Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Halloween can be dangerous for young pedestrians. According to Safe Kids USA, twice as many young pedestrians are killed in pedestrian accidents on Halloween compared to the other days of the year.

To prevent a tragedy, parents should talk with their children about pedestrian safety on Halloween and accompany them while trick or treating. Don't assume they will remember the spiel you gave them last year.

Here are some child safety tips for the holiday:

• Children under the age of 12 should be acocmpanied by an adult. Children younger than 12 often forget safety rules when they are excited.
  
• Walk on sidewalks and paths.
  
• Walk facing traffic, if there is no sidewalks.
  
• Look both ways before crossing the street and cross in crosswalks.
  
• Make sure wigs, hats and masks don't obscure a child's view.
  
• Make sure your child's costume is not so long as to cause them to trip.

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.

Related Posts:

Fall walking/jogging safety tips for pedestrians

Safety tips to avoid car-pedestrian accidents

Pedestrian safety in school zones

Continue reading " Pedestrian safety on Halloween " »

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children remain in rear-facing child seats at least until two years of age. This is a change to their previous recommendation of 1-year-old or 20 pounds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has even broadened that recommendation and they say that children should ride in rear-facing seats as long as possible.

Why are rear-facing child seats safer?

The reason that rear-facing child seats are safer is that, in a car accident, they provide more support of a child's neck, head and spine.

Even with these recommendations, it is not easy for parents to keep their child in a rear-facing seat. Many rear-facing seats are only designed to 20 pounds and a 2-year-old can often weight 40 pounds or more. Or, a child who is tall but is skinny, may outgrow a seat long before they reach the weight that the seat is rated for. Therefore, parents may be required to purchase more than one car seat while their child is young.

Purchasing a child safety seat is often a confusing problem for many parents. A child must fit the seat and the seat must fit the car. This sounds like an easy objective to achieve, but it can be more difficult than one might thing.

One federal study found that, in up to 73% of the cases, child seats were not even installed in cars properly.

Parents are encouraged to consult Consumer Reports for information on child seat protection, ease of use and fit in various motor vehicles.

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.

Related Posts:

Car booster seat ratings just released

Winter coats and child car seats may not be a safe combination

NHTSA holds forum on child car seat safety

Continue reading " How long should a child be in a rear-facing seat? " »

The family of a 14-year-old girl was awarded a $2.9 million wrongful death award against the drunken driver who hit the girl as she was walking in a crosswalk in 2004.

Ashley Lynn Nickerson-Whalen was killed as she crossed the street. Kirk Tate, 21, the driver of the car that hit Ashley fled the scene. He was later arrested and plead guilty to felony hit-and-run and Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and is currently serving time in prison on that charge.

Ashley's family filed a wrongful death claim against Tate and also the owner of the car, Donald E. Williams, claiming that he negligently allowed Tate to drive his car even though he knew that Tate previously had been convicted of DUI.

The Bucks County jury awarded $697,749.92 in wrongful death damages against both Tate and Williams, $1.5 million in survival action damages against both defendants. Punitive damages of $600,000 were awarded against Tate and $150,000 against Williams.

Neither man had car insurance and it will be hard to collect the damages but Ashley's family can make a claim if either man accumulates any assets.

When a person is killed due to the wrongful or criminal action of another, the family of the deceased can file suit 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 are a personal injury law firm in Bellevue, Washington and we have more than 30 years experience representing victims of auto accidents and the families of those who have died with their wrongful death claims.

Source:
PhillyBurbs.com
Girl's family awarded $2.9 million
August 31, 2011

Continue reading " Family of teen killed by hit-and-run driver awarded $2.9 M in wrongful death case " »

Alfreda Kunz, 57, was awarded approximately $20.31 million damage award for injuries she received when she was run over by a New York Transit Authority bus.

Kunz was in a crosswalk and the green walk signal was on when a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus driven by Jose Mateo turned left and ran over her.

Kunz suffered life-altering injuries including:

• A crushed right arm and leg and she had to have both her arm and her leg amputated. Injuries which confined her to a wheelchair.
• "Degloving injuries" to her buttocks which is an injury in which the skin is completely pulled off of the underlying tissue. This injury resulted in her having to undergo 20 debridement and skin-graft procedures.
• Detached retina and a traumatic cataract which resulted in blindness to her eye.
• Post-traumatic stress.

The court ruled on summary judgment that the defendants were both jointly and severally liable. Summary judgment allows the court to determine some merits of a case without a full trial. After summary judgment, the merits of the damages portion of the case was presented to the jury who awarded $483,900 for Kunz's medical expenses, $4.83 million for future medical expenses, $4 million for pain and suffering and $11 million for future pain and suffering.

Kunz's counsel in the case was a fellow AAJ member, Alan M. Shapey of New York City. He called upon expert witnesses including an economist and a life-care planning specialist . Life-care planning expertise is often an important part of determining damages when a person has experienced life-altering injuries. Life care planners provide consultation in valuating life care, loss of income, disability management and rehabilitation costs.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims who have suffered serious injuries due to a bus, car, or truck accident due to the negligent of another.

Related Posts:

I-90 bus-car accident kills 2, injures 21 others near Cle Elum

Pedestrian injured in Seattle metro bus accident

Passengers and families receive $3.25 million settlement in bus accident that killed 2

Continue reading " Jury awards bus accident victim $20.3M award for injuries " »

In February, The Farber Law Group, Bellevue personal injury law firm, added the Bikewise.org Seattle Bicycle Accident Tracker to our web-site.

Bikewise.org is a service of the Cascade Bicycle Club and allows bicyclists to enter information about bicycle accidents, street hazards such as missing stop signs and potholes, and bicycle thefts.

Bikewise now has a iPhone app which allows bicyclists to report bicycle crashes, thefts and hazards using the app.

According to Bikewise, they estimate 75% of bicycle accidents go unreported. The App allows cyclists to conveniently report accidents and the web-site then collates the data and reports it to the relevant agencies and makes the statistics available. Often, local transportation authorities will take corrective action after a problem has been sufficiently reported.

This information is provided as a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle and pedestrian accidents caused by the negligence of another. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Related Posts:

Too many fatal bicycle accidents in greater Seattle

Seattle bicycle accident tracker

Continue reading " Bikewise bicycle accident and hazard site adds phone app " »

Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who seriously injured a bicyclist and then left her at the side of the road in Black Diamond.

Seattle's KOMO News reports that Barbara Jimenez, 65, was riding along SE 288th Street in Black Diamond when she was hit. She suffered about five fractures and a concussion as well as scrapes and bruises. Luckily, she was wearing a bicycle helmet at the time of the accident.

Police say they found a vehicle part belonging to a silver Kia Forte that was manufactured between 2010 and 2012.

Washington vehicle code RCW 46.52.020 "Leaving the scene of an accident / hit and run" states that a driver who is involved in a motor vehicle accident in which a person is injured or killed must remain at the accident scene and provide reasonable assistance to the injured person until the injured receives medical treatment. Failure to do so can result in a class B or class C felony resulting in a hefty fine and/or a prison sentence.

In addition, if the hit-and-run driver can be located, the victim can file a case in civil court for damages.

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.

Related Posts:

Too many fatal bicycle accidents in greater Seattle

Seattle bicycling community bands together in search of hit-and-run driver that killed Seattle bicyclist

Family of UW researcher killed in Seattle bicycle accident award $1.5M wrongful death settlement

Continue reading " Black Diamond bicyclist seriously injured in hit-and-run accident " »

The Washington State Patrol is reporting that two people in a passenger vehicle were killed in an accident on Interstate 90 near the summit of Snoqualmie Pass this morning around 11:50am. At least two semi-trucks were involved in the motor vehicle accident.

While the Washington State Patrol is investigating , it appears from news photos that the passenger vehicle was crushed between two semi-trucks. A third semi-truck may also be involved.

At this point, the cause of the accident has not been determined nor do we know if there are any others injured. However, there is heavy construction on I-90 and the eastbound lanes have been funneled down to one lane for a 6-day period while engineers prepare the opening of a new section of highway.

The construction work on the highway has caused considerable traffic slow-downs and long delays. The Washington State Department of Transportation reports that the accident, near milepost 56, has caused a 7 mile-long traffic backup.

When there is road construction, drivers must pay close attention to speed limits and also to slowing 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 motor vehicle and trucking accidents and the family of those killed.

Related Posts:

Woman critically injured in I-90 car accident when semi truck hits her car head-on

WSP seeks witnesses to two accidents involving passenger cars and commercial trucks

Injuries, accidents and fatalities in the Washington State trucking industry

Continue reading " Two killed in multi-vehicle accident on I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass " »

The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) is requesting that Chrysler Group recall more than two million Jeep Grand Cherokees because they say that even in a low speed crash, the Jeep's fuel tank could rupture because it is unshielded and located behind the rear axle.

According to CAS, there have been upwards of 172 crashes in which there were was a fire with resulting death to 269 people. In addition, there have been many burn injuries.

The fuel tank in these Cherokees is made of plastic and can get punctured in an accident and the fuel filler hose can also separate from the tank says CAS.

Chrysler condemns the finding by CAS and says that CAS had a "simplistic, unsubstantiated review of raw accident data."

In the late 1970's, Ford recalled the Pinto after a controversy about the safety of its fuel tank after Ralph Nader and CAS said that it was "Unsafe at any speed."

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.

Related Posts:

Toyota suspends sales of recalled vehicles due to accident risk

Class action lawsuit filed over GM Impala recall

Toyota to provide "black box" data from fatal Bellingham car accident

Continue reading " Chrysler urged to recall Jeep Grand Cherokees due to fire risk " »

A Washington State Patrol media release says King County troopers are enforcing the cell phone ban by stopping and ticketing drivers.

According to the WSP, last month, troopers stopped 370 drivers for using a hand-held cell phone and 43 drivers for texting while driving. More than one half of the drivers were issued a ticket which will cost them $124 for using a hand-held device while driving.

Washington state vehicle code RCW 46.61.667 is the statute that prohibits a motorist from driving while talking on a cell phone. Vehicle code 46.61.668 prohibits reading, writing or sending a text message while driving.

Washington's cell phone ban was effective as of July 1, 2008. The legislature enacted the cell phone laws after the Highway Loss Data Institute cited studies that texting while driving may increase the risk of a car accident by 23 times.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has found that emphasis patrols, whether they are targeting drunken drivers, seat belt violators or cell phone users saves lives.

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.

Related Posts:

What if my accident was caused by someone using a cell phone?

Cell phone usage may have caused accident that killed Seattle music director

Teenager using cell phone may have caused Highway 9 head-on car accident

Texting driver killed in Olympia head-on car accident

Continue reading " King County troopers ticketing cell phone users " »

In the past, when an SUV and a car collided, the occupants of the car were at a much greater risk of serious injury or death. One reason was that SUVs and pickup trucks had bumpers higher off the ground and would override the smaller vehicle in a collision.

A new study done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that the fatality rate to people in cars in collisions with larger vehicles has been dropping due to the redesign of SUVs to align their front-end designs with other vehicles. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) built into SUVs have also made them more stable and less prone to crash.

At the same time SUVs and pickup trucks were made safer, passenger cars and minivans were also being improved with safety features such as side airbags and improved structural strength.

Starting in 2003, the major automobile manufacturers at the recommendation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration redesigned the front-end of pickup trucks and SUVs so that their energy-absorbing structures aligned with those of cars so that, in a collision, the larger vehicle would not override the car. This change along with side airbags and increased structural strength in cars and minivans has caused the fatality rate to drop from 44 deaths per million vehicles in 2000-2001 to 16 deaths per million vehicles in 2008-2009.

Many of the major automobile manufacturers participated in redesigning their SUVs and trucks including Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Honda, BMW, Mazda, Volkswagen and Toyota.

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:

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Effort to make SUVs, pickups less deadly to car occupants in crashes is paying off

Continue reading " Safety improvements to SUVs saves lives " »