Three people, including at least one child, were hospitalized when the car flipped into a tree after it rolled down a steep hill.
TACOMA, Wash. — As Kelsie Shoup walked through her damaged front yard in Tacoma, she thanked her fortunate timing. On Sunday, a car barreled through her fence just 10 minutes after she and her dog stood in that exact spot outside.
Three people inside the car, including at least one child, were taken to a local hospital and are expected to survive.
Home security cameras captured portions of the crash, which began when the car started rolling backwards down the steep hill that runs in front of Shoup’s home on 33rd Street Northeast.
After crashing through the fence, the car hit a large boulder, causing it to roll over before slamming into and uprooting a tree.
Shoup eventually returned home to discover the chaotic scene.
Based on what she was told, Shoup said the car’s brakes failed when the vehicle approached Browns Point Boulevard at the top of the hill.
Heading west, the elevation quickly drops at the intersection of Browns Point Blvd and 33rd Street Northeast, before evening out at 40th Avenue Northeast.
The crash, which Shoup believes was a freak accident, renewed her family’s fears that something far worse could happen when reckless behavior is involved.
“Cars speed on this road and it’s concerning… It scares me so much. I’m scared to be in my front yard,” Shoup told KING 5. “Psychologically, I understand this kind of road almost invites people to speed.”
Shoup says the crash is part of a larger problem. She described the road as a “runway” for speeding drivers and said neighbors have repeatedly asked the city to address it.
“Little traffic calming measures would be really nice,” said Shoup. “There has to be some middle ground where our concerns are addressed to make our roads safer.”
There is also a school bus stop directly across from her home, a real concern for Shoup, who has young children of her own.
“If that happened during a school hour, or if we were sitting out there… we’d be talking about a funeral. We wouldn’t be talking about a fence or landscaping. All those things are replaceable. Our lives are not. I’d like the city to take those things seriously.”
City of Tacoma responds
A spokesperson for the City of Tacoma said it is aware of the crash and that the city “appreciates residents sharing their safety concerns with us.”
However, traffic-calming measures will not be implemented, the city said.
The street where the crash occurred is designated as an arterial, by the city’s Municipal Code. This means the portion of road is a “primary network for public travel and, crucially, as critical emergency response routes,” the city said in a statement to KING 5.
As an arterial route, the City of Tacoma “cannot implement one-off traffic calming features on arterials. Any traffic calming-related modifications to an arterial roadway must be evaluated, designed, and constructed as part of a wholesale capital improvement project focused on the corridor and accounting for emergency services’ needs,” the spokesperson said.
The city said its Public Works department is compiling crash data for the street for transportation engineers to review and determine if the street warrants a change in the future, as resources allow.
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