A roadway in Seattle has been labeled America's worst street after being plagued by 'weekly' car crashes that have left fed-up residents facing extreme financial burden.
Locals living onRainier Avenue have long complained of vehicles smashing into their homes due to reckless driving.
Just in April, a car smashed through a storage facility's front entrance, leaving shattered glass strewn around the Avenue.
Emergency services rushed the 28-year-old driver to a nearbya nearby hospital in stable condition as the car was towed away.
While cops have not yet concluded why the crash took place, residents in the area have theories of their own.
Locals living on Rainier Avenue have long complained of collisions occurring between cars or vehicles smashing into their homes due to reckless driving
Residents in the area have a few theories about why car crashes continue to take place in high numbers
Homeowner Cindy Sell, who has been living on the roadway for years,said: 'None of the speed limits are respected people treated as a speedway roadway.
'There's accidents weekly, weekly. All times of the day, so it's not just an evening issue.'
Neighbors say the constant crashes are not only creating a financial burden but also making them question their safety.
Madelyn Jung is another landlady who has suffered serious property damage after three vehicles ended up inside her house this year alone.
Just last weekend, she woke up to a car flipped onto her home after it dove down the embankment and onto her deck.
Earlier this month,another car collided with a telephone pole right outside her garage.
'You wake up, and you hear the sounds, and you don't know where they come from. And you know crashes have a particular noise that kinda just wakes you up and you just know,' Jung told KIRO7.
Homeowner Cindy Sell who has been living on the roadway for years said: 'None of the speed limits are respected people treated as a, as a speedway roadway'
Neighbors say the constant crashes are not only creating a financial burden but also making them question their safety
In January, another car crashed into a massive boulder placed by the street that was meant to protect her home - but instead ended up inside it.
'I said, "Where is the boulder?" And it wasn't until the cops shined the light on the window and I said, "Oh my god, it's in the bedroom,"' she recalled.
Resident Kat Sims, who has lived on Rainier Avenue for more than 13 years, noted that the collisions seem to be getting worse every year.
'We've had three cars totaled, we had a car come crashed through the fence and our roof of our house.
'Nobody has been spared. I can tell you family after family have not just had one car hit [their house], or their house hit, or their garage hit once, but multiple times over and over and over again,' Sims said.
Madelyn Jung is a landlady who has notably suffered serious property damage after three vehicles ended up inside her house this year alone
'I said, "Where is the boulder?" And it wasn't until the cops shined the light on the window and I said, "Oh my god, it's in the bedroom,"' Jung recalled
Resident Kat Sims, who has lived on Rainier Avenue for more than 13 years, noted that the collisions seem to be getting worse every year
Last year, deputies took a 10-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 43-year-old woman to the hospital after they were hit by a driver on the destructive avenue.
According to Seattle Police spokesperson Detective Valerie Carson, the collision involved one vehicle, and the driver stayed on scene and was not arrested.
Reports of these crashes continue to come despite theSeattle Department of Transportation's efforts to fix the 'highest collision corridor' in the city.
In an August 2020 report, officials noted that by redesigning the corridor through geometric changes, signal timing, speed limit modifications and transit efficiency measures such as new bus lanes, there was a 15 percent decrease in crashes.
Last year, deputies took a 10-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 43-year-old woman to the hospital after they were hit by a driver on the Avenue
Reports of these crashes continue to come despite the Seattle Department of Transportation's efforts to fix the 'highest collision corridor' in the city
However, the crashes continue to pile up.
In a traffic report issued later the same year, it was revealed thatvehicles hit pedestrians about 18 times on Rainier Avenue South even after the design changes.
Despite this, residents remain hopeful of the city's Vision Zero plan that was launched in 2015.
The plan aims to end traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.
Currently, the Transportation Department aims to 'complete the early-win intersection safety improvements at Rainier Avenue South and S Sturtevant St as well as Rainier Ave South and 54th Ave S.
