66-Year-Old Dies in Yesterday’s Crash in Eureka
Multiple vehicles were badly damaged in yesterday’s crash.[Photo by Mark McKenna]
On Wednesday, May 22 at approximately 1:45 pm, Eureka Police Department (EPD) and Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian collision on the 900 block of I Street. While responding, additional reporting parties called advising multiple vehicles had also collided on I Street near 7th Street, and one of the involved vehicles collided into a building. Extrication was needed for occupant of one of the vehicles.
Upon arrival, EPD and HBF personnel took over lifesaving efforts from bystanders. However, the 66-year-old male pedestrian succumbed to his injuries. Several occupants from the involved vehicles were transported to the hospital for injuries. A member of EPD’s Major Injury//Fatal Traffic Investigation Team responded to the scene to conduct the investigation. Additionally, EPD Detectives and Evidence Technicians responded to assist with collecting witness statements and evidence.
Based on preliminary findings, it appeared a vehicle was traveling north on I Street, collided with the pedestrian in the roadway near 9th Street, continued traveling north, collided with additional vehicle(s) near 7th Street, and then collided into a building.
The decedent has been identified and the Humboldt County Coroner’s office is working to notify next of kin.
This is an active investigation and EPD is asking if anyone witnessed the collision to please contact the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) at 707-441-4300.
One of the vehicles involved crashed off the street and into a building. The EPD says this vehicle was driven by the hit and run driver. [Photo by a reader]
Earlier: Multiple Vehicle Crash Involving a Pedestrian Blocks 7th Street in Eureka
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This pos who did all the damage should face capital punishment for one count of murder and attempted murder of however many counts there were other victims with specialallegations of using a motor vehicle as a weapon. Of course, due to the Kitchen precedent in this county, the likelihood of anything more than a minor reprimand being given is slim. Hopefully the do nothing DA office will take this seriously for a change. I won’t hold my breath, because I would clearly die of oxygen deprivation before anything is done.
Agreed. As long as we keep treating killer drivers with kid gloves, they’ll keep getting away with it.
People all over here, LoCo, Facebook, etc were already making excuses for this POS yesterday and will still be making excuses for the next Marci, Ryder Stapp, whoever else kills someone with their car next. Attitudes need to change amongst the public for the county and state to take it seriously.
Where’s the sentiment for the victim, the pedestrian.
I am in no way making excuses for anyone, would have no reason to, and don’t even know if there’s any validity to this story, but: Someone on the other news blog site said they heard the woman driver (perp’s) brakes had failed.
That would explain her sudden evasive movement to switch to the left lane (hitting the pedestrian she may not have seen at first) when the car ahead of her at 9th stopped for the ped., then hitting the victim, and sailing on through, on a downhill roll that may have begun higher up, and smashing into everyone stopped at the 7th St. red light. A final desperate measure may have been her cranking the wheel right to avoid entering another couple of busy intersections, and to have ended up stopped by collision with the building and facing almost the opposite direction from what she had been travelling on the one-way I St.
This doesn’t excuse driving with the possibility of faulty brakes, nor of not being aware that you can downshift to at least slow radically, or use the emergency brake. However, i had my brake line burst on me once, and the immediate feeling of panic and helplessness (though causing no harm on the quiet rural road i was travelling) when my foot went smoothly to the floor with no effect at all could have translated to some really lethal cluelessness had there been other vehicles or humans around.
It would still be horrible and her actions in not using the e-brake still inexcusable, but would paint a very different picture from that of someone either high as a kite on booze or drugs, or so full of evil anger that they intentionally committed these hellish crimes.
Even if your scenario is true or another like it, the fastest speed limit on I is 30mph. There’s no way to do that much damage at 30. Plus, unless intoxicated, you don’t make the kinds of bad decisions made here. Yes, I’m a professional driver, so I am constantly aware of my speed – always set the cruise at the speed limit, position on the road around other drivers, refuse to follow closely and keep an eye out for all kinds of possible dangers around intersections. Driving is a serious responsibility and almost no Eureka drivers take that responsibility at all serious because it’s all about them. The entitlement drivers exhibit is dangerous, and in this case, deadly.
Just looking at the car kinda imply a older person was driving it
If you are referring to the Mercury, I know someone who’s 23 yo who drove and loved theirs.
It looks like an affordable car.
Huh?? Boy would I love to hear the path of critical analysis that led you to that conclusion. On the other hand—————–
OK Alf, this question is irrelevant to the accident in question, but i am curious: How do all those rollovers occur in Eureka in 30-mph zones? Often (i mean really surprisingly often) cars seem to roll over, right in this area, and the reports sometimes state that “speed was not a factor.” I cannot imagine rolling my truck, ever, but if i did, i think i would have to be going at least 50. But the rollover rate tells me otherwise– tells me a lot of harm can be done, even at 30. What do you think?
(And yes, the entitlement mentality of drivers who think their hurry is more important than anyone else’s life is why, if i have to cross the road on foot, i usually run, while nervously watching in all directions– assuming the drivers don’t see me, i MUST see and avoid them. I am often told by my urban friends that i am consummately uncool to scurry across the street, and should stroll indolently across, as if i own the road. Not here i don’t! In fact, nowhere do i trust drivers to respect my right to casually stroll across the roadway.)
It is possible to roll at speeds less than 30. However, to say speed isn’t a factor is 100% a lie by whoever makes the claim. There’s such a thing as too fast for conditions, such as a lifted SUV or 4×4 which can roll at slower speed than a sports car. Also, if a vehicle tbones another vehicle it can cause a rollover. Anyone who drives Eureka knows speed limits and not followed. I’ve seen the sign flashing 75 coming into Eureka 101 north regularly, even in dense fog, rain and other bad weather. It’s common to see 60 plus on H and I.
About this crash, the damage done to the dark vehicle where the whole back end was crushed was not possible at the 25 mph speed. I was rear-ended in a Hyundai Elantra by a guy doing 65 mph and had far less damage than any of the cars in this wreck. I guarantee speed was a factor.
Careful! Your thoughtful comments are running against the grain of the RHBB comment section.
Just as the morons were ready to pin the blame on the bike lanes yesterday, based on fact free assumptions of what happened, today they’re ready to impose the death penalty, despite the continuing paucity of facts.
Thanks for posting the alternate theory. Accidents do happen. We will find out soon enough what really happened. I would not mind having both you and Alf on the jury- compassion and strict consequences are both needed in today’s society…
What surprises me is that those that are reacting automatically assume that there is malice…”But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart…” In other words, we see what we be! I of course have no idea what or why it happened, but I think I’ll leave the evaluation up to the people that actually do the investigation.
One trick: if the left pedal goes to the floor, stop pressing the right pedal.
Sometimes if I see a red or yellow light ahead, I ACTUALLY LET UP ON THE GO FUEL PEDAL! The car slows on it’s own! Amazing. Truckers cross the USA without ever hitting their brakes. Any time you use your brakes you are wasting motive energy from fuel you bought, and turning it into heat from brake friction.
‘Nother trick: shut the car off with the key. You probably can’t find a left hand floor PARKING brake quick enough. A center mounted pull lever maybe….
Oh please she was speeding per the eye witness
Pure speculation but I didn’t seem like the brakes got used. Seems like that car traveled to far for the speeds of the street
There is a “Kitchen precedent” referring to local misuse of State grant money leaving safety conditions worse than they were before. In the case of Kitchen, it was the County not widening the shoulders of Eel River Drive per the terms of the CalTrans grant related to the Alton interchange, which contributed the County’s legal exposure that compelled them to go light on Kitchen. The City of Eureka’s misuse of State grant money for pedestrian improvements for an absolutely unwanted bike lane similarly puts them in a legally weak position when faced with unintended, and highly negative, safety consequences of the project that they misused State monies for. The bike lanes are unwanted because there are already much better and safer bike lanes on J street.
That same year marcy hit her kid and and her kids friend there was six pedestrians killed by drunk drivers. Marty didn’t run them all over but that’s the only name I ever hear
She was the worst offender. She was blitzed, hit the girls, hid the jeep, told her son to hide the drugs, went back to the scene, and on and on and on. She got a lighter sentence than most get for hitting their dog and served a tiny fraction of that. Yes, she’s the poster child for getting away with double murder.
Most drunk drivers don’t run over their own child and hide that fact.
Is there not a possibility of a medical emergency or horrific mechanical malfunction?
I’m sure the criminal defense lawyers will try to find one. I doubt, however that the vehicle would have stayed on the road for more than 2 blocks after hitting a person if there was actually a medical problem.
7 vehicles and a pedestrian. Humboldt Bar Association President and former Public Defender Jennifer Dixon was severely injured when her vehicle was rear ended, as a result of the crash(es) allegedly caused by the vehicle that hit the pedestrian.
rest in peace, sir.
It’s sad to see elderly drivers not proficient in driving. It’s bad enough that good drivers have to be aware of young drivers driving too fast and the DUI drivers driving recklessly and now elderly drivers with slower reaction times or medically elderly drivers being involved in fatal accidents. Danger Will Rogers it getting dangerous out there.
Who’s elderly? You got more info? Something I missed?
No where in this article do they mention the age of the driver.
Where did it state the age of the driver?
Yes. We can all agree on the condolences.
Who was the hit and run driver?
Is he, she or it being protected? Was the perp arrested?
Looks like it is the person in the red sweats and sans shoe.
I’m sure they have a toxicology pending – wonder what it’ll find.
We believe the driver of the car that allegedly hit the pedestrian is in the hospital.
That would explain why no arrests have been made yet. The LEOs will wait until hospital discharge before filing charges so they’re not on the hook for his hospital bills. Lots of charges are possible from vehicular manslaughter to felony DUI. Time will tell.
The photo of the wrecked car behind the 25 mph sign is priceless….
Kym. 😉
Yes. And with the jail in the background! 😮
Ohhh. If I understand this, the article is confirming the previously announced, sad death of the pedestrian, from the 5/22 ‘4:05p update’.
From the photo I thought the (woman) I saw get pulled from the pictured photo had died.
Thank you for offering more info about the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. Any word Kym, on an investigation into the person who caused all this? Rumor on site was that it was the driver of the Mercury.
EPD appears to agree that it was the driver of the Mercury. “Based on preliminary findings, it appeared a vehicle was traveling north on I Street, collided with the pedestrian in the roadway near 9th Street, continued traveling north, collided with additional vehicle(s) near 7th Street, and then collided into a building.”
And then something happened to that car right before impact, since the Mercury is facing south-east. The details of this incident should be informative, and could be an example of the serious dangers of propelling a ton+ metal vehicle down a (city) street. Listen up kids!
Note that the Mercury is between 2 relatively close street signs. So, the car didn’t slide sideways into that place. If he spun it would have been a very tight twist that just happened to be between those signs. Or, he came at it forward, which means he/she/ they were still accelerating at that point.
A little clue is the sign under the front-right of the car. Where did that come from???
It’s entirely possible that the driver of vehicle number 1 was having a medical emergency.
Yes. Possible. Appreciate you introducing that into this conversation. If so it changes a lot! Certainly the anger I feel when projecting that this was due to bad behavior.
Let’s wait and see.
Again yesterday I had a car pass in the bike lane on I and just drove 2 blocks in Bike lane to get around traffic. This is so dangerous.
And what? No police?
I had that happen on Broadway a few blocks south of Wabash coming north the other day. It happens on southbound Myrtle at Harrison regularly – those hospital staff gotta get to work to care for all the people they run over on the way to work.
A little birdy told me the pos who killed the pedestrian was doing something like huffing (?) and was high….