Dennis and Judy Schulte Memorial Walk & Rally (PHOTOS)

On Monday, March 25, 2013, a family crossing NE 75th Street at 33rd Avenue NE was struck by a drunk driver. Grandparents Judy and Dennis Schulte were killed instantly. New mother Karina Ulriksen-Schulte and her ten-day-old baby boy, Elias, were both critically injured.

A year later, Karina and Elias, along with other family members, community members, safe streets advocates, and local community and state representatives returned to the site together. And then continued on to a rally for more action to prevent driving while intoxicated.

The weather seemed to echo the emotions of the walkers: Blazing bright sunlight one moment — matching the smiles of those on the walk — followed by dark skies, heavy rains, and heavy hearts.

Our goal during the walk and rally was to capture as many images as we could. For more on the story of the walk and rally, we’ve collected links below:

• On year anniversary of devastating DUI, community rallies in call for ‘vision zero’ – Seattle Bike Blog

• Walking for Safe Roads – Wedgwood Community Association

• Family, friends mark somber DUI crash anniversary – KOMO News (includes video)

• Memorial walk, call for action a year after deadly Wedgwood DUI crash – Seattle Times (includes a photo gallery)

The starting point of the anniversary memorial walk was the same as it was almost a year ago: Top Pot Doughnuts, on the corner of NE 70th St and 35th Ave NE.

Before joining the main group of walkers across the street, members of the Schulte family met with some of the staff of Fire Station 40. Their engine was one of the first emergency vehicles to arrive at the collision scene a year ago.

Dan Schulte and one of the fire fighters of Station 40.

Back over at Top Pot, local media had some time to talk to Dan Schulte before the walk.

Here’s the same scene from another angle.

Per Johnson of the Wedgwood Community Council speaks to the gathered walkers. Purple shirts were given to participants to wear during the walk and rally, and also to the other events during Safe Roads Awareness Week.

Dan Schulte with his sister, Marilyn.

Seattle Police Department officers prepare to guide those on the memorial walk down the route to the crash.

Dan Schulte pushes his wife, Karina Ulriksen-Schulte, at the beginning of the memorial walk. Their son, Elias, is in the stroller on Karina’s right.

Former Mayor Mike McGinn (center, with blue cap) at the start of the walk.

State Representative Gerry Pollet (teal jacket, in front of yellow umbrella).

Madi Carlson, Family Ride, walks her wheels and brood down NE 35th Avenue.

The first round of heavy rain begins as the group nears the intersection of 35th Avenue NE and NE 75th Street. State Representative Jessyn Farrell (tan trenchcoat) walks with her two children.

The group begins to cross the intersection of 35th Avenue NE and NE 75th Street. As they walk up the hill towards 33th Avenue NE, the walkers take the same route (west up NE 75th Street) as Mark Mullan did in his large black pick-up truck one year ago.

Dan and Karina, and family.

 

At the NW corner of where 33rd Avenue NE meets NE 75th Street, the group pauses for a few moments, in silence. (We returned to the corner a few hours later to take the video above.)

Schulte family members moving on after a pause at the crash site.

One woman watches the family walk on as the main group of walkers continues to linger for a quiet moment at the site of the crash.

Main group now moving toward the site of the rally on the lawn of nearly Eckstein Middle School.

Battalion 6 Chief Mike Milam (white shirt, black tie) speaks with Fire Station 40 staff near the crash site. Chief Milam was also at the scene a year ago.

News crews film the crowd and the memorial site while some Eckstein students look on.

By the time the group arrives at the rally site, the rain was coming down hard.

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association board member Sarah Swanberg.

Dan Schulte thanks the first responders in attendance, and the crowd applauds.

Karina Ulkisen-Schulte (center with brown cap) listens to husband Dan speak.

Per Johnson (green), Cathy Tuttle (teal), and the crowd.

SDOT’s Chief Traffic Engineer, Dongho Chang, was easy to spot in the crowd.

Lacia Lynn Bailey keeps Judy’s Truffle dry at the rally. Lacia and a much smaller Judy’s Truffle were the last to speak with Judy, Dennis, Karina and Elias before they continued down 33rd Avenue NE to cross the street. She would also be one of the first people at the collision scene moments later.

SDOT Traffic Safety Coordinator Jim Curtin stands under his yellow umbrella during downpour number three of the event.

Sergeant Dave Fitzgerald of the Seattle Police Department, listening to speakers at the rally.

Mayor McGinn (in red) stands next to Cathy Tuttle, executive director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.

Virginia Gunby (burgundy coat), Transportation Chair of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, and her husband listen to rally speaker Darrin Grondel, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

State Senator David Frockt speaking at the rally. Courtney Popp, an attorney who volunteers with MADD, also spoke.

Elias, having a snack.

During a shift between pouring rain and pouring sunlight, we did get a rainbow near the crash site.

Marilyn Schulte addresses the crowd, thanking neighborhood residents for their support of her family.

After the rally concluded, Senator Frockt and a staffer (facing the camera) listened to Lacia Bailey describe the events of a year ago. Frockt’s own grandparents were killed in a collision by a suspected intoxicated driver in Tennessee.

Natural flowers at the rally site.

Hand-made flowers on Lacia’s fence across from the crash site.

The afternoon before the walk and rally, Lacia invited the community to come paint her fence, just across the street from the crash site, with bright flowers and positive messages to “DRIVE SOBER.” Judy’s Truffle was on hand, offering suggestions and reprising her position last year of comfort goat to those who needed a nuzzle.