‘It’s terrifying’: Neighbors urge city, county to make busy road safer after crash killed 4 people

RENTON, Wash. — Neighbors in Renton are urging the city and county to make a busy road — known in the community for its traffic and speeding — safer after a vehicle crash killed four people, including children.

INVESTIGATION:

King County deputies said they received a call about a crash at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in Renton Tuesday at 12:43 p.m.

Four vehicles were involved in the crash, officials said.

Four people died, including a 38-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, a 12-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, they added.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the three children as Eloise Wilcoxson, 12, Boyd B. Brown, 12, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13.

KIRO 7 News spoke with Melanie Haines Tuesday, who identified the 38-year-old woman as her sister, Andrea Hudson.

“Just that I love her, and I’m going to miss her, and that I will be here for her kids no matter what,” Haines said on Tuesday.

Deputies initially reported that four people were injured from the crash — three with life-threatening injuries and one with minor injuries — including the 18-year-old suspect.

KIRO 7 News reached out to Harborview to get the latest conditions Thursday.

A spokesperson said one female is now listed in serious condition, while two males are fighting for their lives in the intensive care unit. She said she did not have any other details.

King County deputies said criminal charges are pending.

The road was closed for several hours as deputies investigated at the scene.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the King County Sheriff’s Office to get more details, however, a spokesperson said they did not have any updates on the case as of Thursday.

“Our condolences go out to the families who have been impacted by this unimaginable tragedy,” the King County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a news release.

A number of people and families stopped by the makeshift memorial near the crash scene Thursday.

CONCERNS ABOUT 140TH AVENUE SOUTHEAST:

KIRO 7 News spoke with several neighbors, who shared concerns about 140th Avenue Southeast.

The speed limit on 140th Avenue Southeast, near Southeast 192nd Street, is 40 mph.

Chuck Hurt, a father who has lived in the area for 15 years, said drivers are often speeding up to 80 mph on a long stretch of the road over the years.

“Exceptionally dangerous driving going north and south on 140th. I would see speeds in excess of 60 or 70 or even 80 miles per hour sometimes. It’s not unusual,” he said.

Drivers are also spotted using the median lane to swerve through traffic, he added.

“The middle lane, the merge lane, people will start using it as a passing lane. So instead of getting over, they try to get around you and it’s not uncommon.” He said. “The worse fears imaginable that a mass fatality actually happened. Because this is something we’ve been worried about in this community for a long time.”

Back in August of 2022, Hurt said another driver was speeding on 140th Avenue Southeast and crashed into another vehicle, which killed two elderly people.

“An elderly couple was turning left into their neighborhood, but they were struck by a driver who was going at an exceptionally high rate of speed, and they both died in that accident,” Hurt said.

And Hurt said a lack of safety measures on the road are causing these issues.

“It’s a long stretch from the Fairwood Plaza to here, maybe a mile. No lights. Very little enforcement from local police departments. It’s kind of a local runway,” he described the road.

“I see people flying down this road every day. I see people passing in the turn lane. I see people tailgating. Road rage types of issues, if people aren’t driving fast enough,” said Tina McCanless, a mother who also lives near the crash scene.

“Devastated for those families especially when you heard it was children, thinking it could have been my children, it could have been my friend’s children,” she added. “I’m a mom and I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose your children. There’s nothing worse I can possibly think of.”

KIRO 7 News spoke with a father who said his family knew the victims. He shared a statement with us:

“Our family has 4 kids that all have gone to the HOME Program where this van was returning from. Our 6-year-old son is still attending. My wife and our 14-year-old son, Theo, knew some of the victims well. Theo probably would have been carpooling in that same van with the other students had he not switched to a public middle school just this year. Theo used to ride bikes with “Tilly” to the Dollar Store and play at her house. We are gutted by this tragedy and everyone at the HOME Program is affected. We are praying for and grieving with the families of the victims. It’s so startling to lose so many people we knew in an instant. They will be missed.

“We live off of 140th close to the accident location and drive this road daily. Personally, I wanted to hold up a sign that said “SLOW DOWN” a day after the crash. But in truth, someone driving 90MPH wouldn’t care about my sign. The road is a little dangerous, yes, and perhaps some “speed bump” type solutions would help, but every day we hear cars racing down this street. It’s not the average citizens that are the problem in my opinion, it’s the lawbreaking careless drivers.”

COUNTY AND CITY LEADERS:

McCanless told KIRO 7 News that a number of residents within the community have shared their concerns about the notorious speeding and crashes on 140th Avenue Southeast, but they have yet to see any changes.

“A lot of people have voiced concerns to councilmembers, police departments and state legislatures, and gotten no response at all,” she said.

Hurt told KIRO 7 News that he emailed his concerns about 140th Avenue Southeast to King County Councilman Reagan Dunn last July.

KIRO 7 News received a copy of his email, which wrote:

“I am writing to you today after witnessing yet another accident at the intersection of 140th Ave SE and 196th Street near Carriage Crest Elementary School. The accident happened at the entrance of the Windham Ridge/Addison Park neighborhood entrance. As you probably already know, this intersection frequently experiences dangerous collisions that have even resulted in the death of an elderly couple last summer. I would venture to guess there is an accident here every month on average. I frequently drive this road and witness excessive speeding with speeds upwards of 70-80mph, racing, and dangerous driving such as speeding down the middle turn lane or using it as a passing lane. I have a newer driver in our household, my son Carson, and have forbidden him from turning left onto 140th from Windham Ridge as it’s too dangerous. The recently installed speeding warnings don’t deter the irresponsible and dangerous drivers who use this road regularly.

“This is a known dangerous situation and it’s time for you and the rest of the King County Council to take real action. I strongly support the installation of a traffic light on this road, preferably right before and after Carriage Crest Elementary. How many people have to die or be seriously injured before real action is taken?”

He had not received a response since last summer, he said, until he reached out to the councilman again about Tuesday’s deadly crash.

“I saw an accident in the same spot where that couple passed away, just kind of had enough and sent an email to Councilman Dunn asking him to take a look at the situation and public safety measures that could be taken,” he described his first email. “I felt like we had seen so many accidents there, it was not unusually to see there. Something needed to happen, and granted it’s just an email, but I never did receive a response.”

Hurt said if something would’ve been done to improve the road following his initial email in July, it could have possibly saved lives in Tuesday’s crash.

“Really at disgust that our representatives never responded to the original request. I know I’m not the only person who reached out to representatives. We have an active Facebook page and people are making comments frequently about reaching out to the county, and nothing has changed up to this point,” Hurt said. “I don’t think I can overstate how concerned I am and other parents are as their loved ones travel up and down this road.”

KIRO 7 News reached out to Councilman Dunn to get his response. His office shared the following response:

“My heart goes out to the victims’ families for their immeasurable loss and I wish them peace in their time of grief. This is a deeply sad time for all those whose lives have been touched by this tragedy.

“I’ve been focused for years on increasing the public safety of our neighborhoods and roads in Fairwood, including through multiple emphasis patrols, advocating for increased law enforcement, and adding caution signs, guardrails, and speed cameras in school zones. We will continue to fight hard together as we work to bring more safety improvements to the Fairwood community.”

VIGIL:

McCanless said she and others are planning a candlelight vigil to support the victims’ families.

“The community and everything I’ve seen, everybody is behind them. And everybody wants to see a change so this doesn’t happen again,” she said.

Jacqueline Robertson, who had lived in Fairwood, near the crash scene for more than 30 years, said she and McCanless are planning to hold a candlelight vigil on Friday and Sunday at 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Carriage Crest Elementary to support the victims’ families.

“This accident could have been prevented if the county executives would have listened to the community. The people that live and work within that area who know firsthand how dangerous 140th can be,” she wrote in a statement. “The county could have put in place measures that would have made 140th safer that wouldn’t have cost the taxpayers very much money. Examples of that are putting an unmanned King County sheriff vehicle across the street of Carriage Crest. They could have changed the time delay on the light at 192nd that would give a little extra time from when the light turns red to green in the opposite direction. Measures like that. Do not cost anything and if they do, it’s a very minimal cost. How many lives need to be lost on 140th for them to make any changes,” she wrote in a statement.

GOFUNDME:

Loved ones created several GoFundMe pages to help the victims’ families during this difficult time. If you’d like to help, please click on the following links:

1. BOYD BROWN

2. MATILDA AND ELOISE WILCOXSON

3. ANDREA HUDSON AND NOLAN AND CHARLOTTE

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