Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Seattle is installing a traffic safety device -- a "bike box" -- at the crosswalk at East Pine Street and 12th Avenue in downtown. If all goes well, bike boxes will be installed at East Madison Street eastbound and westbound at 12th Avenue, and Seventh Avenue South northbound at South Dearborn Street reports The Seattle Times.

The "bike box" is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane which allows bicyclists to queue in front of cars at a red light. The box extends from the bicycle lane across lanes of traffic. The box is painted green as a visual reminder to drivers. The hope is that the bike boxes will reduce Seattle bicycle accidents and reduce conflicts. Research has shown that there are less conflicts between motorists and bicyclists where the bike boxes have been installed according to the Seattle Bike Blog.

Bicycle boxes are designed to make cycling safer by:

• making bicyclists more visible
  
• insuring that cars due not turn across a bicyclist's path.

Bicycle boxes are already in use in Eugene and Portland, Oregon, New York City, Baltimore, Minneapolis and in some European cities. Apparently bike boxes in other cities have proven to be a great success.

Approximately 540,000 bicyclists were seen at Emergency Rooms due to bicycle accident injuries. Bicycle-car accidents can result in serious injuries including traumatic brain injuries, broken bones and death. Washington state law, RCW 46.61.755, provides that a bicyclist has all rights and responsibilities of that of a driver. Approximately 700 bicyclist die every year in accidents and two-thirds of those suffered a traumatic brain injury.

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 Seattle bicycle accidents due to the negligence of another and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

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Continue reading " Seattle to install first "bike box" for bicycle safety " »

Spencer Ford 17, of Tenino was killed and her sister McKinlee, 13, was injured in a Tenino car accident on Old Highway 99 outside of Tenino, WA.

According to a report in The Olympian, Spencer pulled her vehicle out in front of a van and her vehicle was t-boned.

MckKinlee suffered a broken leg in the motor vehicle accident.

The girls were close to home when the car accident occurred and their parents heard the accident and rushed to the scene.

Side impact car accidents have some of the worst outcomes. Even if the vehicle has side airbags, the occupants are not as protected as a front or rear-end collision. Side impact collisions are also known as T-bone collision or broadside. They are often caused when a driver fails to stop at a red light or stop sign or when a driver does not yield the right of way.

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 Olympia motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed.

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Continue reading " Tenino high school student killed, sister seriously injured in side-impact car accident " »

The driver of a tow truck, William Anthony "Tony" Padilla, 51, of Burien, was struck and killed early Friday morning as he was working on a vehicle on the entrance ramp to Interstate 5 from Spokane Street in Seattle.

According to The Seattle Times, Padilla was working to remove a vehicle when a vehicle that was in the HOV lost control, crossed five lanes of truck and struck him. The vehicle that hit Padilla then spun back across all the lanes of traffic and stopped in the middle of the freeway.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Padilla fled southbound on I-5 but she and her female passenger were arrested a short time later. Police believe the pair were under the influences of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the accident.

Padilla worked for GT Towing for the past five years. His colleagues regarded him highly. What a senseless tragedy for death to come to a man who worked helping others.

The arrested driver will likely be charged with Vehicular Homicide. Washington State Vehicle code
RCW 46.61.520 VEHICULAR HOMICIDE provides that a driver can be charged with Vehicular Homicide if someone is killed in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving recklessly, driving without regard to the safety of others or driving under the influence.

In addition to criminal charges, the family of the deceased, with the help of a knowledgeable personal injury attorney, can file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation on behalf of their deceased loved one.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been the victims of drunken drivers and their families.

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Continue reading " Hit-and-run driver kills tow truck driver on Interstate 5 in Seattle " »

At the same time that a Distracted Driving Summit is being held in Washington, the actions of a school bus driver who was caught on camera text messaging while driving a busload of students came to light.

Students in the Broward School District in Florida took photos of their bus driver and sent them to the local TV station.

One parent said she had called the school district to report the texting driver but said the district did not call her back. One of the children said, "I'm shocked. It's so irresponsible and negligent."

A member of the School Board said that a driver caught using a cell phone is suspended for five days and is terminated on the second offense. The report said, however, that the driver cannot be suspended without the approval of the school board.

It seems like the school board should have a rule that any driver caught texting or using a cell phone while driving is immediately dismissed.

Washington State has two laws which regulate using a wireless communication device while driving:

RCW 46.61.667 USING A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE WHILE DRIVING
RCW 46.61.668 SENDING, READING, OR WRITING A TEXT MESSAGE WHILE DRIVING

If a commercial driver is involved in a motor vehicle accident due to distracted driving, the driver may be found criminally negligent. Any injured parties could file a civil suit seeking damages from both the driver and the company that he or she works for if it is known that the company ignored previous complaints.

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 Seattle motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

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Continue reading " School bus driver caught on camera texting and driving " »

In Washington state, the law analyzes the percentage of fault attributed to each person involved in a auto accident that resulted in an injury. This is called "comparative fault." With comparative fault, a plaintiffs recovery is in proportion to the percentage of negligence attributed to each party in an accident. Even if you were more at fault than another party, you could potentially still recover damages for your injuries.

If you have had a serious injury and your attorney was not able to settle with the insurance company before a trial, the jury decides what percentage of fault is assigned to each party involved in the accident.

Comparative fault cases can be intricate and that's when the advice of a experienced personal injury attorney may be necessary.

If you caused the accident, you are 100% at fault and you cannot recover against other people involved in the accident. However, you could be partially at fault and the other person primarily at fault and depending on the percentage of negligence assigned, the other party will have to bear the responsibility of damages based on the percentage fault assigned to them.
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Your personal injury attorney will spend a great deal of time on your case in establishing who is responsible for what percentage of fault. Documents like the police report and interviewing witnesses are used to help establish fault.

There are some actions on your part which can make you at fault for your injuries. These include:

• speeding
  
• not wearing a seat belt
  
• failing to signal when stopping or turning
  
• running a red light
  
• driver distraction -- cell phone usage
  
• running into the street if you are a pedestrian
  
• jaywalking or crossing a street other than at a crosswalk
  
• entering a crosswalk when you do not have the Walk signal

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, pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

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Continue reading " Washington state and comparative fault in motor vehicle accidents " »

A 21-year-old Mount Vernon man has been charged with driving under the influence after a single car accident on State Route 18, east of Tiger Mountain summit according to the Sammamish Reporter.

The single car accident occurred around 4am on the morning of September 17. The driver of the Ford Mustang was not injured in the accident. However, one of his passengers – a 35-year-old Portland man – was taken to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue with an arm or shoulder injury.

A third man in the vehicle, a Florida man, was not injured.

In addition to drunk driving charges, the driver may be charged with Vehicular Assault. Washington State vehicle code RCW 46.61.522, states that Vehicular Assault can be charged if someone was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who are seriously injured in Seattle motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including medical costs, lost wages and for pain and suffering.

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Continue reading " Driver charged with DUI in single-car accident that injured his passenger " »

The HeraldNet.com of Everett reports that Alexis M. Gilman, 20, of Anacortes, died after she was involved in a car accident on Highway 20 near Coupeville on Friday morning.

According to the report, the motor vehicle accident happened around 6am when Gilman's vehicle, a 1997 Volkswagen convertible, was hit by a pickup truck driven by Dean A. Tucker, 52, of Coupeville. Apparently Tucker's pickup truck drifted across the centerline on a curve and hit Gilman's car head-on.

Tucker was taken to Whidbey General Hospital in Coupeville; his condition is unknown.

Washington State Patrol Trooper, Keith Leary, said that weather conditions and excessive speed were factors in the motor vehicle 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 Lynnwood motor vehicle accidents caused by the negligence of another and the family of those killed.

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Jo-El K. Bade, 44, of Olympia, was killed in a single-car accident on Saturday night in Thurston County reports The Olympian.

The accident occurred on Littlerock Road near Sergeant Road Southwest around 10pm.

The car that Bade was riding in, a BMW, was headed north on Littlerock when the car went off the road and hit a tree.

The 43-year-old driver, a man from Olympia, was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital with injuries.

Neither Bade or the driver were wearing seat belts.

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 Olympia car accidents and the family of those killed.

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KOMO News.com reports that the driver of a GMC Sierra pickup truck shot and killed himself early this morning after he accidentally hit and killed a bicyclist near Enumclaw.

According to the report, the bicycle accident occurred at 228th Avenue SE and 44th Street around 2:13AM.

The driver, a 24-year-old man from Buckley, was headed southbound on 228th when he hit and killed the 20-year-old bicyclist. After the accident, the man was reportedly so upset that he shot and killed himself.

The police spokesman said the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time. The family of both the man on the bicycle and the man driving might have a valid wrongful death case against the bar or restaurant that served the man who was driving if the young man who was driving was over-served. Dram shop liability laws refers to laws governing bars, restaurants, taverns, pubs, bowling alleys or any commercial or private establishment where alcoholic beverages are served to a person who is intoxicated and subsequently injures or kills another person due to their intoxication.

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.

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Pierce County sheriff's deputies are searching for a small vehicle, possibly a silver SUV, that was involved in a hit-and-run pedestrian accident in the 4200 block of 72nd Street East near Tacoma on Thursday evening around 8:10pm.

According to The Olympian, the 20-year-old victim, a man, was hit in the roadway and the driver did not stop. The injured man was taken to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries.

The vehicle the police are looking for may have front-end damage. Police think that the driver may have not seen the pedestrian because he was wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information regarding the pedestrian accident are asked to contact the Sheriff's Department at 253-798-4721.

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 Bellevue pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

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Police have arrested a man after he caused car accident in Seattle that injured two people .

Tacoma's The News Tribune reports that the man ran a red light as he drove on S. Ryan way and hit a car traveling northbound on Martin Luther King Way S. Two people in the car that was hit suffered serious injuries, including a fractured pelvis; they were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.

Police said the man who ran the red light may have been driving under the influence at the time of the accident. He may be charged with Vehicular Assault. Washington state vehicle code RCW 46.61.522, states that a driver can be charged with Vehicular Assault if someone was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time.

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

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Continue reading " Man arrested and faces charges in Seattle DUI car accident " »

The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause of a motor vehicle accident on state Route 8 at Old Olympic highway which injured a 25-year-old Oregon woman, Carmen M. Winkle.

According to The Olympian,Winkle was driving west when her Jeep collided with the trailer of a westbound semi truck driven by Paul K. Yeboah, 48, of Seattle. The motor vehicle accident occurred around 7:57am.

Winkle suffered undisclosed injuries and was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital. An infant riding in the back seat was not injured. Yeboah was not injured either.

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.

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Seattle's KIRO TV.com reports that J.J. Quinlan of Everett, Washington, was injured in a pickup truck accident involving members of the University of Wyoming football team in Colorado. His team member, freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse, was killed in the motor vehicle accident.

The motor vehicle accident occurred on the Colorado-Wyoming state line when freshman cornerback Trey Fox apparently fell asleep at the wheel and the pickup truck that the team members went off the road, ejecting three of the players.

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.

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The Washington State Patrol reports that they stopped 85 speeding motorists in a 2 hour period on Interstate 90 and Interstate 405 in King County on Saturday morning.

The troopers were intent on enforcing the 60-miles-per-hour limit.

According to the WSP media release, one motorist was even ticketed twice as he returned from the Dave Matthews concert at the Gorge amphitheater.

Unfortunately, the WSP failed to stop one suspected drunken driver who was involved in a car accident north of King County on Interstate 405 near Arlington. One woman was killed and one was seriously injured in that accident.

Speeding is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities and the WSP is adding extra patrols to target dangerous drivers.

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.

An expectant father – a brilliant game developer is dead – two young men are dead, and three women are injured, one of them pregnant, because of a horrible decision by one young woman to get behind the wheel when she was possibly intoxicated.

Seattle's KOMO News reports that Jordyn B. Weichert, 21, of Oak Harbor, was driving a Chevrolet Blazer on Saturday night when she lost control of her vehicle while attempting to remove her sweater and crashed into a Subaru driven by Brian R. Wood, 33, of North Vancouver, B.C.

Killed in the car accident were Wood and two male passengers riding in the back seat of Weichert's blazer, Jacob D. Quistorf, 25, and Francis C. Malloy, 26, both of Oak Harbor.

Injured in the car accident were Jordyn Weichert, her front seat passenger, Samantha R. Bowling, 22, of Oak Harbor, and Wood's wife, Erin E. Wood, 31, who is six months pregnant.

Erin Wood's credits her husband for saving her life and her unborn baby's:

All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of us would be dead. At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard and turned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not me and the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both.

Weichert faces charges of Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault in the accident because investigators believe she was under the influence of drugs at the time. Bowling may also face charges with the same offenses because she held Weichert's steering wheel while Weichert removed her sweater.

Washington State Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.520 allows the state to charge a person who was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving recklessly, or driving without regard to the safety of others may be charged with Vehicular Homicide if a person dies in a motor vehicle accident caused by the DUI driver. Vehicular Assault may be charged if a person is seriously injured in the accident.

In additional to criminal charges, the family of the deceased to file a wrongful death statute.

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 by drunken drivers 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 man was killed on Saturday evening when the car he was working on fell on him, crushing him to death report Seattle's KOMO News.

The accident occurred on 273th Place near Enumclaw. No details about the accident victim were provided.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that nearly 10,000 people are injured or killed in accidents involving jacks or hoists. These accidents happen when people are working on their cars or trucks either doing repairs or changing tires.

Jack Safety Tips

• Use jacks that are rated for the car or truck that is being lifted.
• Follow the manual that came with the jack about its use and correct positioning.
• Make sure your car or truck is off the roadway and in a place where no one will hit it.
• Insure that there is sufficient light for you to work.
• Make your vehicle visible to other motorists by using flares if it is positioned alongside the road or highway.
• Only jack up a vehicle on a level road. Do not jack up vehicles where there is snow, ice, mud or standing water.

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. 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.

Five young people, including four teenagers, were injured in a single-car accident when the driver – a 22-year-old Arlington man – lost control of his car and crashed into a pole near Granite Falls.

According to Seattle's KOMO New.com, the five young people were riding in a Mitsubishi GT on Robe Menzel road around 2:30am when the car accident occurred.

The driver of the vehicle was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with burn and other injuries. The report said the driver was critically injured.

Two teenage girls and two teenage boys, all passengers in the car, were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. The passengers were from Lake Stevens and Edmonds areas.

Police are investigating whether alcohol or drugs had a role in the motor vehicle 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 motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injures

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) warns drivers to be careful driving under freeway overpasses because of numerous rock throwing incidences in Western Washington lately. A rock landing on a motor vehicle can cause a serious or fatal car accident.

The WSP says there were three rock throwing incidents in Lakewood and three in Tacoma last night and 25 events in Pierce County alone in the past two months.

The WSP does not consider rock throwing off of overpasses a prank. Sometimes, there can be deadly results. Two teens face murder charges after a woman in North Carolina, Alicia Thomas, died after being hit with a rock that went through the windshield in the car she was a passenger in.

According to a report by Seattle's KING 5.com, teens are often the culprits in rock throwing incidents. The WSP plans to visit area high schools to educate teenagers about the dangers of throwing rocks.

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 due to the negligence of another. 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.