10:00am Update: According to Seattle Police Department, the driver was processed for DUI and subsequently booked into King County Jail for Vehicular Assault.
As for the victims taken to Harborview Medical Center, one is in critical condition with life threatening injuries, one is listed in serious condition and three listed in stable condition.
Original: A car plowed into group of people standing in front of a Fremont nightclub early this morning, sending them flying into the air and scattering their shoes across 36th St. Five people were injured, one critically.
“The way that these people flew over the top — all of them went over the car, not under the car,” said Alex, an eyewitness. “All of them went over the top, like rag dolls.”
“I was standing there looking at my friend, and the next second he was gone,” said another witness, who asked we don’t identify him.
The accident happened just after closing time in front of Nectar on 36th St. Multiple 911 calls streamed into dispatch moments after 2 a.m. Witnesses rushed to help the injured laying in the middle of the roadway.
“When our firefighters arrived, they saw a crowd of about 30 people,” said Seattle Fire Lt. Sue Stangl. “They said the crowd was extremely helpful. When they arrived, everybody was trying to render aid with the four people down on the ground.”
Jake was in Fremont celebrating the completion of his EMT examination when the accident happened. “I just got there as fast as I could,” he said, explaining he helped stabilize a patient while yelling at people to stop traffic. “Shoes were everywhere,” he said. “Once the medics arrived, they were all on top of it. They triaged like lightening.”
Stangl said a man in his 20s is the most critically injured. Several witnesses told us he was lying unresponsive in the street. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. A woman was also sent to Harborview with multiple fractures. One man suffered a broken arm, another a broken leg. And the fifth victim had a minor head injury.
Police took the suspect into custody at the scene and was evaluated by a Drug Recognition Expert for signs of impairment, said Detective Renee Witt with Seattle Police.
Several witnesses told us the victims were standing in the street, talking to someone inside a car when the accident happened. A vehicle was headed eastbound, striking the group and pulling off the road a half-block later. Its windshield and hood were smashed by the impact.
(Thanks Silver for the tip!)