Firefighter on 911 call ends up in hospital after hit by car at 28th and Yesler

Reader Xtine asked about all the emergency vehicles at 28th and Yesler last night:

Just drove by (8:20pm) and Yesler is blocked off at MLK just like the night Officer Brenton was shot, when I drove by shortly after that happened.  Plenty of patrol cars and what looked like a black paddy wagon.

Unfortunately, it looks like another emergency responder was hurt. A firefighter responding to a medical call at 28th and Yesler Tuesday night ended up in the hospital after being struck by a car at the intersection.

A lengthy investigation tied up the intersection of 28th and Yesler as police evaluated the driver for signs of impairment. According to the SPD report, the driver showed no signs of driving under the influence and said the sun was in her eyes at the time of the collision.

The firefighter was evaluated at the hospital and released without serious injury. The full report from SPD on the incident is below.

On September 6th, at approximately 6:40 pm, a Seattle Fire Fighter was assisting in backing an ambulance, which had just responded to a medical call, from 28th Avenue onto East Yesler Way. 


A driver in a Toyota Camry,  travelling westbound on East Yesler Way, did not see the Fire Fighter due to the setting sun in her eyes.  Unfortunately, the driver was unable to stop the Camry before striking him.  The Fire Fighter hit his head on the windshield of the car before hitting the ground.  He was immediately attended to by the other Fire Fighters and then transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he was checked out and later released.  He is expected to make a full recovery.

Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad (TCIS) responded to the location and processed the scene.  The driver was evaluated for any signs of impairment, but none were detected.  The driver was interviewed and released.  TCIS will continue to follow up on the investigation.

0 thoughts on “Firefighter on 911 call ends up in hospital after hit by car at 28th and Yesler

  1. I also drove by last night at about 8:20pm and saw the road blocked off and all the police/aid cars. It’s good to know what happened there…thanks.

  2. Hello, another example. Cars kill and maim, more dangerous than a firearm being discharged.

  3. To pdonahue. Um, yeah. The drivers of cars do sometimes kill, but it is not the primary reason people use cars or a primary function of a car. Pools cause fatalities, so do ladders, bathtubs, etc.. you get the point. By firing a gun in a public place you are intending to scare, injure or kill. The purpose of having a gun is to injure or kill so I don’t see why we should NOT be more concerned about seeing a person firing a gun versus driving a car.

  4. Agreed.

    $20 says the driver claimed “It wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t see!”, as if it was a legitimate defense.

  5. I witnessed the accident while I was driving home from Walgreens with my daughter. We were facing eastbound on Yesler and waiting to make a left onto MLK.

    The man who was hit was helping direct an ambulance back up onto Yesler from 28th Ave. He was standing in the middle of the westbound lane, facing away from oncoming traffic and using his hands to direct the ambulance.

    The driver came over the crest of Yesler heading westbound and hit him from behind without slowing down. He hit the windshield and fell onto the ground, then tried to get up but fell back to the pavement.

    After I saw the accident we pulled over on MLK, called 911 and stuck around to give a statement to the cops.

    In my own opinion, mistakes were made by both the driver and the man directing traffic. The driver was going too fast at a time when it’s really difficult to see clearly for westbound traffic due to the setting sun. The guy directing traffic was facing away from oncoming traffic, at a point which looked to me like it was just over the crest of a hill.

    I’m just glad to hear that the guy who was hit did not die or suffer a serious injury. I have been worried since the accident that he was very badly injured.