- Commercial passenger van jumped curb in downtown Seattle hitting four pedestrians before crashing into store window
- Authortities say incident does not appear to be deliberate as driver suffered a medical episode and lost consciousness before crash
- Four people were hit by the van and one person was injured by shards of glass from a store window
- A man is in serious condition and three other people are in stable condition at area hospitals
- The driver of the van was taken to Harborview Medical Center and was reported to be in serious condition
Authorities say it appears the driver of a shuttle van that struck a downtown Seattle building Thursday and injured several pedestrians had a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle.
The driver of the Shuttle Express commercial passenger van suffered a medical episode and lost consciousness just before the crashing into a Gap store at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street around 11.55am (PST) on Thursday, the Seattle Times reported.
‘The van did not accelerate,’ said Assistant Police Chief Marc Garth Green. ‘Nothing obvious to make this an intentional act or deliberate.’
Four people were hit by the van and one person was injured by shards of glass from a Gap store window smashed by the vehicle, police said.
Authorities say it appears the driver of a shuttle van that struck a downtown Seattle building Thursday and injured several pedestrians had a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle
The driver of the Shuttle Express commercial passenger van suffered a medical episode and lost consciousness just before the crashing into a Gap store at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street around 11.55am (PST) on Thursday
Four people were hit by the van and one person was injured by shards of glass from a Gap store window smashed by the vehicle, police said
Fire spokeswoman Kristen Tinsley said a man is in serious condition and three other people are in stable condition at area hospitals.
The driver was also taken to Harborview Medical Center and was reported to be in serious condition, police said.
One passenger was inside the shuttle van and was not injured.
Of the driver, witness Amani Wright told KOMO: ‘He literally jumped the curb and smacked them.’
Witness John Clarke told the Times that he saw the van come through an intersection before suddenly swerving and jumping the curb.
‘It jumped the curb. I yelled,’ Clarke said. ‘It came toward the building and hit the building.’
Clarke said he saw a man and woman get hit by the van.
‘I thought she was dead,’ he said.
The Seattle police and fire departments posted photos on social media of a white van with a dented left side that was stopped about a yard from the side of a downtown store.
Authorities have not released the identities of neither the driver or the victims in the accident.