2 fatal car-pedestrian crashes jam traffic in South Seattle

SEATTLE — Two crashes in which cars struck and killed pedestrians caused long backups in South Seattle Thursday morning.

The first crash happened at around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. All lanes of northbound State Route 509 in South Seattle were closed south of the First Avenue South Bridge, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The lanes reopened at about 8:40 a.m.

A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car, Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson said. The driver remained at the scene.

According to a report from the state patrol, a 32-year-old man was hit after he jumped across a barrier.

All drivers using northbound SR 509 from Burien were forced to take the South 128th Street exit.

The highway was closed for 2 hours and 28 minutes.

A second fatal crash jammed northbound traffic in the same area.

The Seattle Department of Transportation first tweeted about the crash on East Marginal Way South at Ellis Avenue South, north of Boeing Field, at 7:14 a.m.

All northbound lanes of East Marginal Way South were closed. The lanes reopened at about 9:07 a.m.

Seattle police said like the first crash, a car also struck and killed a pedestrian. The driver remained at the scene.

The second crash compounded traffic in the area because it was an alternate route for drivers who usually take SR 509 to get over the First Avenue South Bridge.

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