Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Two teenage girls from Yelm were critically injured in a car accident this morning when the car they were driving crossed the center line and ran head-on into an oncoming truck. The car accident occurred on Morris Road, south of 110th Avenue in Yelm around 7am.

The girls, both 16 years of age, were identified as Skye Calhoun, the driver, and Alexandria Bachmeier, the passenger. Both girls were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where Calhoun was listed in critical condition and Bachmeier was upgraded to serious condition.

The truck driver, Matthew L. Benson of McKenna, was reportedly not injured.

According to a report in The Tacoma News Tribune, Bachmeier was driving too fast for the wet road conditions and crossed the center line where the road curves.

The risk of a car accident is the highest in a person's first year of driving. Inexperience is the leading factor in most car accidents involving teenagers. In Washington state, a graduated driver's license was instituted to help protect teen drivers. One of the rules of the graduated license is that for the first six months after licensing, a driver cannot drive without a passenger under the age of 20 that is not a member of the driver's own family.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports Brian Redman, a popular musician and leader of the rock band Dirty Knockers was killed in a scooter accident.

According to the report, Redman hit a curb while riding his scooter and crashed in the 2400 block of North 21st street in Tacoma.

Redman, age 31, was known in the music scene for his band and also for his other projects including 3 Inches of Blood. He also worked as a bartender at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma where a tribute and benefit concert will be held this Friday night.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Robert Ottoboni, 34, of Olympia pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault and hit-and-run driving in Thurston County Superior Court. Ottoboni was involved in a car accident on June 23 on Yelm Highway which critically injured a 4-year-old boy and seriously injured a 10-year-old boy. Ottoboni was rushing his dog to the veterinarian and was driving recklessly when he hit a car in which the boys were passengers.

The Olympian reports the boys' family provided the court with victim-impact statements which described their son's injuries and the fact that the 4-year-old requires several reconstructive facial surgeries.

It is not clear whether Ottoboni was intoxicated at the time of the accident though he did admit that he had consumed several beers before the accident.

Vehicular Assault can be charged if a person is seriously injured in a car accident and the driver was under the influence, driving recklessly or driving with disregard to the safety of others. Ottoboni will be sentenced on October 22 and could serve up to 10 years n prison.

Ottoboni's attorney, James Dixon, said that Ottoboni is remorseful about the accident and he pleaded guilty to two felonies without seeking a plea agreement.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may be able to obtain compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

King County prosecutors have filed Vehicular Homicide charges against Hermilo Limon Garcia whose pickup truck hit a party bus, killing Scott A. Glover and critically injuring himself and his passenger earlier this month.

Glover, age 26 of Federal Way, received a traumatic head injury and died as he attempted to repair the small bus that was stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Tukwila.

According to a report in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Garcia's blood alcohol content was .2% which is more than twice the legal limit of .08%. State patrol troopers found Garcia with a beer bottle between his legs after the accident.

Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person is killed in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Three people were killed in a single car accident in the early morning hours in SeaTac reports The Seattle Times.

The details are still a bit sketchy but it appears as if the driver of the vehicle was speeding and lost control of the vehicle, hitting two trees, a power pole before running into a building near 8th and 192nd. The vehicle then burst into flames.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A popular Vancouver, Washington high school teacher , Gordon Patterson, was killed in a hit-and-run bicycle accident last Tuesday while he was riding his bicycle home reports The Seattle Times.

Police later arrested the hit-and-run driver, Antonio Eugene Cellestine, age 18, of Vancouver. Cellestine was a former pupil where Patterson worked. He faces charges of hit-and-run and driving with a suspended license.

The bicycle accident occurred on Northeast St. Johns Road. Patterson regularly commuted to and from work by bicycle. He was wearing a helmet. A memorial service for Patterson will be held on September
23 at the high school.

In 2008, a total of 714 bicycle riders were killed in crashes with motor vehicles. 87% of those killed are male and 91% were not wearing helmets. 12% of all bicyclist deaths occurred in the month of September.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) survey found that people would support the use of technology which would keep an intoxicated person from being able to start a car even if they did not have a prior driving under the influence (DUI) conviction. Even though this technology is not yet available, 2 of every 3 people surveyed thought that such a device would be a good or very good idea if the technology were reliable. 40% of the respondents reported that they would even favor such a device in their own vehicle. Even 50% of the people who say they drink four or more times a week support the idea.

Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research says:

"The results are clear-cut and a bit surprising. We didn't expect to find support across the board for the idea of detecting alcohol in everybody, but this survey tells us people are ready to crack down on all impaired drivers, not just those who've had DWI convictions."

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and those killed by drunk drivers.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A Maine man, Joseph B. Rouleau, age 35, has been indicted on multiple charges, including manslaughter, in the death of Corrie Lazar, 21, of Seattle. Lazar was a senior college student and working as a camp counselor in Maine when Rouleau struck and killed her with his Iszuu Trooper while she was walking with a couple of other counselors.

Rouleau was driving drunk when he lost control of his vehicle, striking and killing Lazar as it rolled, and injuring one of her companions, Mia Jessup. Blood tests after the car accident showed that Rouleu's blood alcohol content was 0.23% at the time, nearly three times the legal limit.

Rouleau was charged with manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol charges, as well as for charges connected with driving with a suspended driver's license. Rouleau faces a maximum of 30 years in jail in connection with the manslaughter charge.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured or killed in accidents caused by drunk drivers.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Washington Department of Transportation, in their quarterly report, says that serious injury and fatal car accidents have been reduced on roads and highways where rumble strips have been installed reports The Seattle Times. In fact, the DOT reports that these kinds of accidents dropped 57 percent on the highways and roads where the strips have been made.

Rumble strips are grooves or raised dots or pavement markers which alerts inattentive drivers that they are driving off of a highway or approaching a hazard. Rumble strips alert drivers with noise and vibration when motorists drive over them. They can be installed on the right (or outside shoulder) and on a divided highway, the are installed on the median side. The DOT has installed rumble strips into 2,000 miles of roads in the state and have plans to install 650 more miles with them.

State statistics show that 18% of all car accidents are single vehicle "run-off-the-road" and they account for 30% of all accident fatalities. In 2008, there were 522 car accident fatalities in Washington state which is the lowest number since 1955.

Bicyclists say that shoulder rumble strips can create a hazard for them unless they are installed with an unobstructed width of paved surface for the cyclist.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and bicycle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Up to 30 members of the Brother Speed motorcycle club were involved in a chain-reaction motorcycle accident on Interstate 5 in Oregon on Friday afternoon. Two members of the club were critically injured and several others sustained serious injuries including shoulder and hip injuries and broken bones.

Herbert Sinclair of Heburn, Idaho was airlifted to Oregon Health Science University hospital with critical injuries. David Bowyer of Couer d'Alene, Idaho was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, also with critical injuries.

The motorcycle accident occurred when 20-30 motorcyclists were traveling in a group Interstate 5 south of Wilsonville. According to a report in The Seattle Times, the motorcyclists were following an SUV, or SUVs, which suddenly slowed down and a chain reaction accident ensued.

The Brother Speed motorcycle club was organized in 1969 and has chapters in the Northwest including Camas, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Boise, Idaho.

Washington state vehicle code WPI 70.04 "Duty of the Following Driver" provides that it is the primary duty of the following driver to avoid a collision. The following driver is usually the negligent party if he or she runs into the car ahead, in the absence of an emergency.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and motorcycle accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may receive compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Lyndsey Jones has filed an injury accident lawsuit against former King County Assessor Scott Noble seeking unspecified compensation for damages she received after Noble, who was drunk at the time, ran into the car she was riding in reports The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Jones was a passenger in a car going north on Interstate 5 in Federal Way when Noble, whose blood alcohol limit was 0.22% at the time, made a U-turn causing the car accident.

Jones is asking for compensation for medical rehabilitation costs, counseling and for emotional and physical suffering. No trial has yet been set.

Noble pleaded guilty to "vehicular assault" King County Superior court in the drunk driving case. He resigned his the Assessor position and was sentenced to eight months in jail with work release.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

King County prosecutors have filed Vehicular Assault charges against a Tukwila man who hit a mother and her children with his car while they were walking on a sidewalk and then fled. Vehicular Assault charges can be made if a person seriously injures another person while driving while intoxicated.

According to a report in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, John Simmons, age 22, lost control of his car while driving drunk and hit a 31-year-old mother who was walking with her 7-year-old daughter and pushing her twin 11-month-old infants in a stroller. The mother and the twins all suffered cuts and soft-tissue damage and the 7-year old suffered a broken leg, requiring surgery, in the pedestrian accident.

After Simmons hit the four pedestrians, he continued down the street but crashed his car into a utility pole. At that point, Simmons attempted to flee on foot but was tackled and restrained by a bystander.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) are searching for a driver who fled the scene of a car accident leaving his passenger, John S. Salzer, age 26 of Olympia, critically injured reports The Tacoma News Tribune.

According to the report, Salzer was a passenger in a 1998 Mercedes driven by an unidentified person when the vehicle crashed while going southbound on Wiggins Road at 43rd Avenue Southeast in Thurston County around 2am. The Mercedes went through a chain-link fence and struck a tree leaving Salzer near-dead.

Two other men, Bryan R. Kernodle, age 30 of Olympia, and Ryan E. Searl, age 24 of Tumwater, who were following the Mercedes at the time of the accident apparently took the driver of the Mercedes and dropped him off in an unknown location. Kernodle and Searl have been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting a hit-and-run.

The WSP is asking anyone with information about the car accident or the drive to call their dispatch center at 360-586-1999.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration just launched "National Child Passenger Safety Week" campaign to educate parents and caregivers on how to properly install and use child safety and booster seats. The campaign runs betweens September 12-18.

The NHTSA wants parents to know that car accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 6 and 8 to 14. In fact, 6,532 children ages 14 and younger were killed in car accidents in 2007.

Child safety seats save lives. The NHTSA estimates that 358 lives were saved in 2007 because of the proper use of child safety and booster seats. When correctly used, child restraint systems are 60 percent effective in preventing car accident fatalities.

The NHTSA reminds parents and caregivers that they must use the correct seat based on a child's age and size. They also remind parents that no one under the age of 13 should ever sit in the front seat of a car and that children should ride in a booster seat until they are at least 8 years of age or 4'9" or taller.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Kayla Rearden of Rainer was killed in a single-car accident south of Yelm early Saturday morning when the car she was driving ran into a power pole on 153rd Avenue reports The Olympian.

The Washington State Patrol says Rearden was wearing a seat belt at the time of the car accident and they are investigating what caused her to leave the road.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Everett Herald Net.com reports that a 31-year-old man was found dead in the 5300 block of 88th Street SW in Mulkiteo around 2am on Sunday morning. According to the report, they found the man dead in a ditch and his motorcycle nearby, an apparent victim of a motorcycle accident.

The report said that the man was near his home. Lynnwood traffic detectives are investigating the motorcycle accident.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of motorcycle accidents and their family. We are a personal injury law firm with more than 30 years experience.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 60-year-old Mount Vernon motorcyclist was killed and four other people were injured in a multi-vehicle accident on State Route 9 in Mount Vernon on Friday night.

According to a report on Seattle's KOMO news.com, the motorcyclist was heading north on SR 9 when he crossed the center line and was involved in a head-on collision with a southbound Honda CRS. The Honda then cross the median and hit a northbound Hyundai.

The driver of the Honda, a 53-year-old Mount Vernon woman, was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the Hyundai sustained minor injuries and was treated at the accident scene. Two passengers in the Hyundai were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with minor injuries.

Police are investigating what caused the motorcyclist to cross the center line.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent car accident victims and their families. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 35-year-old man was critically injured when he was involved in a pedestrian accident in the 1200 block of Aurora Avenue North in Seattle at 9:18pm on Friday night reports Seattle's KOMO News.com.

The unidentified man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with "life-threatening" injuries.

Police are currently investigating the cause of the pedestrian accident.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and car accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Donn Potteiger, a King County Sheriff's deputy who lost his leg and sustained other serious injuries after he was in a motorcycle accident caused by a drunk driver, received a $7 million settlement from the insurers of the bar that served the drunk driver and the company that employed him.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, Potteiger was driving his motorcycle home after work in 2007 when he was hit by a pickup driven by Roberto Cedeno. The accident occurred on Northeast Bothell way in Kenmore.

Cedeno's blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.31 percent at the time of the accident. In Washington state, the legal limit is 0.08% BAC. Cedeno pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault and served 18 months in prison.

Potteiger filed a motorcycle accident lawsuit against the Cozy Inn Tavern and the bartender who served Cedeno. A dram shop claim allows that a bar or restaurant can be found negligent if an obviously intoxicated patron was served. In the settlement, the insurer for the tavern agreed to pay Potteiger $1 million.

The lawsuit also made a claim against Cedeno's employer's insurance since he was driving a company truck at the time of the accident. The company's insurance company will pay Potteiger $1 million on the truck insurance and $5 million in coverage for any acts of a negligent driver of the truck. In addition, Cedeno's personal auto insurance policy will pay Potteiger $125,000.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken drivers and their families. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

School began today in Seattle and last week in Bellevue and across Western Washington. It's time to take a look at pedestrian safety in school zones.

Washington State law, RCW 46.61.400, defines the rules for driving in a school zone and assigns a penalty for breaking those rules. Remember that the speed limit in a school zone is 20mph. A speeding ticket will cost you from $189 to $784 depending on how fast you were going.

According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, if a pedestrian is hit by a car is going 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 80%-90% chance of survival. If the same car were going 5-10 mph faster, the pedestrian has a 90% change of being killed; Speed makes a huge difference!

Remember to slow down in a school zone because speed kills. A school zone is defined as 600 feet long. Watch for flashing lights and signs.

Last year there were 4,378 pedestrian accident deaths, which was 12% of all motor vehicle accident deaths. In 20% of the pedestrian accident deaths, the accident was a hit-and-run.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may be compensated for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Approximately 2% of fatal motor vehicle accidents involve bicyclists. The most serious injuries to bicyclists and the reason for most fatalities are severe head and brain injury. It is estimated that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of a head injury by 85% in a bicycle accident.

Currently, Washington state does not have a state law which requires bicyclists to wear a helmet. However, many cities and some counties do require helmets. In Western Washington, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Kent, Puyallup, Renton, Tacoma and Vancouver require helmets. In addition King County, which includes Seattle and Bellevue also require bicycle riders to wear helmets.

Fatal bicycle accident facts

• In 2008, 714 bicyclists were killed in accidents with motor vehicles in 2008. This is an increase of 14% since 2003.
  
• 87% of the bicyclists who were killed were male.
  
• 91% of the bicyclists who were killed were wearing helmets.
  
• Of those killed, 26% of the cyclists over the age of 16 had a BAC of 0.08% or greater.
  
• 34% of the fatal accidents occurred between August and October.
  
• 21% of the fatal bicycle accidents occurred between 6pm and 9pm.
  
• 13% of those killed in bicycle accidents were under the age of 16.
  
• 68% of the fatal bicycle accident occurred in urban areas.
  
• 38% of the fatal accidents occurred at intersections.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The probability that a driver will be involved in a fatal car accident significantly increases when a driver's BAC is 0.05% or more and increases even more dramatically with a BAC of 0.08% or above. Washington state, along with all the other states, have defined driving under the influence (DUI) as 0.08% BAC or more. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that 8,104 deaths would have been prevented if the motorist had a BAC of under 0.08% in 2008.

Over the past 25 years, the number of car accident fatalities involving drunken drivers has decreased by 37 percent according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration data. Studies also show that there has also been a decrease in driving among people who are "hard-core" drinkers, those with a BAC of 0.15% or more.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) provides the following facts about drunk drivers who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2008:

• About one third of all drivers killed in a car accident had a BAC of 0.08% or above.
  
• Truck drivers had the lowest proportion of BAC at or above 0.08% of all drivers
  
• 38% of pedestrians killed, ages 16 and over, had a BAC of 0.08% or more.
  
• 30% of all fatal motorcycle accidents involved a rider with a BAC of greater than 0.08%.
  
• The rate of drinking and driving among passenger vehicle drivers declined over previous years and approximately 11% fewer drivers who were killed had a BAC of 0.08% or more.
  
• Among fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers, 31 percent of males and 15 percent of females had BACs at or above 0.15 percent which is almost twice the legal limit.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents caused by drunken drivers. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Department of Transportation released data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2008 which provides the latest motor vehicle accident statistics.

2008 statistics showed that 37,261 people died due to motor vehicle accidents across the United States.

In Washington state, the total number of motor vehicle fatalities was 521. Of the 521 deaths:

• 243 deaths or 47% of the total were car occupants
  
• 107 or 21% of the total were pickup truck and SUV occupants
  
• 9 or 2% were occupants of large trucks
  
• 78 or 15% were motorcyclists
  
• 63 or 12% were pedestrians.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Scott A. Glover, 26 of Federal Way, was killed in the early morning hours as he was making repairs to a stalled party bus alongside Interstate 5 in Tukwila when a pickup truck driven by a suspected drunken driver ran into him. Two other people were critically injured in the accident, including the suspected drunken driver.

According to a report in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the small bus ferrying party goers was stalled alongside the shoulder of I-5 when a pickup truck driven by Hermilo L. Garcia, age 39, of Anaheim, California ran into the bus. A third vehicle, a 2001 Kia Sephia then ran into the pickup truck.

Garcia and his passenger, a 50-year-old Federal Way woman, were taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of critical injuries.

Six of the party bus passengers, who were outside of the bus at the time of the accident, received minor injuries.

The Washington State Patrol believes that drugs or alcohol may have been a factor in the accident. If this is the case, they may charge Garcia with Vehicular Homicide. Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person dies in an accident caused by a drunken driver.

It is ironic that the a party bus was involved in an accident with a suspected drunken driver. Party buses are a limousine service routinely hired by people attending parties and other social events where they want to drink but want to be responsible and avoid the risk of driving while intoxicated.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation of your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Three Metro bus riders were injured, including the bus driver when a speeding car ran a red light and hit a Metro bus in the Belltown area of Seattle around 4:10pm on Saturday reports KOMO News.com.

The motor vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Third Avenue and Wall street. The bus was on Route No. 16 from the Colman Dock ferry terminal headed to the Northgate Mall.

The injured bus passengers were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. The report said their injuries did not appear to be serious. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents, including those with whiplash injuries. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries including medical costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 4-year-old girl Tacoma girl named Hannah was killed around 1pm on Friday afternoon in a pedestrian accident reports The Seattle Times.

According to the report, the little girl was riding her bicycle with other children on a sidewalk in her family's gated neighborhood. She was in the driveway of a home when the home owner drove up. The driver apparently saw the children on bikes because he stopped and waved to the kids. The children waved back and he thought they had all moved. Unfortunately, Hannah was still in the driveway but he did not see her because of the vehicle's blind spot. He drove forward and ran over her. She died shortly afterward at Harborview Medical Center.

This tragic accident that affects the entire community where Hannah lived.

Driveway accidents are far too common. "Frontover" and "backover" accidents occur approximately 2,400 times a year according to a Centers for Disease Control Study. Most victims are under the age of one. 44% of all children killed in nontraffic fatalities are killed in backover accidents. Often the vehicle is driven by a parent, a relative or a friend. It can be impossible for drives to see small children, especially if they are directly behind the vehicle.

The danger of a frontover accident increases with the size of the vehicle. Large vehicles have more frontover accidents because the blind zones extend farther in larger cars. The higher and wider the vehicle is increases the blind spot.

You might want to check out KidsandCars.org for more information about child safety.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been severely injured in pedestrian accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 18-year-old Enumclaw man was arrested on suspicion of Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault after the truck he was driving was involved in a single-vehicle truck accident. Killed in the accident was Derrick A. Laiblin, age 21 of Lake Tapps.

According to a report in The Tacoma New Tribune, the Enumclaw man was driving his Ford pickup with three passengers on the Sumner-Buckley Highway when the accident occurred. Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said that the driver was speeding and passing other cars when the truck veered into oncoming lanes and the driver lost control.

Two passengers were seriously injured in the accident, a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man. The truck driver was also injured.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident but Troyer said speed and driver error may have been factors.

Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault can be charged if a person is killed or seriously injured and a driver was driving under the influence, driving without regard to the safety of others or driving recklessly.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car and truck accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The driver of a Nissan that was driving recklessly on Interstate 5 in Northgate fled the scene of the car accident after he rear-ended an SUV around 11pm on Thursday. He left his passenger injured in the Nissan.

According to a report on Seattle's King5.com, the driver of the Nissan had been driving up to 100 miles per hours before the accident.

Police are searching for the driver. He may be charged with Vehicular Assault when apprehended. If a person is seriously injured in a car accident and a driver was driving with reckless disregard to the safety of others or under the influence, he or she may be charged with RCW 46.61.522.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries including medical costs and pain and suffering.

At The Farber Law Group, we represent accident victims on a contingent fee basis; That means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Five people were injured in a cross-over car accident on Interstate 90 near Ellensburg on Sunday night. According to a report in the Yakima Herald, David Clark, age 44 of Toppenish, was driving eastbound when he crossed the median and hit a westbound car driven by Leonid Kluchitskiy.

Leonid Kluchitskiy and his wife Lyubov, both 48, and their two daughters, ages 11 and 13, were taken to Kittitas Valley Community Hospital for treatment of injuries. Leonid Kluchitskiy suffered bruises but his wife, Lyubov, suffered more severe injuries including internal injuries and lacerations. One of the girls received a head injury, the other suffered bruises.

The Washington State Patrol arrested Clark and have charged him with Vehicular Assault. Vehicular Assault can be charged if someone is seriously injured in a car accident caused by a drunken driver.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents caused by drunken drivers. We investigate to determine if the drunken driver was served by a restaurant or a bar or whether the drunken driver was in the course of his or her employment.

The Farber Law Group represents accidents victims on a contingency fee basis; you pay nothing unless we obtain compensation for you.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The family of Kevin Black, a University of Washington scientist who was killed in a bicycle accident in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle in February of 2009, has filed a wrongful death suit against the driver of the van who hit Black and the company that employed the driver reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Washington state has a wrongful death statute which allows a family to file a civil lawsuit on behalf of their deceased loved one. In cases likes auto accidents or bicycle accidents, the family may be able to recover compensation if the court determines the person or entity who caused the death had performed a negligent or wrongful act.

In this case, the Black family is request compensation for Black's two young daughters because they feel the driver of the van that hit Black was negligent in making a U turn. The suit also requests compensation from Ambient Control Company because the driver of the van was working for Ambient at the time of the bicycle accident.

In King County, it usually takes about 18 months for a wrongful death lawsuit to be scheduled. A tentative trial date in this case is set for 2011 unless the parties to the suit settle before the trial date.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm that has more than 30 years experience representing accident victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The City of Bellevue has installed two speed-enforcement cameras near Stevenson and Lake Hills elementary schools reports the Bellevue reports The Bellevue Reporter. The cameras were installed and were operational to coincide with the start of the new school year.

The cameras are positioned to monitor traffic during school start and release hours. The cameras monitor westbound traffic along Northeast Eighth street and 143rd Avenue Northeast, and Southeast Eighth Street and 14rd Place Southeast.

Bellevue installed signs 150 feet from the speed cameras to warn drivers to slow down. Warnings will be issued until September 30 at which time $124 tickets will be written.

The City of Bellevue chose the two locations where they wrote 522 speeding tickets during school hours last year.

Bellevue' also plans to install red-light cameras at six intersections in the near future. Anecdotal evidence shows that traffic cameras reduce car accidents at the intersections where they have been installed. In nearby Lacey, the city has found that at one intersection where a red light camera was installed, the incidence of injury car accidents reduced from between 16 and 21 to one. Some detractors who have filed suit against 22 cities including Bellevue say, [photo -enforcement programs provide ] "illegal incentives to issue improper tickets,"

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Three babies between the ages of three and nine months old were injured when an SUV ran into the Childtime Children's Center building around 4pm in Redmond.

According to an article in The Seattle Times, two of the babies were taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue for treatment and the third was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. None of the babies' injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

The car accident occurred when a 45-year-old North Bend woman ran into the building with her 2006 Toyota RAV-4. More than half the vehicle entered the building. There were seven small children and workers in the room when the vehicle entered. It is fortunate that none of the children were killed.

It is not known whether the woman hit the gas-pedal instead of the brake, driver inattention such as using a cell phone, or drugs or alcohol was involved; Police are investigating.

This information is provided by the Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries including medical costs and pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Wenatchee World reports that a semi truck driver has been killed and they are searching for her co-driver in the Columbia river after the truck they were driving was involved in a trucking accident on the Beebe Bridge over the Columbia River.

According to the report, the truck's driver, Kathleen L. Walker, age 48 of Olympia, was found inside the wreckage of the truck cab which was found in 30 feet of water. Walker was still belted in her seat. The body of Walker's partner has not been found.

The truck accident happened around 5pm on Monday evening on Highway 97 about four miles south of Chelan. No one knows what caused the truck to veer to the left and go through the railing about a quarter mile across the Bridge. There were no skid marks. The truck was carrying a load of Red Delicious apples from Trout-Blue Chelan at the time of the accident..

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car and trucking accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.