Car veers off NE 75th St, 83-year-old driver injured (UPDATE)

Just after 11 AM on Tuesday, September 24, the Seattle Fire Department responded to a heavy rescue call on NE 75th Street just east of 26th Avenue NE.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer photojournalist Josh Trujillo (left) takes a picture at the scene.

A vehicle was traveling *eastbound* [corrected] on NE 75th Street when it left the roadway, struck and disassembled a road sign (pictured above), and came to rest on a cement embankment on the side of a nearby home’s driveway.

A car left the roadway, nearly crashing into a house on NE 75th St, just blocks from Ekstein Middle School. pic.twitter.com/ZfaDa0alFR

— Joshua Trujillo (@joshtrujillo) September 24, 2013

After leaving the roadway, the vehicle drove through parts of two yards before coming to rest on the embankment of a raised driveway.

The driver, an 83-year-old woman, was taken to Harborview Medical Center by Seattle Fire staff. She was transported in stable condition, said Seattle Fire.

View looking dowhill (west) along NE 75th St at emergency and police vehicles at the scene.

Eastbound NE 75th Street was blocked for a time for emergency vehicles, after which Seattle Police officers directed traffic past the scene using the new left turn lane. The sidewalk on the south side was closed while police investigated the scene.

UPDATE (2:30 PM): A little more info from a Seattle Police Department Blotter post up just now:

Preliminary investigation indicates that an 83-year-old woman was driving her Honda Element eastbound on NE 75th Street.  Just after crossing 26^thAvenue NE, for reasons yet to be determined, she left the roadway and drove over the south sidewalk, up an embankment and crashed into a house.

There were people inside the house at the time of the collision however, nobody inside the house was injured.

The driver of the Honda (and sole occupant of the vehicle) sustained serious injuries in the collision and was transported to Harborview Medical Center by fire department medics.

Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.

SPD estimates that NE 75th Street should be fully reopened around 3 PM today..