for pedestrians. It is really noticeable now that schools are back in session. Will continue to urge folks to email the City to reassess this situation.

Kim
Guest
Kim
4 years ago
Reply to  C

40? Try 25mph

humboldtfrog
Guest
humboldtfrog
4 years ago
Reply to  larry

Good god yes!!! As a long-time resident of Arcata, I think APD is failing miserably at keeping the roadways safe for everyone. I actually complained to the city two months ago about dangerous traffic conditions on Alliance…and the conditions only got worse. I’ve never seen nor heard of APD writing a ticket for speeding, and the streets are pandemonium. Its sad to see with all the kids biking/walking to school, because they are not safe.

Cognizant
Guest
Cognizant
4 years ago
Reply to  humboldtfrog

I’ve called and complained. APD Officer thought speed humps were a good idea. Wrote local city council with videos of speeding motorcycles and cars: ZERO RESPONSE. They aren’t interested in keeping residents safe on the roadways

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Cognizant

I commend you for putting in all that effort. They wouldn’t even respond?! — how utterly frustrating…

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago
Reply to  humboldtfrog

Agreed. Speeding sucks. And that road is so dangerous. While walking one day, I watched a car speed past me and hit another car. The airbag came on and a woman stumbled out in a daze. Her two kids were in the back seat crying. When the police came to take notes, I told them what I saw, and I asked why they couldn’t put a sign up to slow down the traffic. I told them I saw speeders there every day. They said all I could do was go to a city hall meeting. Since I didn’t have the time to put together an entire grassroots campaign to ask the city to make the streets safe, that was the end of it. That was years ago. What a sad thing for this poor woman and her poor little dog.

Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Some things to remember…
1) This is a democracy.
2) Guidelines, and in many cases laws, prohibit setting a speed limit below the 85% percentile of traffic speed.
3) #2 is because lowering the speed limit below the natural speed of the road causes an increase in accidents, due to causing cars to bunch up behind the one idiot that drives below the natural speed of the road, among other factors.
4) Speed limits below what a traffic study says are appropriate are unenforceable in California. This has recently become an issue in LA with the city forced to raise most of their speed limits so they could actually write tickets to the few reckless drivers.

If she ran into the back of another car, the problem isn’t her speed. The problem was she wasn’t looking where she was driving! Never drive faster than you can stop…

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

No one got rear-ended. If people followed the posted limits, there would be fewer senseless accidents. Speeding sucks.

Jo
Guest
Jo
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

This is a republic.

Mike
Guest
Mike
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo

If you want to be all knowing thingsee then it would be better described as a federal constitutional representative democracy. It’s a republic as well as part democracy. Saying it’s only one isn’t entirely accurate.

shak
Guest
shak
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike

Close, but no cigar.
We are a Constitutional Republic that uses the democratic ballot process for voting on ONLY Constitutional issues/elections/etc.

If it’s not Constitutional, it’s SUPPOSED to stay off the ballot.

If an unconstitutional law passes, it’s SUPPOSED to be considered repugnant to the constitution and therefore null and void.
Unconstitutional amendments are SUPPOSED to be repealed.
(for instance, the Senator is supposed to secure the State’s people’s Rights, not the state’s tyrannical govt).

Really?
Guest
Really?
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

“Lowering the natural speed of the road?” There is no such animal. There is such a thing in California as getting ticketed for driving so slow you impede traffic but even that has standards that you still can’t drive over the speed limit. The fastest driver does not get to decide how fast everyone else must go.

shak
Guest
shak
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

Nope, we’re NOT a democracy. We’re a constitutional republic.

Show me one instance where the word Democracy is in the Constitution, DOI or BOR.

Central HumCo
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  shak

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage

http://commonsensegovernment.com/the-tytler-cycle-revisited/

it is your responsiblility
Guest
it is your responsiblility
4 years ago
Reply to  humboldtfrog

APD is “failing miserably”, or people drive like idiots? Did an APD vehicle hit this person? no. People need to drive with respect. When I drive, my primary goal is to get home, and not kill anybody else. Most of us are pretty complacent when it comes to driving. We do it so often we forget that it is the most dangerous thing we do.
1 out of 114 of us will die in a motor vehicle accident.
1 out of 600 will die as a pedestrian from a motor vehicle.
1 out of 100,000 will die from an aircraft, ( including spacecraft!)
So with our irrational way of recognizing risk approximately 1,500 more people died as a result of the 9/11/ 2001 attacks: because of fear of flying after 9/11 airplane ridership dropped by 20%, and driving miles increased in the year following the attack. by switching from the relative safety of flying to the most risky of behaviors, statistics suggest an extra 1,500 people may have died.
I heard this on KMUD’s critical thinking show last Thursay night.

RENE D WALDER
Guest
4 years ago

Where did you get these numbers?

RKtan
Guest
RKtan
4 years ago

Lot’s of foot traffic, bikes, joggers, HS kids…

You gotta be alert driving through there. I’ve seen bodies in cross walks more than once there.

Driving like a Meat Loaf song
Guest
Driving like a Meat Loaf song
4 years ago

If you do not see the driver’s eyes looking at you you can’t assume it is sure to cross the street safely. And if you are on a bike good luck!!

Arcata Resident
Guest
4 years ago

There is too many people speeding through there and into the bottoms to wherever… either the parents speeding down Blakeslee to drop their kids at coastal grove or those high tailing to Eureka via backroads to 255 it’s crap! We need more signs, stops signs lights something! There aren’t any on blakelsee and it has cross street R uncontrolled! Stop speeding drinking and driving or otherwise impaired! I’m so sorry for this woman, her family and the loss of her dog! I was walking my dog right there on alliance a week ago!!!! This could have been me, could have been you!

Cognizant
Guest
Cognizant
4 years ago

Ive asked for speed humps. I’ve complained to city council. I don’t think my voice alone is enough

Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago
Reply to  Cognizant

Hopefully no less than 50% of voices are enough.

No Joke
Guest
No Joke
4 years ago

people ignore signs all the time. what we need is physical deterrents – speed humps, bumps, rumble strips, sidewalk bump outs where people cross, etc. Some drivers don’t care if they hit a kid, but they do care if *they* get jostled and spill their coffee or drop their phone.

spamish
Guest
spamish
4 years ago

Can’t do that with TINTED WINDOWS.

As a hard core pedestrian, they are a big pet peeve.

Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago
Reply to  spamish

As a driver, I agree! Also, people with tinted windows seem to be responsible for a significantly higher portion of the bad driving I see than the portion of vehicles they make up. I think people who decide to tint their windows are doing it to try to hide cell phone and other idiocy.

Lol
Guest
Lol
4 years ago
Reply to  Bushytails

I have limo tint and never have had an accident or ticket in 20+ years. I dont find your opinion really valid.

W.H.
Guest
W.H.
4 years ago

why is it necessary to point out the race of the female? would you have done so if it was an individual of any other race?

Joe
Guest
Joe
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Don’t let them bother you, Kym!

KIDDZZ
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  W.H.

Why does it matter to you? I like knowing the details, even if it was just a quote. .

Cy
Guest
Cy
4 years ago
Reply to  W.H.

Interesting, reports have often given the race of individuals involved if it was anything other than white and no one said a thing. But when you describe them as “white” someone seems to get upset.

anotherop
Guest
anotherop
4 years ago
Reply to  W.H.

WH- Because, if they dont point out the race, people get mad. If they do point it out, people get mad. Getting it now?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Guest
Damned if you do, damned if you don't
4 years ago
Reply to  W.H.

Yes, for sure unless the person arrested was black and they were white and in Arcata- then they would hesitate a moment to do an internal political correctness check. Frankly it’s just an instance of life imitating TV but slightly off center. People are so used to hearing this type of description from on the news that a statement seems incomplete without an ID on race or gender. The alternative is to say “a person” which seems a useless thing to bother reporting. The news hears from the public that they are doing wrong if they anything or fail to say something.

Thirdeye
Guest
Thirdeye
4 years ago
Reply to  W.H.

Goddamn white females!

My understanding is that generic race/sex descriptions are used when a suspect is at large. When they’ve been arrested they are referred to by name. You never read a description that says “So-and-so, a (race) (sex), was arrested.” But when certain identifiers are left out of suspect descriptions it does seem fishy, and irresponsible when a public safety issue is involved.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago

So sad for this ladyb. To be injured and lose her dog. May she recover soon.

Korina
Guest
Korina
4 years ago

We received a robocall from APD about 8:45, notifying us about the closure.

Connie Dobbs
Guest
Connie Dobbs
4 years ago

Yay! The kids are back!

Carly
Guest
Carly
4 years ago

Just tried to drive that way, closure still in effect

Patrick Williams
Guest
Patrick Williams
4 years ago

Texting while driving?

Jen
Guest
Jen
4 years ago

People need to slow down on Alliance. We live and see it everyday. People speed, motorcycle doing wheelies passing people, people running the red lights on the bus. People passing other people. It’s crazy. We complain to Apd often and nothing being done

Humboldtfrog
Guest
Humboldtfrog
4 years ago
Reply to  Jen

Agree…my regard for APD and the city council is at an all-time low….they don’t respond and they don’t care.

Anna_banana
Guest
4 years ago

Any news of how the victim of this accident is doing? Hopefully shes going to recover 🙏

Caleb
Guest
Caleb
4 years ago

Don’t know the circumstances but looking both ways is a thing. Allot of Californians blindly cross the street because of right of way crosswalks. It’s bad news all around and sad to hear.

Thx HSU....not
Guest
Thx HSU....not
4 years ago

It would be really smart for HSU to give incoming students a simple little guide to driving here. Im about to have a road rage incident if one more idiot with an hsu parking pass tailgates me or almost hits me.
If you come from LA or SF the driving is very different.

To any new students, follow the speed limit especially in neighborhoods and near schools. And on the corridor. Its 50 for a reason.
Drive to hsu from your home multiple times prior to skool starting so you know how long it takes. Practice driving in the wind&fog& especially on days with serious sun glare. Learn to slow down on the road & in general. If you want a fast paced life go to a big city. Don’t tailgate, eventually someone will brake check you or something will run in the road and youll wind up rear ending the car in front if you which is your fault and you will pay dearly. Ir some good ole boy driving that rig will get our and whallop you.
Also we in our neighborhood call chp with license plate numbers of idiot drivers. Be glad its the cops and not angry locals that we call.
We value our way of life here and all life here very much. We will fight for it.

Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago
Reply to  Thx HSU....not

I mostly see HSU students making new driver and unfamiliar-with-area type errors, and using cell phones. I really haven’t noticed them being much worse than the locals, other than those things.

It’s 50 for a reason… people like you whined “do something! won’t someone please think of the children?!” at caltrans until they did something to shut you up, despite it raising accidents. And now the rest of us have more accidents, more traffic, and wasted time.

You do not speak for “we”. My way of life doesn’t include whining to the government, calling the police unless I believe there’s an imminent risk to life (and that exceeds the risk to life of having cops involved), or thinking that I should force others to waste their lives driving.

AA
Guest
AA
4 years ago
Reply to  Thx HSU....not

Driving in the big cities is FAR safer than driving here. Mostly because the police are actually out doing their jobs, like pulling people over for swerving, driving high and drunk, and driving while on the phone. I drove down alliance yesterday and had to put my windows up and recirc on to keep the clouds of pot smoke from the car in front of me out of my car. Sorry APD, but this accident is on you.

were you tailgating?
Guest
were you tailgating?
4 years ago
Reply to  AA

Sounds like Arcata needs to staff up APD so that we can get an officer to ride in every single car like we so deserve. Because we can’t just take responsibility and drive on our own.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Thx HSU....not

Thanks.

Anybody not familiar with this area, needs to observe the traffic laws and practice driving in inclement weather.

Those not used to this area are the ones causing the accidents, because they aren’t used to rough roads and refuse to slow diwn, and boom they chase the accidents.

Lets blame the "outsiders"
Guest
Lets blame the "outsiders"
4 years ago
Reply to  Thx HSU....not

used to be you got drivers’ ed in highschool. Problem is: analyze how most of the parents and teachers drive, then see what kind of priority schools give drivers’ ed. it’s an afterthought, even though driving WILL kill more of those students before their time than any other cause.

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago

You may see HSU give remedial English, math classes in order to include people as students who would otherwise not meet entrance standards but they don’t offer driver’s ed or even new student orientation that includes caring about the locals. And they rarely- really rarely- enforce their own standards of behavior involving drinking or other out of control issues. So, although no one has said either the driver or pedestrian are HSU connected, HSU never does anything to deserve a pass on the problems their students cause anyway.

As I see It
Guest
As I see It
4 years ago

We saw an accident last night at Arts Alive caused by an impatient driver who gunned his car to zoom across to the other side of the alley and got T-boned. The number of unsafe drivers is increasing and esp. with cell phone use. I see it every day on 101 going to work vehicles swerving back and forth crossing the yellow line. Your afraid to pass them and 9 times out of 10 they are texting. What a world. Phone zombies and substance users on the roads.

Bushytails
Guest
Bushytails
4 years ago
Reply to  As I see It

I saw someone almost cause a head-on collision on Harris yesterday because they were looking down instead of ahead, went into the oncoming lane, and forced a truck to swerve over into the (fortunately empty) parking to avoid them. After getting honked at and swerving back into lane, they went back to looking down again…

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
4 years ago

May Dog have mercy on the driver.

May Dog rest the soul of the dead dog.

May Dog put in a good bark for the injured pedestrian when she gets to Dog Heaven.

ESmith
Guest
ESmith
4 years ago

God have mercy on the driver? Gimme a break. She is POS and deserves all that Karma has to offer her. Horrible person!

Lone ranger
Guest
Lone ranger
4 years ago

If your high on drugs,a lower speed limit won’t change the outcome, or were drugs not a factor here?

take an objective look at our behaviors Tonto
Guest
take an objective look at our behaviors Tonto
4 years ago
Reply to  Lone ranger

if getting high gets you down to 25 then that is an improvement!
.08 BAC: legal.
20 oz monster: legal
phones: ubiquitous
touchscreen infotainment systems: distracting lookdown tech: legal
try smoking a legal cigarette. that’d get me dizzy AF. but im legal to drive!

Heal
Guest
Heal
4 years ago

Are there any updates on the poor woman that was hit?

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
4 years ago

Thank you for posting this. It brings home the reality of the violence that was done.
And yeah, the driver’s life *better* have changed now! In a big way.

Guests
Guest
Guests
4 years ago

❤️️to the pedestrian and
❤️️ to her dog.

Guesty
Guest
Guesty
4 years ago

We shoukd have twice the police we do here, to patrol.

Humboldt has 1/2 the officers per capita as other counties.

Craig
Guest
Craig
4 years ago

As of a week or two ago, the Arcata area now holds the highest pass speed on a public roadway that has ever happened to me personally, with it now at an easy 140 mph. It was done on my right side, with the individual coming off of the northbound Sunset on ramp.

Renita Monroe
Guest
Renita Monroe
4 years ago

I’m new to the area. Just here visiting family. I was the RN present at the scene who cared for this young lady along with a firefighter until police and ambulance arrived.

Having been here for a month now I can say from my experience driving in Arcata is somewhat stressful. People dont always use the crosswalks. The streets are busy with walkers, bicyclist and other vehicles. The homeless population also creates a hazard as they too dont always follow “rules of the road”.

I drive slow….so I’m told. I just tend to be a little on the slow side because the streets are so busy and I dont want to have an incident like this one. This is my worst fear. Seeing that little girl unresponsive on the road has changed me for sure. I don’t think I will think twice when a car trails too close behind me when I’m going a little slower than they would like.

My dog was in my truck with me when I stopped to help. Seeing that poor dog getting CPR was heartbreaking. Poor girl was just walking across the street in the crosswalk with her dog and cellphone. She was thrown in the air down the street from the impact. There weren’t any skid marks on the road.

I dont think I will drive down that road again.

connor
Guest
connor
4 years ago
Reply to  Renita Monroe

again blaming pedestrians and the homeless when we should be blaming poor driving habits. you make it seem like every road is teeming with people just wandering around not paying attention, to which I say i have rarely if ever seen such behavior. arcata is not the bustling metropolis you make it seem.

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
4 years ago
Reply to  connor

>”… again blaming pedestrians and the homeless when we should be blaming poor driving habits.”
>”Poor girl was just walking across the street in the crosswalk with her dog and cellphone.”

Curious minds want to know… was she talking on the cellphone… or was she paying attention to the traffic ?

Miss.M
Guest
Miss.M
4 years ago
Reply to  Renita Monroe

Hi Renita,
I messaged you on FB about treating my loved one. Could you take a moment to reply when you get a chance? We wanted to say thank you for helping her.

Sharon cook
Guest
Sharon cook
4 years ago
Reply to  Miss.M

I was also on the scene and have been wondering what happened to the injured girl. Would you please let me know if she is ok. Thank you.

Eric
Guest
Eric
4 years ago
Reply to  Sharon cook

She remains hospitalized

Craig
Guest
Craig
4 years ago

Whether I’m operating as a vulnerable road user, or as a motor vehicle operator, my situational awareness is always on high, with the journey equally important as the destination, and I always try to prepare to expect the unexpected.

Dogbiter
Guest
Dogbiter
4 years ago

I believe that if you check the DMV regs, you will find that 25MPH is the speed limit in residential and business areas unless posted otherwise.
And yeah— Alliance is a nightmare most of the time.

keithm
Guest
keithm
4 years ago

Any update on the status of the woman that was hit?
Hope shes ok 🙁

Eric
Guest
Eric
4 years ago
Reply to  keithm

She remains hospitalized

Lorraine
Guest
Lorraine
4 years ago

What is happening to Amber Lynn Lewis?

Eric
Guest
Eric
4 years ago
Reply to  Lorraine

Amber was arrested, refused breathalyzer, took blood test, jailed over night, made bail the next morning. Now out on the streets again. Court date pending police report which is pending her blood test toxicology results.

Have an opinion about this? Go to Coffee with a Cop event at the HSU Depot, 10/2, 9-11am. Event notice at, https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156741965243526&id=270581733525

Lorraine
Guest
Lorraine
4 years ago

Eric – thank you. I watch the court calendar on a daily basis and have not seen her name come up yet and wondering why. I understand the lady who was hit is out of the coma but will never be the same. How sad for her and her family.

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[…] familiar? It’s actually horrible to be there. Arcata is heading this way. The citizen comments on Redheaded Blackbelt following the running down of the pedestrian and her dog, are instructional. This is our people […]