Car hits 3 people at famed Seattle fish market
A damaged car is shown at the scene of an accident in downtown Seattle, on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. The driver who lost consciousness hit three pedestrians at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Fire Department Lt. Sue Stangl says two of the injuries appear to be serious and one minor. All have been taken to Harborview Medical Center along with the car driver. The driver of a parked truck that was hit was not injured. The accident occurred just before noon Thursday on a steep hill leading into the market, one of Seattle's top tourist attractions. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Greg Gilbert)
SEATTLE — An out-of-control car careened down a steep hill at Seattle’s Pike Place Market on Thursday and injured three pedestrians, police and fire officials said.
One of the victims suffered serious injuries.
Fire Department Lt. Sue Stangl said the Subaru first struck a man, knocking him about 20 feet. It next hit a woman before smashing into a produce truck. The impact shoved the truck into a parked car, pinning a woman who had to be extracted by firefighters.
“He started hitting people like bowling pins. It was horrible,” witness Yaacov Reuven, a market musician, told KOMO-TV.
The Pike Place Market is a famed Seattle landmark where workers are frequently seen hurling giant fish back and forth in front of big tourist crowds. It also houses the original Starbucks coffee shop along with an array of seafood restaurants and street musical acts.
It was not immediately known what made the driver of the car lose control. He was being questioned by police.
The three pedestrians were taken to Harborview Medical Center where spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Harris said the man in his 50s was in serious condition in the intensive care unit. The two women, one 25 and the other in her 50s, were in satisfactory condition, she said.
The three suffered a variety of injuries, including broken ribs and abrasions, Gregg-Harris said.
