Three hurt when Grand Am rolls in parking lot; S. 180th St. closed for about two hours

A Pontiac Grand Am traveling at a high rate of speed overturned in a parking lot in south Renton Friday morning, trapping the three occupants inside, according to the Renton Police Department.

The three passengers were transported to Valley Medical Center nearby with non-life threatening injuries, according to police. Their conditions weren't immediately known.

The accident happened at about 9:50 a.m. on South 180th Street (Southwest 43rd Street) between Oakesdale Avenue and Lind Avenue.

The driver was eastbound when he lost control of the car, crossing two lanes to the left, hitting the curb and crossing the sidewalk and a landscaped area, said Commander Clark Wilcox, commander of the Police Department's Patrol Services Division.

The car struck a tree and began to rotate, going through two bushes and then flipping upside down, with the three occupants still inside, Wilcox said.

It landed between a utility trailer and another vehicle in the parking lot.

Crews from Renton Fire and Life Safety extricated the three form the car.

Eastbound 43rd Street between Oakesdale and Lind was closed for about two hours. Metro Transit was alerted to the closure as it could affect bus routes.

The fire department was called back later because the vehicle was leaking gas. The car was righted at about 12:30 p.m. and the eastbound lane was reopened.

The driver is under investigation for vehicular assault. Investigators are determining whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

 

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

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