Runaway Tractor-Trailer Hits Edmonds Home, Narrowly Misses Kids

EDMONDS, WA - A runaway tractor-trailer crashed into an Edmonds home Monday afternoon, narrowly missing kids playing in the yard and another child napping inside the home.

The accident happened around 1 p.m. Monday when workers were picking up a backhoe from a construction site near 11th Place North and Viewland Way. Suddenly, the tractor-trailer began rolling away from the workers, and they were powerless to stop it.

The tractor-trailer crossed Olympic Avenue and into the yard of the home where just moments earlier children were playing, according to Edmonds police.

"All were able to escape the path of the runaway vehicle. A child napping in a room just feet from the impact point was also uninjured," Edmonds police spokesman Sgt. Josh McClure said in a press release.

In addition to smashing the house, the tractor leaked diesel fuel and knocked over a utility pole. Edmonds police and Washington State Patrol investigators are working to figure out why the accident happened.

The accident forced the closure of Olympic Avenue, preventing parents from picking up kids at nearby Edmonds Elementary. Police and school officials had to make alternate plans for parents.

Image courtesy Edmonds policehe