Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

KOMO TV reports that Lakewood, Washington police are looking for a 2006 silver Scion which they believe was involved in a hit-and-run accident in the 7400 block of Lakewood Drive on Friday evening around 5:15 pm. Dave Guttu, a police spokesman, said that a 39-year-old-woman was hit and suffered serious injuries by a driver who ran a red light. The injured woman was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma where she is being treated for internal injuries.

Every year, 1,000 people are killed and around 90,000 injured by aggressive drivers who run red lights according to The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.

If your or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed by a driver who ran a red light, you are entitled to compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering. The Farber Law Group has 30 years experience in representing personal injury victims with serious injuries. Contact us today for a free case consultation.

The City of Bellevue, Washington, is installing red light cameras at some key intersections to catch aggressive drivers who are running red lights. The Seattle Times reports that the cameras will be installed within the next six months at up to six busy intersections. The City of Bellevue also plans to place speed cameras to catch speeding drivers near three elementary schools.

Every day, aggressive drivers run red lights, endangering the lives of motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 1,000 people are killed and 90,000 are injured every year by motorists running red lights. The problem seems to be increasing at an alarming rate.

Motorists who run red lights usually site the reason as "being in a hurry." A study done by the California Board of Audits show that the red light cameras reduce the number of crashes. The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running sites a Charlotte, North Carolina red light camera program for cutting the number of car crashes in the city by 10%.

In Washington State, RCW 46.61.050 -- Obedience to and required traffic control devices, is the code that is relevant to running a red light.

If you or loved one is seriously injured or killed by a driver running a red light, then that person is responsible for your damages, including pain and suffering, because of their negligence. Contact The Farber Law Group so that your rights are protected. Contact us today for a free case consultation.

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries and the Washington State Patrol is investigating the death of a construction worker who was hit and killed by a construction vehicle while working on a Highway 304 in Bremerton, Washington. The Kitsap Sun reported that Ricky C. Schaff was hit and killed by a Ford water tank trunk when it was backing up. Washington State Patrol Lt. Ken Noland said the backup alarm was sounding at the time.

Both Schaaf and the 26-year-old driver of the water tank truck were employees of Ceccanti Inc., the contractor on the project. Bremerton Mary Cary Bozeman called the accident a "tragedy."

State troopers said that the driver of the truck voluntarily submitted to a blood test but it did not seem that he was impaired at the time of the accident.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, in 2006, 87 Washington State workers were killed on the job.


Workplace injuries and deaths involve worker's compensation. In addition, a worker's family may be entitled to compensation from 3rd parties if it is found that negligence on their part contributed to a death or serious injury. Click here for a useful list of Construction Accident Resources.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of a construction accident, you should retain an attorney experienced in personal injury. At The Farber Law Group, our lawyers are familiar with worker's compensation laws and laws regarding 3rd parties. While money cannot fully compensate for a serious and debilitating injury or the loss of a loved one, compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings can help insure a stable future for you and your family. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

Bellevue, Washington city officials have been warned in a series of e-mails about a speeding problem along Main Street between 140th Avenue Northeast and 156th Avenue Northeast. The Seattle Times reporter Charles Brown reported that Jim Cox a long time resident of East Bellevue has tradied e-mails with Bellevue for more than a year. Cox says often cars exceed the 25mph speed limit. Bellevue city officials says that speeding is a problem in that stretch of road and that they have given 400 tickets in one 12-month period and 600 in another 12-month period. The section of road where the speeding is occurring is in the vicinity of Sammamish High School.

Cox has suggested that the City of Bellevue needs to install overhead signs above crosswalks and signs in the median to alert drivers. Charles Bush, an aide in the city manager's office, wrote, "Let me assure you we are in the process of making improvements but that there are challenges faced by our engineering staff that have impacted the schedule for accomplishing the improvements."

The City of Bellevue says they are not ignoring Cox's warnings about the speeding drivers.

Every year, 100,000 pedestrians are injured and approximately 5,900 pedestrians are killed by drivers of cars. Young children and the elderly are often the victims of a pedestrian accident.

If you or a loved one was a pedestrian and was injured in an accident, contact The Farber Law Group immediately.

Gisela Weber of Portland, Oregon was hit from behind by a Dodge Ram pickup truck which was then hit by a GMC pickup. The Washington State Patrol said Weber may have slowed on westbound Highway 14 near milepost 23 to avoid a dog on the highway. Weber was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center for neck injuries. Police said her 2006 Nissan Murano was totaled.

Charles Nosler of Vancouver who was driving a Dodge Ram and Jeffrey Harrison of Vancouver who was driving the GMC pickup were both cited for "following too closely" reported The Columbian. The Washington State Vehicle code, WPI 70.04, Duty of the Following Driver, says that a driver should not follow another vehicle more closely than is "reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of the vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the street or highway." When a vehicle is following another vehicle and they are in a collission, the duty of avoiding the collision is on the following driver.

The Farber Law Group generally handles auto accident cases on a contingent fee basis. This means that you do not pay any attorney's fees unless they recover money for you. You are entitled for compensation for your property damages and for pain and suffering. Please contact us for more information and schedule a free consultation.

A 23-year-old Tumwater man, Travis Kivela, was arrested by Lacey, Washington police after he allegedly struck a man with his car while he was leaving a party. Police had been called to the party at the 3400 block of Ruddell Loop SE about 2:30 am after they received a call about a fight at a party. While the police were en-route, Kivela allegedly left the party in his Dodge Durango and hit one of the party goers.

Pollice said that six men were in the Kivela's Durango at the time and that they were all intoxicated. Police have not yet received the results of Kivela's blood-alcohol test; the legal limit for driving in Washington State is no higher than 0.08 percent. In Washington State, a person can be charged with Vehicular Assault if he or she seriously injures someone while driving recklessly, driving under the influence or driving without regard for the safety of others.

The man who was hit by the Durango was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia where he was treated for facial injuries and then released. according to The Olympian.

If you have been seriously injured in an automobile accident or if you were the victim of a drunk driver, please contact The Farber Law Group today to arrange for a free consultation.

Researchers at the University of Washington of Seattle report that 60% of traumatic injury victims still have significant pain more than a year after the accident. The study which was published in the journal, Archives of Surgery was conducted by Dr. Frederick Rivara, MD. The study followed 3047 patients from the ages of 18-24 in 14 States. Patients were the victims of traumatic injury such as falls and motor vehicle accidents. The injuries patients received included head injuries, broken limbs, abdominal trauma. Patients suffered pain in their back, limbs, head and neck.They were asked to assess their pain on a scale from 1-10 with 10 the most severe. Traumatic injury patients scored an average of 5.5 a year after their initial trauma.

Dr Frederick commented, “I was surprised that the pain was as common and as severe as they report it to be.” The study findings encourage physicians to treat the pain as well as the injury. “Earlier and more intensive interventions to treat pain in trauma patients in needed,” is one of the conclusions of the study.

According to the American Pain Foundation, people who suffer chronic pain are at a higher risk of depression than the population at large. They also miss more days of work, are disabled and unable to function normally. Chronic pain leads to 100 billion dollars in lost income and productivity, according to the Foundation, .

If you or a loved one has sustained a serious personal injury due to a car accident, a fall on a construction site or on a business premises, you are entitled to compensation for the injuries you suffered and for your pain and suffering. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing victims of traumatic injury. Contact us today for a free consultation.

The Washington State Highway Patrol reported that a wrong-way driver on Highway 2 near Leavenworth, Washington hit a truck belonging to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, injuring the driver, Randall G. Trivett of Monroe. Trivett was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle reported the Wenatchee World.

Trooper Rich Magnussen of the Washington State Patrol said that the wrong-way driver hit Trivett who was eastbound on Highway 2 about 30 miles west of Leavenworth. Trivett’s pickup ended up on the shoulder. The driver of the wrong-way vehicle then fled the scene of the accident. Detective Loren Barger of the State Patrol asks that anyone who saw a light blue vehicle on Highway 2 that was involved in the accident to call 509-663-9721.

Highway 2 near Leavenworth is in the Cascade Mountains and is mostly a two lane highway.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an automobile accident, you should consult a lawyer to ensure that all of your damages are recovered. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years of experience in handling auto accident cases. Please contact us for more information and to schedule a free case consultation.

A 21-year-old pedestrian was hit on Interstate 405 in Bellevue, Washington at the intersection of the Southeast Eighth Street exit reported Brad Wong for The Seattle Post Intelligencer. The accident, which occurred, in the early morning hours occurred after the Bellevue man crossed barriers and walked into traffic where he was hit by a semi-truck. It appears that the man left his vehicle after it had spun out of control and was trying to leave the freeway.

The State Patrol does not know whether the pedestrian was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he was hit.

Last year, according to the National Safety Council, more than 5,900 pedestrians were killed by cars.

While it does not appear that the driver of the semi-truck in this case was negligent, if you or a loved one is seriously injured in an accident, contact The Farber Law Group immediately.

The Columbian reported that a mother and her daughter were killed and five other people travelling in other cars were injured in an accident on I-5 near Vancouver. Patricia Smith, 54, and her daughter Kathy Marie Smith, 35, died in the crash. The Washington State Patrol said Clayton C. Wayman, 59, of Olympia was speeding when he rear-ended Smith’s Toyota causing her car to careen into the southbound lanes. Washington State Patrol said that no arrests or citations were made at the scene.

Most automobile accidents are caused by a person’s negligent or reckless actions. Many times car accidents result in serious injury such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage or, in this case, even death.

If you or a family member is seriously injured or if a loved one is killed in a car accident, you should consult a personal injury attorney. The Farber Law Group has over 30 years experience in handling automobile accident cases. Please contact us for more information and to schedule a free consultation.

A logging truck driver from Chehalis, Washington was killed on March 13th in Rockaway Beach, Oregon after the truck -- laden with logs -- that he was driving veered off of Highway 101 near Rockaway Beach in Oregon. The Bend Weekly reported that Dale E. Pickett, the truck driver, was killed at the scene. Oregon State Patrol troopers from nearby Tillamook are investigating the cause of the truck accident. It appears that the logs shifted into the cab of the truck, killing Pickett upon impact. Highway 101 was closed for nearly four hours after the accident.

Large truck accidents killed 62 people in Oregon State and 63 people in Washington State in 2006 according to the United States Department of Transportation. There are many factors that can cause a truck accident. Leading causes include:

• Fatigued or overly-tired operator
• Improper securing of the load
• Mechanical failure
• Illegal maneuver
• Distraction
• Prescription or over-the-counter drug use
• Excessive speed
• Unfamiliarity with the road or bad roads

The majority of truck accidents, however, are caused by someone driving a smaller vehicle. Often the smaller vehicle driver will commit one of the following errors:

• Driving in the truck’s blind spot
• Cutting into a lane in front of a large truck
• Failure to keep a distance between the passenger vehicle and truck

If you or a family member has been severely injured or a family member killed in a trucking accident, you may need to contact a personal injury attorney. The Farber Law Group has over thirty years experience in representing victims of trucking accidents. At The Farber Law Group we investigate the causes of the accident to determine if factors outside the operator’s control were at fault such as improper securing of the load or mechanical failure. Contact us and we will provide a free consultation on your case.

Posted by The Farber Law Group | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Motor Vehicle Accidents , Trucking Accidents

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The Wenatchee World reported today that a cyclist was injured after a collision with a car. The cyclist was taken to Central Washington Hospital for treatment. The accident occurred on Chelan Avenue in downtown Wenatchee. The car was coming out of an alley when the collision occurred. The Wenatchee police are investigating the accident but they did not cite the driver of the car at the scene.

According to the United States Department of Transportation, there were 8,540 collisions between bicycles and automobiles reported to the police between the years of 1988-1993 in Washington State. Some of the interesting facts in the study include:

• One-half of all collisions between bicycles and automobiles involved cyclists who were 15 years old or younger.
  
• 80% of the collisions involved male cyclists.
  
• More than one-half of the collisions occurred at intersections.
  

If you are involved in a bicycle accident, here are some recommendations:

• Do not make any assumptions at who is fault.
  
• Use your cell phone and call 9-1-1.
  
• Do not move your bicycle – leave it where it lays so the police can use the position of the bicycle, etc. to help make their determination.
  
• Get contact information from any witnesses.
  
• Take pictures. While most cyclists travel light, most cell phones come with a built-in camera these days.
  
• Seek medical attention. Cyclists tend to be pretty stoic about pain but you should be treated immediately.
  
• Do not given a written or recorded statement to anyone.
  
• Do not settle your case until you understand the full extent of your injuries.
  

If you or a family member has been seriously injured in a bicycle accident, you may need to seek legal representation. The Farber Law Group has over thirty years experience in representing personal injury cases. Call today for a free consultation.

Posted by The Farber Law Group | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bicycle Accidents , Motor Vehicle Accidents

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