Historic Pioneer Square pergola struck by hit-and-run driver

SEATTLE — The historic Pioneer Square pergola has been hit by a vehicle again.

About 2 a.m. Thursday, a pickup driver hopped up onto the curb at First Avenue and Yesler and slammed into one of the original cast iron light posts built in 1909.

The sturdiness of the post prevented the driver from hitting the iconic iron and glass pergola, which was originally a station for Seattle's cable car system.

A couple of people nearby saw the driver crawl out of the truck and thought he seemed drunk.

"He said, 'I've gotta get out of here,' and ran up the street," said one witness.

See photos of the crash here.

A Seattle Parks Department official said they'll check the light post for any damage, replace some glass globes that broke in the crash, then have the historic light post back in place in a few days.

While the crash didn't damage the pergola, the structure is no stranger to crashes.

On May 13, a semi was making a turn when it got wedged under a piece of ornate metal high up on the structure. The pergola had only minor damage.

In April  2012, another semi hit the pergola and broke apart the roof. The driver blamed his GPS and said it told him to make the tight turn.

In 2001, a semi that could not make the corner smashed the glass and metal pergola into a pile of rubble.  The entire historic structure had to be rebuilt.

KIRO