Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

As the population of the U.S. ages and senior citizens are staying more active, we are seeing more reports of older drivers getting into car accidents.

Today in Redmond, a 90-year-old man driving a Cadillac crashed his vehicle into a local business, the SunShine Foot Spa located in the 16800 block of Redmond Way.

Luckily no one was seriously injured in the accident but a customer at the foot spa, an employee and the 90-year-old driver were all taken to the hospital with injuries. According to one report, it was fortunate that more people weren't injured as there were approximately 10 people inside the business at the time of the car crash.

It appears that driver error was the cause of this accident with the elderly driver hitting the gas pedal instead of the brake.

Many elderly drivers strive to keep their independence and the automobile is certainly a symbol of that. However, elderly drivers, those ages 75-84, have a car accident fatality rate equal to that of teenagers. For drivers older than 84, the car accident fatality rate is four times that of teenagers.

Along with age comes a host of mobility problems, decreased visual acuity, memory and flexibility. In addition, many senior citizens take prescription medications which can effect their driving.

A few years back, a 90-year-old driver, Elizabeth Grimes, ran a red light and killed a 17-year-old high school student who was driving to school. This was a call to action for some states to draft laws to make sure drivers age 79 years old and older do not drive if they have diminished capacity. These states require older drivers to renew their driver licenses in person and some even require they take a driving test. In Washington state, drivers age 55and older are encouraged to take a collision prevention course.

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.

Source: KIRO 7 "3 Hurt When Car Rams Through Redmond Business"

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The Washington State Patrol is seeking information about the driver of a vehicle who hit and killed a pedestrian near Wapato around 6:05am on Friday.

The fatal pedestrian accident occurred as the 11-year-old male pedestrian was crossing Yakima Valley Highway at the intersection of W. Parker Heights Loop. According to the report, the vehicle stopped briefly and the drove off.

Witnesses say the vehicle that the boy was silver or grey and was either a small compact or pick-up truck.

Anyone with information regarding the accident are asked to call the State Patrol at (509) 249-6743 or (509) 249-6753.

It is a felony offense to leave the scene of an accident. Washington state vehicle code RCW 46.52.020 prescribes a sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

While car accident deaths have declined every year fort the past 10 years, pedestrian deaths have continued to remain the same. In the past three years, there have been about 61 pedestrian killed each year. Most pedestrians are killed in the dimly lit hours and a high percentage were intoxicated at the time they were killed.

The Patrol recommends that pedestrians wear white or bright clothing and walk on the same side of the road as oncoming traffic.

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

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that the Cadillac Escalade has the dubious honor of being the vehicle with the most insurance claims for theft.

The IIHS looked at insurance claims for stolen vehicles between 2008-2010 collected by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found the following vehicles had the highest claim rates per 1,000 vehicles.

1. Cadillac Escalade (all 4 versions) with Escalade EXT stolen at the highest rate with 14 claims per 1,000 vehicles
2. Ford F-250 crew 4WD - 9.7 claims
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew - 9.2 claims
4. Ford F-450 crew 4WD - 7.9 claims
5. GMC Sierra 1500 crew - 7.3 claims
6. Chrysler 300 - 7.1 claims
7. Ford F-350 crew 4WD - 7.1 claims
8. Chevrolet Avalanche 1500 - 6.4 claims
9. GMC Yukon - 6.4 claims
10. Chrysler 300 HEMI - 6.3

The vehicles with the lowest claim rates per 1,000 vehicles were:

1. Audi - .5 claims
   
2. Mercury Mariner - .5 claims
   
3. Chevrolet Equinox - .6 claims
   
4. Volkswagen CC - .6 claims
   
5. Chevrolet Equinox 4WD - .6 claims
   
6. Lexus RX 350 - .6 claims
   
7. Saturn VUE - .6 claims
   
8. Chevrolet Aveo - .6 claims
   
9. BMW 5 series 4WD - .7 claims
   
10. Mino Cooper Clubman - .7 claims/ol>

    From this list, you can tell that thieves are targeting large pickup trucks. That makes those vehicles cost more to drive per year because of the fuel and insurance costs.

    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 automobile accidents and the family of those killed.

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    Posted In: Auto Safety , Car Accidents , Insurance , Motor Vehicle Accidents

An Everett man was killed and at least one person was injured, one seriously, in a two-car accident caused when a Chevy Astro van lost its wheel on U.S. Highway 2, east of Highway 9.

Seattle's King 5 News reports that Rocky Ottow , 34 of Snohomish, was driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 2 when he swerved to avoid the lost wheel and went into oncoming traffic and his vehicle was hit by a sports utility vehicle driven by 31-year-old man.

Ottow was killed at the accident scene. An 11-year-old boy in his vehicle was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Two other people in the vehicle, an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were not injured.

No doubt police will investigate what caused the Astro to lose its wheel.

Mechanical problems such as in this accidents can be factors in motor vehicle accidents. Brake failure and under-inflated tires are some of the most common mechanical problems.

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 who have died.

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This year has proven to be especially dangerous for bicyclists in Washington state and especially in the greater Seattle area. Already this year, at least 12 bicyclists have been killed in accidents, most of them in collisions with motor vehicles. Compare this with 2009 when there were 10 fatal bicycle accidents all year in the state.

The fatal bicycle accidents involving people from the Puget Sound region include:

9/11/11 - Marian M. Byse, 65
9/10/11 - Robert Townsend, 23
8/30/11 - Brian Fairbrother, 50
8/4/11 - George Demendoza, 69
7/29/11 - Michael Wang, 44
7/23/11 - John Przychodzen, 49
5/25/11 - Sally Eustice
5/10/11 - Lonnie Moss, 47
3/22/11 - Mark Chamberlin, 55

The Seattle Times just published an article entitled "Bicycle fatality raises safety issues" and discusses some of the challenges facing cyclists. A quote from one bicycle commuter aptly described a big part of the problem for cyclists, "Drivers look for vehicles; they don't look for bikes." That is an apt description of many bicycle accidents, caused by the negligence of a distracted or unaware motorist.

BikeWise, which compiles bicycle accident reports, has some of the top lessons for bicyclists:

• Always anticipate sudden moves from drivers
  
• Bicyclists are invisible until proven otherwise
  
• Don't assume drivers will stop at signs/crosswalks
  
• Never assume the driver can see you
  
• Ride defensively
  
• Slow down before intersections
  
• Always wear a helmet

And the most telling… Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do..

What is going to make our roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians?

First of all, it is clear that infrastructure is needed -- signage, protected bicycle lanes and traffic calming measures are needed to protect.

Motorists need to be more aware and look for both bicyclists and pedestrians.

The deaths of these bicyclists needs to be a wake up call to all of us to be more aware and more careful on the streets.

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.

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In the past few years, motor vehicle accidents deaths have been declining in every area except pedestrian accidents. In the past three years in Washington State, there have been 61 pedestrian killed in each of the three years.

Here are some pedestrian safety tips if your vehicle becomes disabled on the side of the road. Far too often, we have read reports of pedestrians killed in and around the greater Seattle metropolitan area when their vehicle became disabled on the I-5 or I-450.

Pedestrian safety tips

1. If your vehicle becomes disabled, try to get it completely off the roadway so that you are safe when changing the tire, tending to your vehicle or waiting for help.
2. Be aware of traffic and never turn your back to traffic.
3. If your car is disabled and you are waiting for help, stay in your car and keep your seat belt on in case your car is hit.
4. If you exit your car, stand far away from the roadway and behind a barrier or guardrail if one is near.
5. Avoid standing behind or between cars.
6. Do not try to run across a highway.
7. Even if you have to walk further, only cross at crosswalks.
8. Assume drivers do not see you.

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 the family of those who have been killed.

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A Florida jury has awarded Lou Sink, 50, $395,000 in damages after his car was rear-ended by an SUV driven by Andrea Derantany, leaving Sink with serious injuries.

Sink suffered multiple injuries in the car accident including fractured ribs and a spinal fracture and rupture. He had to undergo fusion surgery, a laminectomy and his recovery included six months of physical therapy.

Even after the surgeries and therapy, Sink still suffer pains and he has limited range-of-motion.

Sink filed suit against Deratany claiming her negligence caused the accident. He also filed suit against Deratany's spouse because he was owner of the SUV.

The jury awarded Sink $395,000. His medical bills were $180,000.

Defense attorneys have asked for a new trail and a "remittitur" which is a legal term asking the judge to reduce or throw out a jury's verdict.

Sink's injuries are typical of a rear-end car accident. Even at moderate speeds, drivers can experience whiplash or a more severe and permanent injury such as a disk herniation.

Often laymen refer to these kind of injuries as "whiplash". Whiplash is not a medical diagnosis but it describes what happens when there is a hyperflexion/hyperextension injury. In Mr. Sink's case, he suffered a thoracic fracture which is an injury to the middle segment of the vertebral column.

Whiplash injuries can occur in any type of car accident but they most often occur in rear-end collisions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS) estimates that approximately 800,000 suffer a whiplash injuries every year and about 33% of these were from rear-end accidents.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who suffered serious injuries due to car accidents including whiplash. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Case Citation: Sink v. Deratany, No. 05-2010-CA-010370 (Fla., Brevard Co. Cir. Apr. 13, 2011).

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Sommarly Suon, 26, of Everett has died of injuries she received when she was involved in a motorcycle accident in Bellevue on Wednesday night around 7pm.

Suon was a passenger on a motorcycle when it hit a barrier on the westbound I-90 interchange at I-405. Both the motorcycle driver and Suon were thrown from the motorcycle and fell 40 feet below.

Suon was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where she was pronounced dead.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 20-year-old Bothell man was also taken to Harborview Medical Center with critical injuries.

The Washington State Patrol is investigating the accident but reported that both Suon and the motorcycle driver were wearing helmets. No cause of the accident was provided at this point.

This particular highway interchange does appear to be a challenge to drivers, and especially motorcyclists, because it is an especially tight turn.

Car and truck accidents have declined markedly in the past five years but motorcycle fatalities have actually been increasing in some states. Motorcycle helmets are estimated to save about 1800 lives every year and states that have strong motorcycle helmet laws benefit with lives saved. Unfortunately in this accident, both of the victims fell a substantial distance.

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.

Source: Everett woman dies after motorcycle crash, The Bellevue Reporter, Sep. 01, 2011

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Mike Wang, 44, a photographer and father of two was killed in a bicycle accident on July 28 when he was hit by a hit-and-run driver while bicycling in Seattle.

Wang a professional photographer who worked for PATH, a global health nonprofit was riding his bike northbound on Dexter when an SUV made a left turn onto Thomas and hit him. The driver of the SUV initially stopped but then fled the scene.

Wang was the second Seattle-are cyclist to be killed in a week. John Przychodzen was killed in Kirkland on July 22nd when he was hit from behind.

The cycling community as well as the police department is searching for a brown American-made SUV with tinted windows and a chrome roof rack in connection with the accident. They urge anyone with information to contact the Seattle Police Department at 206-625-5011.

The Seattle Times reports that one report found that 145 riders an hour ride the stretch of Dexter where Wang was killed during the morning in commute. The report said that between 2008 and 2010 that 14 bicyclists were hit and most causes the fault was the driver who failed to yield 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 bicycle accidents and the family of those who have died.

Source: Person killed in Dexter hit-and-run identified as Mike Wang, Seattle Bike Blog, Jully 29, 2011, Tom Fucoloro

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