Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Seattle's KOMO News reports that a 58-year-old man was admitted to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue with a serious leg injury and other injuries after he was hit by a suspected drunk driver at the corner of Main and Bellevue Way in downtown Bellevue late Monday night.

Cause of the Pedestrian Accident
The report said the driver, a 25-year-old woman, was making a left from Main Street onto Bellevue Way when she lost control of her vehicle and struck the man before crashing into a light pole.

The unidentified woman was arrested for DUI and vehicular assault. Washington Vehicle code RCW 46.61.522 "Vehicular Assault" states that a driver can be charged if he or she seriously injures someone while driving recklessly, driving recklessly or driving with recklessless disregard to the safety of others.

Pedestrian Accident Personal Injury Liability
If it is determined that the driver was driving under the influence at the time of the accident, the liability will fall with her. In cases like this, accident victims are advised to contact a Bellevue pedestrian accident attorney who has handled DUI accident and can advise the victim on their legal rights. A personal injury attorney will work hard to receive the maximum compensation for the victim including medical expenses, lost wages, and for pain and suffering.

Source: KOMO News

Continue reading "Pedestrian injured by suspected drunk driver in Bellevue" »

Drivers in Seattle have had so much to contend with this week in Seattle due to severe weather and snow and ice on the roadways. Then, a suspected drunken driver drove the wrong way on Interstate 405 early this morning causing a head-on car accident.

An unidentified 24-year-old woman from Newcastle apparently headed north on the southbound lanes of Interstate 405 in her Subaru after getting onto the freeway at the 124th street ramp. One report said she drove several miles before colliding head-on with a Jeep reports the Seattle P-I.

The wrong-way driver was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries. The driver of the Jeep was taken to Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland.

Spate of Wrong Way Drivers in Seattle Area
This is the third wrong-way driving accident in the greater Seattle area in the past ten days:

• On January 11th when a 60-year-old retired schoolteacher drove her car 17 miles in the wrong direction on Interstate 5. The Washington State Patrol was able to stop the woman using spike strips before she caused an accident.
• On January 16,a wrong-way driver on I-5 in Tukwila hit a carload of teenagers sending one to Harborview and injury four others.

Causes of Wrong Way Driving

Most of the time when there is a wrong way car driver, the wrong-way driver is under the influence of alcohol and or drugs and misinterprets off ramps. Signage that says "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter" can help but if a person is so intoxicated, they often do not notice these warnings.

Another cause of wrong way drivers are elderly drivers who are confused or disoriented while driving and they make a mistake.

Some times, wrong way driving errors are caused when the local or state transportation agencies fail to provide proper signage.

Car Accident Injuries
Wrong way driving accidents often leave the injured with catastrophic injuries. The law of physics provides that the force of impact of two vehicles colliding at 50mph is the same as a one car running into a fixed object at 100mph. Often accident victims will suffer traumatic brain injuries, blunt force injuries and cuts and bruises. Often, victims are killed.

Continue reading "2 injured in Bothell I-405 wrong-way driving accident" »

Just a few days ago we wrote about a Washington wrong way driver who drove nearly 17 miles on Interstate 5 before police were able to stop her. In that wrong way driving incident, no one was injured.

Unfortunately, another wrong-way driver — again on Interstate 5 — has been involved in an accident early Sunday morning, this time sending 6 people to the hospital.

This wrong-way accident occurred on Interstate 5 in Tukwila near the South center exit around 3:30am when the wrong-way driver collided head-on with a car with 5 teenagers on board.

All but one of the injured were taken to Valley Medical Center. The most seriously injured was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle according to KOMO News.

Police suspect that the wrong-way driver was under the effects of alcohol at the time of the accident.

In the other wrong way driving incident, Pamela Drawsby a 60-year-old retired teacher from Olympia, drove at high speeds of up to 100 mph. The Highway Patrol reports that her blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time she was arrested was 0.12 percent. They also believe that she may have been under the influence of prescription medications. Drawsby has entered a not guilty plea.

Head-On Car Accidents

When two cars collide head-on, the results are often deadly. The combined force of two vehicles colliding at 50mph usually totals both vehicles.. Often, the results are deadly.

Continue reading "Tukwila wrong way driving accident on Interstate 5 injures 6" »

Today on Mercer Island, a new ordinance goes into effect which holds parents and homeowners responsible if teenagers drink at their homes.

The Ordinance
The ordinance cites homeowners or parents even if they are unaware that drinking occurred at their home. If cited, the homeowner will have to pay a fine of $250 regardless of whether they were aware of the underage drinking.

This new ordinance is highly contentious and is likely to be contested in court as it is the first of its kind in Washington state. A coalition of parents on Mercer Island, Communities that Care Coalition, lobbied for the new ordinance as one strategy to reduce underage drinking. The law might make sense for parents of teens under the age of 18 but most parents don't feel the need to provide supervision of teens 18 and older who are legal adults in every aspect except for alcohol.

Teenage Drinking
Teens who drink often binge drink. Binge drinking is often done in groups and the intent is intoxication. While binge drinking is more prevalent among teenage males, teen girls also engage in the risky behavior. Binge drinking is statistically linked to alcoholism in later life and it increases the chance for a teen to participate in risky behaviors such as drinking and driving.

Teenage Drinking and Driving
While teenagers are less likely than adults to drink and drive, when they do drive after they drink there car accident risk is substantially higher -- almost twice as much -- than adults even at low or moderate blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Every year approximately 1,900 teenagers under 21 die from alcohol-related car accidents.

Social Host Liability
Although the definition of a "social host" can vary from state-to-state, a social host is a person who provides alcohol as an act of hospitality to a guest or condones the use of alcohol by a guest on property that the host controls. The property can be a home but it might also be a boat, a beach or a hotel room.

Social Host Liability finds that the supplier of alcohol may be liable to persons injured as a result of an intoxicated guest's actions because the social host has a duty to the public to reduce risk of injury and to serve alcohol responsibly.

If a parent allows alcohol to be served at an underage party, and a drunken teen leaves on their own and is involved in a motor vehicle accident, that parent can be held strictly liable under the law.

Continue reading "Mercer Island's social host ordinance targets underage drinking" »

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg along with Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist and state Representative Christopher Hurst, D-Enumclaw, are supporting changes to existing Washington state DUI laws to increase the penalties for Vehicular Homicide and Vehicular Assault.

Citing drunk driving accident statistics, Satterberg noted that 170 people were killed by impaired drivers in Washington state in 2010 compared with 154 people killed by murder.

Vehicular Homicide, vehicle code RCW 46.61.520, provides that a driver can be charged if a person dies within three years of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving recklessly or driving without regard to the safety of others.

Vehicular Assault, vehicle code RCW 46.61.522, provides that a driver can be charged if a person is seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving recklessly or driving without regard to the safety of others.

Examples of driving recklessly include speeding, racing or aggressive driving. Examples of driving without regard to the safety of others include engaging in unsafe behavior even though the driver knows it is unsafe including texting while driving, talking no a cell phone or other distracted behaviors.

Currently the penalty for Vehicular Homicide, DUI, is between 2-½  to 3-1/2 years in prison. The new bill proposes that the penalty be increased to 6- 8-½  years.

The proposed change to Vehicular Assault would increase the current from 3 to 9 months to 6 months to 1 year.

Satterberg believes that current penalties for drivers who kill are not sufficient because these are preventable deaths. He said that when defendants get time off for good behavior their prison sentence can be reduced by a third.

Legal Recourse for Victims of Drunk Drivers

The Farber Law Group provides legal representation for people who have been disabled or injured in a drunk driving accident in Washington state.

A motor vehicle accident involving a drunken driver are different that other accidents because it is a preventable one. If only the driver would have called a cab, waited a few hours or stayed put, a drunk driving accident could have been prevented.

Washington Drunk Driving Accident Claims

If you have been seriously injured by a drunk driver or a loved one killed, your life has changed in a split second. Some people are left with catastrophic injuries which cause a life time of pain or leave them disabled. Other times, a loved one has died and that person may have been the bread winner for the family or a promising young student.

The Farber Law Group is here to answer your questions about Washington drunk driving accidents and we will fight to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries, medical costs, lost wages and for pain and suffering.

Call Us

If you or a loved one has been injured, disabled or killed in a Washington drunk driving accident, call us TOLL FREE at 1-800-244-9087. We provide a FREE CASE CONSULTATION.

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Source: Prosecutors propose stiffer DUI sentences, The Seattle Times, by Sara Jean Green, January 9, 2012.

Continue reading "New bill seeks to harshen penalties for Drunk Driving Injury Accidents" »

The Kirkland police have arrested Nathan J. Godwin, 27, of Redmond and he faces charges of Vehicular Homicide in the death of an 36-year-old man who was killed in a bicycle accident early this morning.

According to Kirkland Views, the fatal bicycle accident occurred at the intersection of NE 124th Street and 132nd Avenue NE this morning around 3am.

The unidentified bicyclist was riding his bicycle home from work when he was hit. The report said that he was wearing the bicycling gear to make himself visible including a reflective vest, head lamp and blinking lamp.

One report said that Godwin initially left the accident scene but then returned. Police have booked him into King County jail after administering a blood alcohol test at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland.

Vehicular Homicide, Washington Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.520 can be charged if a person is killed in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) or drugs, driving recklessly or driving without regard to the safety of others.

This is the second fatal bicycle accident in Kirkland in the past six months. John Przychodzen was killed in Juanita on July 22. The teenage driver that killed Przychodzen was only fined $42. Przychodzen's family have filed a negligence lawsuit on his behalf in civil court because they are seeking answers to what caused the driver to swerve and hit Pryzchodzen.

Approximately 110,000 people are killed every year by drunken drivers. In Washington state, 40% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents had alcohol involvement.

As the investigation into this most-recent bicycle accident continues, the Kirkland police are asking people with information about the bicycle accident to contact Sergeant Brouelette, Kirkland Police Department at 425-587-3493 or vog.awdnalkrik@tteleuorbl. 

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. Our personal injury law firm represent bicycle accident victims and their family.

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Continue reading "Suspected drunken driver arrested in fatal Kirkland bicycle accident" »

Joseph Brynda, 20, was sentenced to serve 7 years in prison for the pedestrian accident death of Phillip Rangel, 60, who was killed while walking in a crosswalk in 2009. According to testimony, Brynda was texting and driving with his knees when he hit and killed Rangel.

The Cook County, Illinois, jury heard that Brynda was also driving under the influence of marijuana and freon when the pedestrian accident occurred.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Brynda had a history of driving offenses. According to their report, Brynda had eight previous driving offenses ranging from failing to yield to emergency vehicles, speeding, disobeying traffic signals. He had also previously been involved in an injury accident.

Everyone knows that texting while driving is illegal yet there are so many instances of people who have been killed because of texting drivers.

It is not uncommon for a a driver who was texting while driving to also be under the influence of alcohol or drugs as in this case. People who engage in high risk activities such as drinking and driving will often engage in other high-risk activities such as speeding, flagrantly disobeying traffic laws and texting.

In April of this year, Danae Marie Miller, a 22-year-old California woman, was charged with vehicular manslaughter when she hit and killed bicyclist Armine Britel, 40. Like Brynda, Miller was texting when the bicycle-car accident occurred and she was under the influence. Like Brynda, Miller had a history of numerous traffic citations including one for using a cell phone while driving.

Studies show that texting while driving delays a driver's response time by 35% and increases the probably of an accident 23 times. Combine texting with driving and alcohol or drugs and you are an accident waiting to happen.

Plainly stated, texting while driving puts anyone who uses the road — drivers, walkers and bicyclists — at risk.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car crash, or a loved one killed, and someone else was texting or driving drunk, you may be able to file a civil suit in King County, Washington seeking compensation for your damages. The Farber Law Group, a personal injury attorney specializing in serious personal injuries and wrongful death, will work to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

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Continue reading "Texting driver sentenced in pedestrian death" »

A 29-year-old Marysville woman and a 15-year-old girl were both seriously injured when they were involved in a high-speed rollover car accident on Highway 528 Monday afternoon.

Eric Stevic, writing in the Everett Herald, said that the woman suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center after she lost control of her vehicle and it rolled several times.

The teen suffered serious injuries in the car accident and she was taken to Providence Medical Center in Everett.

Police are investigating the accident but it appears that a woman and a man who knew each other were in two separate vehicles and speeding down the highway when the accident occurred. Both parties may have been intoxicated at the time. According to one version of the story, the woman was trying to stop a man that she had a relationship with from driving intoxicated. He drove off and she apparently went after him according to investigator Robb Lamoureaux of the Marysville Police Department.

Both the woman and the man were speeding when the woman apparently clipped a pickup truck and a van and lost control of her vehicle.

Police later arrested the man and he is being investigated for drunken driving, vehicular assault, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.

Witnesses said the man stopped to check on the woman before leaving the accident scene.
This accident also involved several other vehicles who were traveling eastbound on the highway. One other driver suffered injuries.

It is so tragic when people make the decision to drink and drive. The Washington State vehicle code provides that if a person is seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and a driver was driving under the influence or recklessly then the driver can be charged with vehicular assault.

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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Continue reading "Police investigating Marysville accident that seriously injured woman and teenager" »

Students on a New Jersey school bus knew their bus driver wasn't right so they called their parents from their cell phones. They told their parents that their school bus driver was falling asleep and weaving in traffic.

Parents called the authorities at Westampton Middle School who called police. Police arrested Carole Crockett, 46, on suspicion of driving under the influence as well of other charges including endangering children's welfare. When they tested her, her blood alcohol level was at .25% which is almost three times the legal limit of .08%.

This is not the first time we have seen cases where a school bus driver was drunk with children on board. In March of this year, Betty Burden, an Orange County school bus driver, pled guilty to driving under the influence with 45 students on board her bus. In this case, Burden escaped prison but she was sentenced to 480 hours of community service and 2-1/2 years probation.

Bus drivers should meet a higher standard than other drivers and should exercise diligence to protect the lives of their passengers. If passengers are injured due to the negligent action of a bus driver, they can file suit asking for compensation for their damages including medical costs and for pain and suffering.

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 bus accidents and motor vehicle accidents due to the negligence of another.

Source:
N.J. school bus driver Carole Crockett charged with drunk driving, endangering students, newjerseynewsroom.com

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Continue reading "School bus driver arrested after students report her for driving drunk" »

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" »

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission is not keeping it a secret where and when the joint task force of DUI patrols will be taking place. They are publishing all the information on a web-site called watikileaks.com.

The watikileaks web-site shows the times, dates and places where extra DUI police patrols are looking for drunken drivers.

The web-site and the DUI emphasis patrols are all part of "Target Zero" an initiative of the Traffic Safety Commission and local law enforcement to get drunken drivers off of the road. There goal: zero traffic accident fatalities or serious injuries within the next two decades. Deterrence in a huge party of the strategy in enforcement of DUI laws.

Alcohol abuse is a leading cause of car accident deaths in Washington State. In fact, approximately 48% of all Washington car accident deaths, alcohol, drugs and medications were a factor.

Aggressive enforcement of drunken driving has already lowered the number of fatalities in the past few years.

Using the watikileaks.com web-site is easy. A driver can choose a county and a list of the DUI emphasis patrols are listed. For example:

• August 26-27 - DUI patrols will be throughout downtown Redmond and Seattle.

• September 2-5 Extra DUI patrols will be out in the following King County cities: Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Newcastle, Sammamish, Issaquah, Snoqualmie, and North Bend areas.

• September 9-10 - Extra DUI patrols will be in Downtown Kirkland.

• September 10-11 - Extra DUI patrols will be out in Redmond.

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 accidents involving drunken drivers and the family of those killed.

Continue reading "Washington Traffic Safety Commission totally candid about where and when DUI emphasis patrols will take place" »

Senate Bill 5000 known as "Hailey's Law is now in effect and police are using the law to impound vehicles of drunken drivers for 12 hours after they make a DUI arrest.

Hailey's law was enacted to keep intoxicated persons from getting behind the wheel of their vehicle until a suitable sobering up period has passed.

It may be surprising to some, but a person who is arrested for suspicion of DUI can be booked and processed and released in sometimes as little as 1 to 2 hours. Some of those DUI drivers then were taking possession of their vehicle while they were still intoxicated and sometimes getting into motor vehicle accidents.

In one such case, Hailey French, was seriously injured in a head-on accident when she her car was hit by a driver who had been arrested for driving under the influence just two hours prior to the accident.

Hailey's Law allows police to call a tow truck company to deal with the DUI driver's car. If another registered owner of the vehicle is not intoxicated, they can get the vehicle out of impound in less than 12 hours.

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 accidents caused by drunken drivers and the family of those killed.

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Continue reading "12 hour DUI impound law "Hailey's Law" now in effect" »

The New Mexico Supreme Court held that a pharmaceutical company, whose representatives hosted a luncheon in which an employee of a doctor's office became inebriated and then was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which a child was killed, is liable to the victim under social host liability.

Social host liability is defined by case law and finds a social host liable in civil actions in cases where alcohol was served to an obviously intoxicated person who then was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which a 3rd party was seriously injured o called.

Social host most often refers to a private individual who serves alcohol in a private setting. Dram shop liability refers to a bar or restaurant over-serving an individual.

In the case before the New Mexico high court, representatives from several pharmaceutical companies hosted a luncheon and paid for alcoholic beverages consumed by Alicia Gonzalez. When Gonzalez was subsequently in a car accident in which Gina Delfino's son was killed, Delfino sued under the Liquor Liability Act (LLA).

The court ruled that social host liability is not limited to private settings and since the pharmaceutical defendants hosted the luncheon, paid for the alcoholic beverages and escorted Gonzalez to her car that they were in fact social hosts.

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 caused by drunk drivers and the family of those killed.

Citation: Delfino v. Griffo, 2011 WL 1772266 (N.M. Apr. 8, 2011).
Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Esteban A. Aguilar Sr. and Brian S. Colon, both of Albuquerque.

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A Washington State trooper and two other people were seriously injured in a Bellevue car accident caused by drunken drivers at the Interstate 405 and State Route 520 interchange on Friday night around 11:45pm.

According to the Bellevue Reporter, the trooper had stopped a 32-year-old Bellingham man driving a silver BMW on suspicion of driving under the influence when the accident occurred. The trooper was in the process of arresting the motorist when an Acura, driven by a 26-year-old Shoreline woman, hit the patrol car which then pushed it into the BMW. The driver of the BMW, the driver of the Acura and the trooper were all taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue with serious injuries.

The driver of the Acura may be charged with Vehicular Assault because troopers suspect she was driving intoxicated. Washington State motor vehicle code RCW 46.61.522 states that a driver can be charged with Vehicular Assault if he or she seriously injures another person while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

It is not uncommon for a motorist driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs to hit a parked or stopped car. While troopers take every precaution by having motorists move onto the shoulder, flash their lights and angle the car to protect both themselves and the other driver, a drunken driver often mistakes the stopped cars for a moving lane of 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 accidents and the family of those who have died.

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Judge Alan Hancock in Island County Superior Court sentenced two Oak Harbor women to prison, finding them guilty of Vehicular Homicide and found both responsible for the Whidbey Island car accident that killed Brian Wood, Jacob Quistorf and Francis Malloy.

Judge Hancock sentenced Samantha Bowling to at least five years in prison and Jordyn Weichert to eight years.

The judge was visibly moved as he pronounced sentence.

Weichert, who was 20 at the time, was driving a Chevy Blazer on Highway 20 when she asked Bowling to steer for her so she could remove her sweater. Bowling apparently let go of the wheel before Weichert resumed control of the vehichle and when the Blazer started drifting, both women grabbed the steering wheel, over-corrected and crossed into the oncoming lane where they collided with the car driven by Brian Wood.

Quistorf and Mallory were in the backseat of Weichert's car and were both killed.

Bowling took a plea bargain in April and she pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide and agreed to testify against Weichert.

Weichert was found guilty in May of multiple felonies including three counts of Vehicular Homicide and two counts of Vehicular Assault.

A charge of Vehicular Homicide (Washington Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.520 ) can be charged if one or more persons are killed in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident or found to be driving with reckless disregard to the safety of others. There was evidence that both women had taken drugs or smoked marijuana before the accident.

The Vehicular Assault http://www.washingtoninjuryattorneyblog.com/2011/04/oak_harbor_woman_seriously_inj.htmlcharges (RCW 46.61.522) stem from the injuries to Wood’s wife, Erin, who suffered serious injuries. She was pregnant at the time but fortunately, the baby was not injured.

Source:
Judge Chokes Up At Sentencing In Crash That Killed Father, 2 Others
Lee Stoll
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News North Sound Reporter

Continue reading "2 Oak Harbor women sentenced in deadly car accident " »

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer had a an article that caught our notice. A man was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in Kirkland. Besides driving at an inconsistent speed, the driver garnered the attention of the police by vomiting not once, but twice out his car's window.

In this case, the man refused a take field sobriety tests and breathylazer tests but Washington law allows police to get a search warrant for a blood alcohol test. Refusing to submit to blood alcohol tests can result in automatic suspension of your driver's license even if you were not above the legal limit.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken drivers and their family. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

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Continue reading "Kirkland driver's tell tale sign of DUI: "vomiting out car window"" »

Alexander E. Peder, 51, of Kirkland, WA, was sentenced in King County Superior Court to 8-1/2 years in prison for two counts of Vehicular Homicide in the drunk driving car accident deaths of Nicholas Hodgkins, 18, and Derek King, 18. The two Federal Way teens were killed just days before they were to graduate from Decatur High School. Peder received the maximum sentence.

According to The Olympian, Peder was driving drunk when he crashed into a Honda Civic that had broken down on Interstate 5 in Tukwila. Hodgkins and King were killed in the drunk driving car accident. Anthony Beaver, 19, the Honda's driver, was treated at Harborview Medical Center.

Peder's blood-alcohol content at the time of the car accident was twice the legal limit and measure 0.16%. He had two previous DUI convictions, one for first-degree negligent driving in 1998 and one for reckless endangerment in 2008.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people the victims of drunken drivers and their families.

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A motorcycle rider was seriously injured and the condition of the motorcycle passenger is unknown after a Maple Valley motorcycle accident attributed to drunk driving.

Seattle's King5.com reports that the motorcycle accident occurred on Friday evening at 8:30pm on northbound State Route 169 near Southeast 213th Street. The accident occurred when a Jeep, driven by a Kent woman, 32, made an abrupt left turn and hit the motorcyclist who was traveling next to the Jeep.

The motorcyclist and passenger were thrown down an embankment and hit a fire hydrant.

The motorcycle rider was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a level I trauma center.

The driver of the Jeep was arrested on suspicion of DUI and Vehicular Assault. Vehicular Assault, Washington State vehicle code RCW 46.61.522, can be charged if a person is seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or driving with reckless disregard for the safety of others.

Police are asking witnesses of the accident to call Detective Russ Haake at 425-401-7717.

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

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Seattle's KIRO TV.com reports that three men were critically injured in a Seattle car accident on Rainier Avenue South around just before 3am on Saturday morning when the SUV they were riding in collided with a Honda Civic and all three men were thrown from the SUV.

According to the report, police responded to a 911 emergency call and found three critically injured men lying in the middle of the roadway. A wrecked black Honda Civic was on a nearby curb. The driver of the SUV had fled the accident scene. All three injured men were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Police believe the driver of the SUV crossed the center line and hit the Honda head-on in the 9600 block. The driver of the SUV then fled the accident scene. Police later located the SUV at the Atlantic City boat ramp. They took the driver to Harborview to test for the presence of drugs and alcohol.

The article did not say if the two people in the Honda, both women, were injured in the motor vehicle accident.

Hopefully, the three injured men recover from their injuries. The driver of the SUV faces serious charges including Vehicular Assault and felony hit-and run. Vehicular Assault, RCW 46.61.522, can be charged if someone is seriously injured in a car accidents and the driver was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

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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The Spokesman-Review reports that Teri M. Scheele, 29, of Spokane was arrested on charges of Vehicular Homicide after she drove the wrong way on Interstate 90 causing an accident which killed Kenneth J. Hardin, 27, of Post Falls.

According to the report, the Spokane Valley fatal car accident occurred around 3am in the eastbound lanes of I-90 near Barker. Scheele was driving west in the eastbound when she hit the car driven by Hardin head-on.

Hardin was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane where he died of his injuries.

Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person is killed in a car accident and a driver was driving under the influence of alcohol, driving recklessly or driving with reckless disregard to the safety of others.

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 their wrongful death cases.

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