The King County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday morning (Nov. 19th) that they need help in finding the vehicle that struck and critically injured Jeff Kearney, who was struck in a White Center crosswalk on Tuesday.
Kearney, 36, well-known in Burien as part of “Team Clean Sweep,” was crossing 16th Ave SW in the crosswalk at SW 106th. The suspect vehicle was southbound on 16th when it struck him. The vehicle slowed but did not stop and was last seen driving off southbound on 16th.
Kearney was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition, where he remains.
According to police, a driver’s side exterior mirror was found at the scene. There will also be damage to the left front fender.
The vehicle is probably maroon in color, a Chevrolet or GMC product, and is likely one of the following models:
- GM or Chevrolet full size pick-up: 1988-1989
- Blazer or Jimmy: 1992-1994
- Suburban: 1992-1999
- GMC Yukon: 1992-1999
- Chevrolet Tahoe: 1995-1999
If anyone recognizes the suspect vehicle they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.
PREVIOUSLY:
Sad news for Burien – a hit and run accident late Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 17th) on 16th SW in White Center has put Jeff Kearney (pictured, left) in critical condition in a medically-induced coma in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Jeff is known to most everyone in Burien as a huge part of “Team Clean Sweep,” and you’ve probably seen him or talked to him at one of the city’s many local events over the last several years. Despite being mentally-challenged, he is a very happy, gregarious, kind and hard-working 36-year old who seemingly knows everyone in town (especially the ladies).
On a personal note, we would often see Jeff at the weekly Farmer’s Market, and he’d always ask us how we were doing, where Janet was, how our parents were, how our spouses were and more, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company.
According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, the hit and run happened around 5:33pm Tuesday (Nov. 17th), when Jeff was crossing a marked crosswalk in White Center. The suspect vehicle was driving southbound on 16th SW at around 35mph, and struck him while he was still in the crosswalk, throwing Jeff some 30 feet. The vehicle, identified as a black SUV or truck, slowed down, then took off southbound on 16th. Reports are that an external side rear-view mirror fell off the vehicle. The driver is still at large.
Jeff Kearney, left, with Debra George.
“Jeff’s in a medically-induced coma right now,” said Mike Lindorff, his legal guardian and uncle. “He’s got minor fractures on his back and face, but the most concerning thing right now is that he has bleeding on the brain. They have drilled a hole in his head and are trying to reduce pressure so they can wake him up, and they won’t know if he has brain damage until then.”
Everyone here at The B-Town Blog, especially the ladies who were all well-known by him, send our hopes, prayers and meditations to our friend Jeff Kearney for a full and speedy recovery.
We ask also that our Readers take a moment to look at Jeff’s photo and send positive vibes his way.
Also, according to Debra George, who worked closely with Jeff:
“If you’d like to drop anything off you can drop it off at the Mark Restaurant & Bar (918 SW 152nd Street) and I will make sure it gets to him as soon as he is out of ICU.
Thank you for your kindness.”
On another note, we hope that the police catch the hit and run driver and that justice is fully served.
If you have any information on a suspect black SUV or truck that is missing a side rear-view mirror, please call 911 immediately.
According to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department, a 41 year-old woman shot her 55 year-old boyfriend at least twice with a handgun around 10:30pm last night (Oct. 1st) in the 800 block of SW 117th, which is in the newly-annexed area.
The male victim was taken to Harborview Hospital in Seattle with non life- threatening injuries.
The couple live with the man’s brother and the woman’s 15 year-old son, both of whom were home at the time of the shooting.
The son called 911 and everyone except the female suspect made their way out of the house as deputies arrived.
The woman refused to come out of the house or communicate with deputies for over three hours. Eventually the Sheriff’s SWAT Team entered the residence and took the woman into custody just before 2am.
The female suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Assault in the First Degree. A small caliber handgun was recovered inside the house.
According to The Seattle P-I, John Simmons, 22, has had charges of vehicular assault filed against him for losing control of his car and striking a woman and her three children (including twins in a stroller) at the intersection of SW 150th and 4th Ave SW in Burien on Aug. 30th.
Prosecutors contend that Simmons, from Tukwila, was driving drunk at 6:10pm on Aug. 30 when he allegedly lost control of his vehicle, skidded across oncoming traffic and up onto a sidewalk, where he struck a 31-year-old woman, her 7-year-old daughter and 11-month-old twins in a stroller.
According to Deputy Prosecutor Amy Freedheim, the woman and her youngest children suffered cuts and soft-tissue damage, and the 7-year-old girl’s leg was broken and required surgery.
After striking the family, Simmons apparently drove back onto the street and grazed a building before striking a utility pole and stopping. His car crashed, Simmons apparently then tried to flee the scene on foot but was tackled by a bystander and restrained until the cops arrived.
Simmons was charged earlier this month with vehicular assault and felony hit and run. He was booked into King County Jail following the crash and is currently being held on $25,000 bail.
Read the full story here.
Robin Dunkle of BTB Advertiser Howard and Marge Clothing (who recently spearheaded a meal drive) just sent us the following update on Jason Sanders of “The Bean” espresso, who broke his pelvis in a head-on collision in California in late December:
Our “MAN” Jason Sander’s from The Bean Espresso is doing great!
He is recovering nicely.
His Dr. gave the a-okay to use his walker and he is not required to use his wheelchair unless he needs to.
His pelvis had several fractures and now he is told by the Dr. he is about 90% healed on right side and 25% on left.
You can’t keep Jason down – he is in great spirits and very appreciative to all who have contributed to his aid in recovery.
Robin also reminds us that Howard and Marge is having a special Valentine’s Bash Party & Trunk Show this Thursday night (Feb. 12th) from 5pm-9pm, featuring:
- Valentine Treats
- Delicious Bites
- Drinks & Bubbly
- Raffle for an awesome Valentine’s Gift Bag filled with unbelievable Goodies and Surprises. Raffle will be called @ 7:30pm, and you must be present to win.
- Girls, bring your Guys! The guys will enjoy shopping our unique selection of men’s threads 25% – 50% off while getting Valentine Gift ideas for their Ladies!
All of us here at the B-Town Blog send our positive, healing thoughts to Jason, who we hope to see soon back at The Bean!
On Dec. 31st, we reported that Burien resident and businessman Jason Sanders (of Seahurst espresso stand “The Bean”) had been “moderately” injured in a head-on collision in California, suffering from a broken pelvis.
Jason may be coming home very soon, and Wednesday we received word from Robin Dunkle of BTB Advertiser Howard and Marge about a unique way to help him – she’s spearheading a “meal list” where volunteers can sign-up to make meals for him as he continues his recuperation with his father at home.
According to Robin:
So, word has it, Jason comes home this week.
We are getting our heads together and doing a weekly meal list.
Jason’s father will be here taking care of him so we are putting together a sign-up sheet to provide daily meals for Jason and his father over the next months.
If this sounds of interest to you and you would like to help out, please email Robin Dunkle @ howardandmarge@comcast.net.
I can email you the sign up list.
Jason will soooo appreciate this! Thanks Burien!!
So, you heard the request – now it’s time to answer the call and help your neighbor…
Jason Sanders, 42, of Burien’s “The Bean,” an espresso stand across the street from BTB Advertiser Howard & Marge, as well as the Seahurst Post Office (see map below), was “moderately” injured in a head-on car collision last Saturday, Dec. 26th.
According to the folks at The Bean, Jason was apparently driving from his Mother’s home in Mendocino, CA on Highway 101 when a vehicle crossed the center line and hit the passenger side of his car. While not a direct head-on collision, it was so serious that a passenger in the other vehicle had to be extricated by fire fighters.
Jason suffered a broken pelvis, some lacerations, but otherwise no head trauma. He is currently recovering at the University of California, Davis Hospital in Sacramento.
Co-workers at The Bean say he’ll probably be back on the job, in crutches, within a few weeks. They also say that since he’s a veteran, it’s likely that he has health insurance.
Here’s a snippet from the Ukiah Daily Journal, a local paper that reported on the accident:
A south-bound motorist on a northern Mendocino County stretch of Highway 101 collided head-on with an oncoming car about 2:56 p.m. Saturday.
A woman and two men involved in the collision wore seat belts and alcohol is believed to have not been a factor, a report from California Highway Patrol’s Garberville office stated.
Adam T. Wyndham, 29, of Albany, drove just north of Bridges Creek when he crossed the yellow center lines and collided with 42-year-old Jason Reno Sanders of Burien, Wash., CHP stated.
According to CHP, driving conditions that afternoon were wet and raining.
Wyndham’s passenger, Sherrezada Kent, 29, of Albany, sustained major injuries. CHP stated Kent was pinned in the front passenger seat of a 2005 Ford driven by Wyndham. Then a lengthy extrication, CHP stated, was needed to get her out of the vehicle.
Wyndham sustained minor injuries and Sanders sustained moderate injuries in Saturday’s accident. No arrests were made.
Wyndham, Kent and Sanders all were taken to Jerold Phelps Hospital across the Mendocino and Humboldt County line in Garberville.
Everyone here at The B-Town Blog sends their sincere “best wishes for a speedy recovery” to Jason, his family, friends and co-workers.
We’ll update this story as we receive more information.
by Janet Grella
When BTB Editor Scott Schaefer remarked that we didn’t have a story for Veterans Day, my first and only thought was to stop by the Burien headquarters of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
I’ve been driving by that office for 14 years, and always wanted to know what they were up to. Turns out a lot…
View Larger Map
Located at 616 SW 152nd in Burien, this is headquarters for the northwest region, serving over 400 paralyzed service men and women in Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Western Montana. The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a congressionally chartered veterans service organization founded in 1946. NWPVA (Northwest Paralyzed Veterans of America) was founded in Burien over 30 years ago, and has been at their 152nd location for 20 years.
They are paralyzed veterans advocates at both the state and national level. Their mission is to protect veterans’ rights on the issue of quality healthcare, to promote the research and education addressing spinal cord injury and dysfunction, and protect the civil rights and opportunities to maximize the independence of its members.
Veteran David Zurfluh was once paralyzed from the neck down but is now able to walk.
The office is manned by Executive Director Ernie Butler, and Office Manager Lisa Lawrence. NWPVA depends on volunteers that are veterans of military accidents. President and volunteer of NWPVA, David Zurfluh told BTB that most veterans with spinal cord injury occurred during military accidents as opposed to war. David wants our readers to know that the PVA is for veterans who have suffered spinal cord injuries due to to severing, diseases of the spine or MS.
David’s accident occurred after he left the first Gulf War and was stationed in Japan. He was career Air Force getting ready to become a flight engineer. He was injured while in a training exercise with the Japanese National Self Defense Team – he was a passenger in a car accident that severed his spine. He was paralyzed from the neck down for the first two weeks of his hospitalization. The doctors gave him an outside chance of walking again. Thirteen years later and years of rehab, David is what is known as an “Incomplete Quadriplegic”, which means after wheel chairs, then leg braces, David is able to walk, thanks to the help of AFO’s, or Artificial Foot Orthodics that function as a mini-brace around his ankles. He thinks he walks like Peter Boyle’s “Frankenstein”, but he IS walking, and able to use his left hand (he was formerly right handed). He credits the PVA’s advocacy in research, education and technical advances in spinal cord injuries to doubling his and others’ life expectancies.
NWPVA is currently fundraising for the National Veterans Wheel Chair Games in Spokane next July. Over 500 athletes from all over the United States and an honorary team from England will compete in Softball, Basketball, and Quad Rugby. Your donation will help the wheel chair athletes travel to Spokane. You can donate by using www.goodsearch.com, by clicking on their donation page, or by mailing a check to:
NWPVA
616 SW 152nd
Burien, WA 998166
If you’ve never seen Quad Rugby, check out this video – this is one intense sport:
NWPVA has local sports outings, including hunting, fishing and shooting.
“You put a gun in an army or marines hands and they just love it”, explains David.
Other things they do for NWPVA members is monthly pizza parties, including salad and soda at the Spinal Cord Unit at Veterans Hospital, a Christmas party and summer picnic for members.
What are David and his group of volunteers at NWPVA doing this Veterans Day and the day after? Visiting 50 paralyzed veterans at the Spinal Cord Unit at Seattle Veterans Hospital to let them know they are not forgotten, and honor each and every one for their service.
Perhaps readers of BTB should take a moment to honor them and other veterans too.
View Larger Map1/11/08 update from KCPQ:
An 18 year-old woman was injured in a car-vs.-pedestrian accident this morning about 6:45 AM.
It happened in Burien at the 17700 block of Ambaum Blvd South (previously it was reported at 177th & Des Moines Memorial Way).
She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
It was dark and raining at the time of the collision. The victim was crossing an Ambaum crosswalk. According to witnesses, the pedestrian was crossing against a red light, and was wearing all dark clothing.
The vehicle involved was a 2004 Honda Civic, driven by a 58 year-old man from University Place. There was no indication of drugs, alcohol, or speed as contributing factors in the accident.
The accident remains under investigation.
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AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED:
According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, a female pedestrian was hit by a car Friday morning (1/11/08) around 6:45 a.m. at 177th Street and Des Moines Memorial Drive.
The condition or age of the victim is not known.
A witness claims she saw shoes and a backpack on the roadway.
More info to come as we learn the victim’s condition.
Video story here.
SOURCES:
