Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
If someone you love is part of this data, call us.
We'll connect you with a vetted Washington attorney who handles fatal-crash and wrongful death cases and will evaluate whether you have a case.
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · WASHINGTON · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
72 CRASHES IN
WASHINGTON
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, Washington experienced 72 fatal crashes, an increase of 10.77% compared to 65 fatal crashes in September 2022. Total fatalities also rose from 72 to 78, representing an 8.33% increase. The most notable year-over-year shift was an 80% increase in pedestrian fatalities, rising from 10 in the prior period to 18 in the current period.
72
▲ 10.8%was 65
Total Crash Events
78
▲ 8.3%was 72
Persons Killed
39
▼ -11.4%was 44
Persons Injured
8
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (78) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (72) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
Fatal crashes in Washington increased by 10.77%, from 65 in September 2022 to 72 in September 2023. Total fatalities also saw an increase of 8.33%, rising from 72 to 78 during the same period. This indicates an upward trend in fatal crash incidents and associated fatalities year-over-year.
8
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
▼ 0.0% vs prior (8)
The number of hit-and-run fatal crashes remained constant at 8 in both September 2022 and September 2023. However, the hit-and-run rate decreased from 12.3% of all fatal crashes in the prior period to 11.1% in the current period, due to an overall increase in total fatal crashes.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
18
Pedestrians Killed
2
Cyclists Killed
56
Motorists Killed
2
Other Killed
1
Pedestrians Injured
0
Cyclists Injured
38
Motorists Injured
0
Other Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
The peak day for fatal crashes remained Saturday in both periods, with 21 fatal crashes in September 2023 compared to 15 in September 2022. The peak hour shifted from 3 p.m. with 9 fatal crashes in the prior period to 5 p.m. with 7 fatal crashes in the current period, indicating a slight shift in the timing of peak crash activity.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions slightly decreased from 53 in September 2022 to 51 in September 2023. Conversely, fatal crashes in cloudy conditions increased from 7 to 12, and in rainy conditions from 3 to 7, suggesting a shift towards more fatal crashes occurring in adverse weather. Fatal crashes in daylight increased from 32 to 36, while those in dark-lighted conditions decreased from 18 to 15.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
The total number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes increased from 98 in September 2022 to 103 in September 2023. Ford and Chevrolet saw increases in involvement, with Ford rising from 8 to 15 and Chevrolet from 9 to 14. Honda and Toyota, however, experienced decreases in involvement, with Honda dropping from 12 to 9 and Toyota from 12 to 8.
Top Vehicle Makes (103 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
7 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (163 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
Fatal crashes at 25 mph increased from 1 in the prior period to 5 in the current period, and at 40 mph from 5 to 10. Conversely, crashes at 45 mph decreased from 6 to 2, and at 60 mph from 12 to 9. This indicates a shift in fatal crash distribution, with more crashes occurring in lower-to-mid range speed zones (25-50 mph) and fewer in higher speed zones (45-60 mph).
Fatal crashes by zone: 15 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 25 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 30 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 35 mph: 14 of 14 (100%) · 40 mph: 10 of 10 (100%) · 45 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 50 mph: 12 of 12 (100%) · 55 mph: 5 of 5 (100%) · 60 mph: 9 of 9 (100%) · 65 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 70 mph: 3 of 3 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport', increasing from 39 in September 2022 to 49 in September 2023. Angle collisions decreased from 15 to 9, while front-to-front collisions increased from 4 to 9. Front-to-rear collisions remained constant at 4 in both periods.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The leading vehicle body type in fatal crashes shifted from 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' (18) in the prior period to 'Light Pickup' (26) in the current period. 'Light Pickup' involvement increased by 9, from 17 to 26, and 'Compact Utility' by 9, from 13 to 22. Conversely, 'Two Wheel Motorcycle' involvement decreased by 8, from 18 to 10, and '4-door sedan' by 5, from 18 to 13.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 15 reported. 6 additional (10 total) not shown: Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Off-road Motorcycle, Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Unknown truck type (light/medium/heavy).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
Fatal crashes in urban areas increased from 39 in September 2022 to 44 in September 2023, while rural fatal crashes increased from 24 to 28. In the current period, 38.9% of fatal crashes occurred on rural roads, a slight increase from 38.1% in the prior period. Rural roads continue to account for a significant portion of fatal crashes, which can be disproportionate to their traffic volume.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
In September 2023, 'Other Principal Arterial' and 'Minor Arterial' roadways accounted for the most fatal crashes, with 18 and 15 respectively. Fatal crashes on 'Minor Arterial' roads increased by 5, from 10 to 15. Fatal crashes on 'Interstate' roads decreased slightly from 9 to 8, while those on 'Local' roads increased from 5 to 8.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies were associated with the most fatal crashes in both periods, increasing from 29 in September 2022 to 32 in September 2023. Fatal crashes on roads owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies increased by 5, from 13 to 18. County Highway Agencies saw a slight decrease in associated fatal crashes, from 21 to 19.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the dominant person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 98 in September 2022 to 101 in September 2023. There was a notable increase in pedestrian involvement, rising from 11 to 19, and passenger involvement, increasing from 32 to 45. Bicyclist involvement also increased from 1 to 2.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of persons fatally injured (K) increased from 72 in September 2022 to 78 in September 2023. Conversely, the total number of injured persons (A+B+C+U) decreased from 44 to 39. The number of persons with no reported injury (O) increased significantly from 26 to 52.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons using shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes increased from 59 in September 2022 to 72 in September 2023. Concurrently, the number of persons reported with 'None Used/Not Applicable' safety equipment decreased from 41 to 33. This indicates a positive trend in seat belt usage among those involved in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The dominant point of impact in fatal crashes was the '12 Clock Point' (front), which increased from 50 in September 2022 to 66 in September 2023. Non-collision incidents decreased from 12 to 9. Impacts to the left side decreased slightly from 6 to 5.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 7 smaller categories (9 records): 9 Clock Point (2), Reported as Unknown (2), Undercarriage (1), Cargo/Vehicle Parts Set-In-Motion (1), Right-Back Side (1), 3 Clock Point (1), Left-Back Side (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased significantly from 36 in September 2022 to 46 in September 2023. Two-vehicle fatal crashes slightly decreased from 24 to 22. Crashes involving three or more vehicles decreased from 5 to 4.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Washington
- Total crash records analyzed: 72
- Total persons involved: 169
- Total vehicles involved: 103
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Washington Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/washington/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
Someone you love in this data? We’ll help you find out if you have a case.
Call our intake team. We connect you to a vetted Washington attorney who handles fatal-crash and wrongful death cases, and who will treat your family’s situation with care.
Always free for accident victims.