Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The journal Pediatrics just released a new study which compared the car accident injury rate among New York children before and after car booster seats were mandated for children between the ages of 4 and 7.

A child booster seat law went into effect in New York State in March of 2005. The study showed that the rate of car accident injuries in the 4 to 6 year old age group dropped by 18% after the booster seat law went into effect. Before the law went into effect, only 29% of 4-6 year old children were strapped into booster seats. After the law went into effect, usage went up to 50%.

Booster seats were designed for children who have outgrown traditional car seats but need to be raised in a position so that lap and shoulder belts correctly fit across the shoulder and hips.

In Washington state, a Child Restraint Law went to effect on June 1, 2007. The Washington state law requires children under the age of 8 years old to be in a booster seat unless the child is four feet nine inches or taller. The fine for improperly securing a child starts at $112.

Improper seat belt fit without a booster seat

Proper car seats are crucial for car safety. Last week, three children ages 2, 5, and 7 were injured --, one critically -- in a Mount Vernon car accident. None of the children were properly secured in child safety seats. on the same day, a 5-year-old child was critically injured after being ejected from a vehicle in Toppenish rollrover car accident; in this case as well, the child was not properly restrained.

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.

Every year on average there are approximately 37 deaths due to children being left in hot cars. This year, there have already been 18 fatalities from hyperthermia or heat stroke. This number is higher than previous years and we are not even into July which historically has the highest numbers of deaths.

Some of the hotter states have had multiple child fatalities so far this year. There have been six child deaths in Texas, two in Tennessee and two in Missouri.

Inside temperatures in motor vehicles can easily rise to 140 degrees or more in a short time.

Some hyperthermia deaths have been caused when parent inadvertently leave their small child strapped into a rear child seat. Other deaths have been caused when children climb into a vehicle to play and get locked in.

Safety Tips

• Never leave child in an unattended vehicle
• Never allow kids to play in or around cars and trucks,
• Lock your vehicle so children can not climb inside.

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.

Summer is supposed to be fun for kids but summer is the time when emergency rooms see more accidental deaths in children including drowning, heat related injuries and sun burns.

The following are some things to think about in the summer to avoid tragic accidents:

Swimming Pool Accidents - Many people think that pool parties are safe because there are many adults around. The truth of the matter is that adults can be very preoccupied at parties. At parties, a safety monitor should be designated who's job is to be "life guard" at the pool. Another safety measure is to move excess pool toys and inflatables out of the water so that they do not block the view.

Floaties and life vests in swimming pools -- These devices often give a false sense of security and can slip off or not keep a child's head out of the water. Adult supervision is still required.

Drowning -- A child can drown is a matter of a minute or two. Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children between 1 and 14.

Sunburns - Many people have the misconception that you cannot get a burn on a cloudy day. However, on on cloudy days UV exposure can be very harmful and sunscreen, hats and protective clothing should be used.

Heat stroke -- heat stroke and exhaustion can happen early in the season before the high temperatures of mid-July and August because many people haven't become acclimatized to the temperature.

Car Temperature - The inside temperature of a car can quickly rise to more than 170 when the outside temperature is between 80 to 100 degrees. Children can suffer brain damage or heat stroke at these high temperatures so never leave a child in a car alone.

Children left in cars -- Every year, between 15 and 25 children are accidentally left in the back seat of their parents or caregivers cars and die due to heat. We did not see these types of accidents before child seats were moved to the back. Visual clues or seat monitors should be used to avoid this type of tragic accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm that represents families whose children have been seriously injured or who have died due to the negligence of another.

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.

One of the most tragic pedestrian accidents are driveway back over accidents in which a family member, friend, or neighbor accidentally backs over and seriously injures or perhaps kills a child. In 2007, there were approximately 2,000 children injured when a car or truck backed over a child and almost 100 deaths. Every year, the numbers are very similar.

Some vehicles come equipped with object detection devices but even with sensory systems like rear view cameras, half of drivers still hit objects behind them. One of the reasons is that each vehicle has blind spots or zones in which drivers do not have clear vision. Minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks have the largest blind spots. Blind spots can also exist in the front of cars and children can be hit and run over when a vehicle pulls forward into a driveway.

Tips to prevent a back over accident:

• walk completely around your vehicle every time you drive
  
• make sure children are in the house and haven't run outside to say "bye"
  
• teach children to never play around vehicles
  
• be especially careful at hectic times such as family parties, holidays
  
• be extra careful on days when the weather is considered "nice" when neighborhood children are out roller skating, playing and riding their bicycles

Click here for a free brochure with safety tips by the National Safety Council.

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 pedestrian 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.

This is not a pleasant post but it is one that must be written because it is important that parents, caregivers and motorists be aware that one of the deadliest types of car/pedestrian accidents occur in driveways. Today, we entered the term "driveway accident" into a Google news search and found the following news stories:

• Wenatchee World. April 14: A 17 month old boy suffered cuts, scrapes, and bruises when he was hit by the undercarriage of a vehicle that was backing out of a driveway.
  
• The Olympian: April 14: A 3-year-old girl, Saniah Marcus, died after an accident in which her mother's 25-year-old fiancé pulled out of the driveway and ran over and killed the girls while she was riding her tricycle in University Place.
  
• KMOX News, April 12: A 6-year-old Pontoon Beach girls, Lyvia Roach, was killed after she was run over in a driveway near her home.
  
• Journal Courier: April 14, 2010: A woman apparently ran over her 2-year-old son in the driveway of the family's West Center Street home.
  
• Standard-Examiner: April 9, 2010. No charges expected in Roy fatal driveway accident against a mother who accidentally ran over her 4-year-old son, Tyler Foote, in the driveway of their Roy home.
  

With results like these, it seems like driveway-related motor vehicle injuries to children is an epidemic. Driveway accidents are likely to cause traumatic head injuries and have a 10 times increase in death as compared to other pediatric accidents. Every year, more than 100 children are killed and thousands are injured when a car or SUV backs over them.

Education and public awareness is the key to protecting young and vulnerable children from devastating accidents. Always ensure adult supervision or children when backing your vehicle. If you need to move a vehicle, even only a short distance, place the child inside the vehicle while you move it. Adequate fencing and door locks can also keep children away from driveways.

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 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 American Academy of Pediatrics just released their November 2009 journal and it contains a note-worthy study reporting that boosters seats for children ages 4 through 8 greatly reduces injury in car accidents.

The most recent study cited looked at 7,151 children involved in car accidents. The study reiterated that a best practice is that children should remain in booster seats when riding in motor vehicles until they are at least 8 years old. The bottom line was that children who were involved in accidents were 45% less likely to be injured than children of the same age who were only wearing seat belts.

To read the full article, see the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal.

Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death in children. Make sure your car has the appropriate seat installed for your child and make sure it is installed properly. For more information, see SeatCheck.org.

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.

Governor Christine Gregoire has declared October 18-24 as "Teen Driver Safety Week." Car accidents are the leading cause of fatalities among teenagers in Washington State. So far this year, 33 teenagers have died in traffic accidents. In 2008, 37 teenagers between the ages of 16-19 were killed in motor vehicle accidents and 258 sustained serious injuries.

The Washington Department of Transportation has developed a web-site in conjunction with WA Teen Driver Safety week and has a lot of resources for teenage drivers and their parents including information on Washington's intermediate driver licensing law. The web-sites report that there are a lot of ways parents can educate their teenager and keep them safe while driving:

• Know and enforce the intermediate driver license
  
• Restrict night driving.
• Restrict passengers.
  
• Supervise teen driving.
  
• Require seat belt use.
  
• Prohibit drinking.
  
• Choose a safe vehicle for your teen to drive, avoiding sports cars and trucks and small SUVs.

See the DOT web-site for more information.

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 their family.

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 Safety Council mission is "to educate and influence people to prevent accidental injury and death." To that end, they want to let parents, caregivers, and motorists that often the most deadliest car/pedestrian accidents occur in one's own driveway.

Every year, more than 100 children are killed and thousands more are injured when a car backs over them, often in their own driveway. The NSC cautions drivers to walk around their car before backing out and making sure drivers know where children and pets are before backing out.

Now that the temperature is getting warmer in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma metropolitan area, parents, grandparents and caregivers are reminded to not leave a child unattended in a car. In 70º weather, the temperature in a car can rise much higher than that in a short period of time and small children and pets are susceptible to heatstroke which can result in a serious injury including brain injury and even death.

Several times a year, one will read a heart wrenching story about a harried parent forgetting their child and leaving them in the car while they go to work. Some times a change of routine, a harried morning or some other cause will cause the parent to have a lapse and forget their child. The consequences are devastating. The NSC suggests to parents that they do something to remind themselves that a child is in the back seat. For example, a woman could leave her purse in the back seat or a stuffed toy or some other reminder can be placed in the front seat as a reminder.

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

Contact us at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

We came across a book that might be worthwhile reading to parents of teenagers who are embarking on their driving career. Entitled, Licensed to Drive! Using the Power of Story to Instill Wisdom and Safety in the Next Generation of Drivers by Lynn Bieber, MS MFT, the book teaches teen drivers by telling stories.

Car accident statistics are very worrying to most parents: In a given year, more than 4,000 teenage drivers are killed in car accidents and even more will have their lives altered because of serious injuries and disabilities such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and severe facial cuts and fractures.

The premise of this book is that teenagers can relate to a story better than a lecture. Written by a licensed Marriage Family Therapist the author raised four children and her youngest son was killed in a car accident. She writes from her wisdom and experience.

If you have a teenage driver, you might want to purchase this book. Click here for more information.

---

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.

To discuss your case, contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An Auburn teenage may have his car keys taken away after he received two separate tickets by two separate officers at one traffic stop in Auburn reports the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

According to the report, a WSP airplane spotted the vehicle the youth was driving, a Mazda RX7, speeding on westbound SR-18 near Auburn. A call to a trooper went out and before the trooper caught up with the vehicle, an Auburn Police Department motorcycle officer had stopped the Mazda for speeding in a school zone.
The WSP trooper issued the teenager a citation for Negligent Driving 2nd degree infraction for speeding on SR-18 and on the off-ramp to 304th street. The Auburn police officer issued the teen a citation for speeding at 31mph in a 20mph posted school zone.

The teenager was driving on a an intermediate driver's license. In Washington State, teenagers are issued intermediate license which states if you commit 3 driving violations your license will be suspended until age 18. The teen already had a violation so he will probably lose his license.

---

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 out help, you may recover compensation for your injury including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Bellevue city council has approved a pilot program to install traffic cameras around designated elementary schools and intersections where there has been a problem with speeding and running red lights. The presence of cameras should reduce car accident rates and improve pedestrian safety around school.

Speed cameras will be installed near the following elementary schools:

• Stevenson
  
• Lake Hills
  
• Sunset

Red light cameras will be installed on the following streets:

• Northeast 8th
  
• Bel-Red Road
  
• 148th Ave NE

Police Chief Linda Pillo said:

"The effort is expected to improve traffic safety in the affected areas, while reducing risk to our officers. With only minimal impact to our budget, the red-light cameras should provide efficient enforcement and help us continue to protect our community's children."

Statistics will be gathered from these cameras and the data will be reviewed by the city council every six months according to King5.com.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious injuries due to car accidents. We have more than 30 years experience in the greater Bellevue and Seattle metro areas and offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com.

If you have a teenage driver, you might want to read U.S. News & World Reports ranking of The 5 Most Dangerous Cars for Teens. Using crash test results by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and by looking at what automotive experts have written about today's popular cars, US News created a short list of cars that they would not recommend parents purchase for young drivers.

Every year between 5,000 and 6,000 teenage drivers are killed in automobile accidents. In fact, car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. Given those statistics, it's great to have the U.S. News report. What I like about their report is that they provide an alternative to each car they pan that is safer but still delivers the same cachet for the teen driver.

List of Dangerous Cars for Teenagers:

• Smart Fortwo --has poor safety data, especially in side crashes. A safer alternative is the Mini Cooper.
  
• Volkswagen New Beetle -- has blind spots and poor side impact crash results. A safer alternative is the VW Rabbit.
  
• Mitsubishi Eclipse -- looks sporty but it has poor visibility and blind spots. A safer alternative is the Scion tC.
  
• Jeep Wrangler -- has marginal scores in side impact crashes and performs mediocre in rollover tests. A safer alternative is the Honda CR-V.
  
• Chevrolet Aveo -- has mixed crash test results and also does not provide safety equipment like side curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes. A safer alternative is the Suzuki SX4.

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 and the loved ones of those killed in car accidents.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com to discuss your case. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue for your convenience.

Police have determined that an 11-month-old infant that was thrown from a vehicle in a Federal Way roll over crash was in a car seat that was not properly installed reports King5TV.com. Read more about the accident here.

The infant, a little boy, suffered critical head injuries and the driver, a 30-year-old man, had to be extricated from the Mercury Sable which rolled several times after the driver lost control at Southwest 356th Street. Both the baby and the man are being treated at Harborview Medical Center but their conditions have not been released.

This accident illustrates the importance of proper installation of infant and toddler seats to insure a child's safety. Inspection stations are available to verify that an infant seat or booster seat is properly installed. In Bellevue, AAA Washington performs the inspections. In Seattle, Children's Hospital, Carter Motors, Odessa Brown Children's Clinic , The Car Seat Lady, and Swedish Medical Center perform the inspections. You can also check with The National Highway and Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) "Child Safety Seat Inspection Station Locator" for a list of other inspection stations near you.

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured and the families of those killed in car accidents. With more than 30 years experience in representing accident victims in the greater Seattle area, we will work to insure your rights are protected.

Contact The Farber Law Group today for a free case evaluation.

A small baby -- 5-month-old Kellan McCarty of Georgia -- died after a single car crash on Wednesday morning. Trooper 1st Class Josh Taylor with the Georgia State Patrol said that preliminary investigation of the accident showed that the baby's child seat was improperly installed, according to the Florida Times-Union.

The motor vehicle accident occurred when the infant's cousin, who was driving a sport utility vehicle, lost control of the vehicle. She over-corrected and hit a ditch and ran into a tree.

This tragic accident is a sober reminder to parents in Washington State that proper installation of car seats for both infants and small children is absolutely necessary to prevent injuries and deaths. According to studies, parents are more apt to incorrectly install an infant seat than a booster seat for small children.

See the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia web-site for instruction and videos which demonstrate the proper positioning and installation of child car or booster seats.

Inspection stations are available to verify that an infant seat or booster seat is properly installed. In Bellevue, AAA Washington performs the checks. In Seattle, Children's Hospital, Carter Motors, Odessa Brown Children's Clinic , The Car Seat Lady, and Swedish Medical Center perform the inspections. You can also check with The National Highway and Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a list of other inspection stations near you.

This information has been brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, trucking accident or bicycle accident through no fault of their own.

Contact The Farber Law Group today for a free case evaluation. With the help of The Farber law Group we may be able to help you recover compensation for your damages.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent and non-profit, scientific and education organization which is dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries and property damage in motor vehicle accidents, reports that 13 of the 41 child booster seats they examined could not be recommended.

Booster seats for children ages 4 to 7 years old reduce injury risk by 59% over seat belts alone reports a study by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Booster seats function is to elevate children so that seat belts designed for adults are positioned correctly on children. While all the booster seats the IIHS examined passed government standards in crash tests, variation in design means that some position the lap or shoulder belt better than others, thus providing a safer booster seat.

Click here to read the Insurance Institutes's news release on child booster seats and to see a video of the booster seat evaluations.

10 booster seats listed as "best bets" include:

• Graco TurboBooster
• Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
• Combi Kobuk
• Fisher-Price Safe Voyage
• Britax Parkway
• LaRoche Bros. Teddy Bear
• Safeguard Go
• Volvo booster cushion
• Recaro Young Style
• Britax Monarch

10 booster seats list as "not recommended" include:

• Safety Angel Ride Ryte backless
• Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit
• Graco CarGo Zephyr
• Evenflo Big Kid Confidence
• Cosco/Dorel Traveler
• Compass B505
• Compass B510
• Evenflo Generations
• Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect
• Cosco Highback Booster
• Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega
• Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch
• Safety 1st/Dorel Intera

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We hare more than 30 years experience in representing car accident victims in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Kent and Federal Way.

Contact us today for a free and confidential case evaluation.

Parents who place their child's car seat in the middle of the back seat rather than on the sides, are keeping their children safe in case of a car accident. By positioning a child's car seat in the middle of the rear seat, the child is 43% less likely to be injured in a car accident according to a University of Pennsylvania and Children's hospital of Philadelphia study which was published in the journal Pediatrics.

The study looked at data from 4,790 automobile accidents which involved children under the age of three. They found that only 28 percent of car seats are placed in the middle rear seat. They found that the center position is always recommended but that there is a low compliance.

Correct use of car seats for infants and small children is critical in preventing serious injuries and death. Studies show that parents are more likely to incorrectly position and use car seats for infants rather than toddlers.

Childrens's Hospital of Philadelphia has instructions and videos which show the correct positioning and usage of child car or booster seats.

The National Highway and Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a list of inspection stations in Washington State where parents can go to have their child seat installation verified. Click here for the list which includes addresses and appointment information.. In Bellevue, AAA Washington performs the checks. In Seattle, Children's Hospital, Carter Motors, Odessa Brown Children's Clinic , The Car Seat Lady, and Swedish Medical Center performs the checks.

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience representing people with serious injuries and the families of those who have died in car accidents through no fault of their own.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.