Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Police are investigating which caused a 39-year-old man from Home, Washington to crash his motorcycle into a concrete barrier on State Route 16 in Port Orchard.

According to a report in The Olympian, the Douglas Guy was traveling eastbound on SR 16 at Sidney Road around 5:50pm when he hit a concrete overpass and was killed.

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.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you

A 25-year-veteran with the Washington State Department of Corrections, Bruce Ramsey, was killed in a motorcycle accident when a car driven by a teenage girl allegedly pulled in front of him on Highway 2 in Sultan on February 17th.

According to a report written by Everett Herald Net writer, Andy Rathbun, the motorcycle accident occurred around 3:30pm at U.S. Route 2 and Rice Road.

The 16-year-old driver of a Honda sedan and her 17-year-old male passenger were not injured in the accident. An ongoing investigation will determine whether the teen driver will be cited and whether driver inattention may have been the cause.

Ramsey's death is the 53rd fatality on US 2 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass since 1999.

In 1997, the U.S. Safety 2 Coalition was formed to lobby for making the highway safer including creating a divided highway with barriers between the east and west lanes. Crossover accidents have been problematic on the highway with the last cross-over accident fatality occurring on July9th.

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 and motorcycle accidents due to the negligence of another and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with three accounts of Vehicular Assault after a Saturday evening motor vehicle accident in which two motorcyclists were injured in Spanaway.

According to a report in The Tacoma News Tribune, the unidentified teen hit two motorcyclists while driving recklessly on Spanaway Loop Road South. The teen was speeding and crossed the center line and clipped one motorcycle and hit a second.

Two people on the second motorcycle was injured and the teen was also injured in the accident.

Vehicular Assault, RCW 46.61.522, can be charged if a person is seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving recklessly or driving with careless disregard of 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 motorcycle and car 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.

A 57-year-old Kent, Washington man, James P. Suddoth, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday on Highway 512 in Pierce County on Saturday night.

According to a report written by Stephanie Clark writing for Tacoma's The News Tribune, Suddoth lost control of his Harley Davidson, hit a cable barrier and landed in the roadway where he was struck by three vehicles.

The driver of the first vehicle left the accident scene and police are trying to locate him or her. Suddoth was also hit by a Nissan Altima driven by a 46-year-old Vancouver, WA, man and a Chevrolet pickup driven by a 19-year-old Bonney Lake man. Both the Nissan and Chevrolet sustained heavy damage but neither drivers were injured.

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.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A Ferndale couple, James Carson, 41, and Rhonda Reed, 42, both suffered serious injures in a motorcycle accident when they were hit by a pickup truck in Oak Harbor around 5:15pm reports The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The couple was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of their injuries, including broken bones.

According to the report, the couple were hit by a Toyota pickup truck driven by Jeremy Palmer, 20, of Oak Harbor. Palmer was attempting left into a parking lot from the left hand turn lane from Southbound Highway 20. He struck the motorcycle that was traveling northbound on the inside lane. Palmer may be cited for failure to yield. It is the duty of a driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left to yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is close enough to constitute an immediate hazard.

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. 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.

An 18-year-old Kent teen suffered broken bones and a possible head injury when he was involved in a motorcycle accident on Highway 18 in Auburn Saturday night.

According to a report on KIRO Radio, the motorcyclist was speeding when he crashed into the rear of a stalled car. Some witnesses estimated that the motorcyclist may have been traveling at speeds up to 90 miles per hour before the accident.

Police say the teen was wearing a helmet and are investigating to determine whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the motorcycle accident.

The driver of the stalled car was not injured.

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.

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.

We often get asked the question whether it is possible for someone to get a whiplash injury in a low speed car accident. Some times insurance companies balk at paying out on an insurance claim for a whiplash injury when the car accident was described as a fender bender, there were no skid marks or the damage to the vehicles involved is not that substantial. However, one cannot equate the damage to a motor vehicle to a person. Indeed people can and do suffer whiplash injuries which require treatment in low speed car accidents.

One study published on the National Institute of Health web-site showed that biodynamic stresses which cause slight to moderate vehicle damage may be high enough to cause injuries. Low speed car accidents of just a few miles per hour can be severe enough to cause hyperflexion of the cervical spine and even accidents involving bumper cars at an amusement park have been known to cause whiplash injury.

One should never let an insurance company say that a person is not injured by looking at the physical evidence on a vehicle. A diagnosis by a qualified physician based on standards of orthopedic neurological testing should be sufficient.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have suffered whiplash injuries in a motor vehicle accident. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including treatment costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

See our Whiplash Injuries Resources.

The King County Medical Examiner's office reports that traffic accident deaths were down in 2008 when compared with 2007. In 2008, 163 people were killed as a result of motor vehicle accidents and in 2007, 170 people were killed.

Of the 163 people who died as a result of a motor vehicle accident, only 112 of the accidents occurred in King County; 51 people were injured in accidents outside of the county but the injured person was taken to a King County Hospital -- usually Harborview Medical Center in Seattle -- where they died.

King County includes the following communities: Algona, Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Bothell, Burien, Carnation, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Hunts Point, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Maple Valley, Medina, Mercer Island, Milton, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Tukwila, Woodinville and Yarrow Point.

Safety Precautions

The statistics show that people are taking safety precautions: only 27% of those killed in traffic accidents were not wearing seatbelts and only 16% of those killed in motorcycle accidents were not wearing helmets. Two of those killed in bicycle accidents were wearing helmets.

Traffic accident data

Some finer analysis of the data shows:

• 44% of those killed were drivers
  
• 75% of driver deaths were male
  
• 6% of those killed were teenage drivers between the ages of 16-91
  
• 24% of those killed were drivers between the ages of 20-29
  
• only one infant (a child under the age of one) was killed
  
• only two children between the ages of 1-5 years were killed
  
• no children between the ages of 6-12 years were killed
  
• 26 people died in pedestrian accidents

Alcohol Data

Blood alcohol data on car accident victims is not tally descriptive because blood alcohol tests are not always performed on those who live for more than 24 hours after an accident. However, of those tested, 40% showed the presence of alcohol in their blood stream.

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 pedestrian accidents and the families 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.

Information for this posting is from:
King County Medical Examiner's Office - 2008 Annual Report prepared by David Fleming, MD and Richard Harruff, MD, PHD.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is seeking witnesses to a multiple car accident on Interstate 5 near the Southcenter mall in Tukwila that killed a 43-year-old Seattle man early this morning.

According to a WSP media release, the fatal accident involved several vehicles and it occurred in the southbound lanes around 5:53 am of the I-5 just north of the I-405/SR-518 interchanges.

It appears that the car accident occurred when a black Toyota Land Cruiser collided with a vehicle operated by Stita Taxi on the exit ramp. The impact of the collision caused the Land Cruiser to veer into the main southbound lanes of the highway where it was hit by a Toyota Camry. The force of the impact caused the Land Cruiser to roll.

The drivers of the Camry and the taxi were not seriously injured. The WSP is currently investigating the cause of the accident between the Land Cruiser and the taxi. They are asking witnesses to the collision to call Detective Ruth Medeiros at 425-401-7719.

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 families of those killed in automobile accidents.

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 Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported some good news today: fatal motorcycle accidents have dropped in 2009 compared with the same period in 2008. This summer, from May to the end of September, there were only 43 fatal motorcycle accidents compared with 62 fatal accidents during the same period in 2008.

So far this year, there have been 62 fatal motorcycle accidents.

The major factors in motorcycle accidents are:

• alcohol or drugs
  
• speeding
  
• rider inexperience causing errors with lane changes or losing control on curves

The state of Washington requires people who ride motorcycles to get a motorcycle endorsement by either taking an approved motorcycle rider course and passing motorcycle knowledge and riding tests.

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 car accidents. 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.

Up to 30 members of the Brother Speed motorcycle club were involved in a chain-reaction motorcycle accident on Interstate 5 in Oregon on Friday afternoon. Two members of the club were critically injured and several others sustained serious injuries including shoulder and hip injuries and broken bones.

Herbert Sinclair of Heburn, Idaho was airlifted to Oregon Health Science University hospital with critical injuries. David Bowyer of Couer d'Alene, Idaho was airlifted to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, also with critical injuries.

The motorcycle accident occurred when 20-30 motorcyclists were traveling in a group Interstate 5 south of Wilsonville. According to a report in The Seattle Times, the motorcyclists were following an SUV, or SUVs, which suddenly slowed down and a chain reaction accident ensued.

The Brother Speed motorcycle club was organized in 1969 and has chapters in the Northwest including Camas, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Boise, Idaho.

Washington state vehicle code WPI 70.04 "Duty of the Following Driver" provides that it is the primary duty of the following driver to avoid a collision. The following driver is usually the negligent party if he or she runs into the car ahead, in the absence of an emergency.

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 motorcycle accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may receive 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 Everett Herald Net.com reports that a 31-year-old man was found dead in the 5300 block of 88th Street SW in Mulkiteo around 2am on Sunday morning. According to the report, they found the man dead in a ditch and his motorcycle nearby, an apparent victim of a motorcycle accident.

The report said that the man was near his home. Lynnwood traffic detectives are investigating the motorcycle accident.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of motorcycle accidents and their family. We are a personal injury law firm with more than 30 years experience.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 60-year-old Mount Vernon motorcyclist was killed and four other people were injured in a multi-vehicle accident on State Route 9 in Mount Vernon on Friday night.

According to a report on Seattle's KOMO news.com, the motorcyclist was heading north on SR 9 when he crossed the center line and was involved in a head-on collision with a southbound Honda CRS. The Honda then cross the median and hit a northbound Hyundai.

The driver of the Honda, a 53-year-old Mount Vernon woman, was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the Hyundai sustained minor injuries and was treated at the accident scene. Two passengers in the Hyundai were taken to Skagit Valley Hospital with minor injuries.

Police are investigating what caused the motorcyclist to cross the center line.

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 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.

Donn Potteiger, a King County Sheriff's deputy who lost his leg and sustained other serious injuries after he was in a motorcycle accident caused by a drunk driver, received a $7 million settlement from the insurers of the bar that served the drunk driver and the company that employed him.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, Potteiger was driving his motorcycle home after work in 2007 when he was hit by a pickup driven by Roberto Cedeno. The accident occurred on Northeast Bothell way in Kenmore.

Cedeno's blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.31 percent at the time of the accident. In Washington state, the legal limit is 0.08% BAC. Cedeno pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault and served 18 months in prison.

Potteiger filed a motorcycle accident lawsuit against the Cozy Inn Tavern and the bartender who served Cedeno. A dram shop claim allows that a bar or restaurant can be found negligent if an obviously intoxicated patron was served. In the settlement, the insurer for the tavern agreed to pay Potteiger $1 million.

The lawsuit also made a claim against Cedeno's employer's insurance since he was driving a company truck at the time of the accident. The company's insurance company will pay Potteiger $1 million on the truck insurance and $5 million in coverage for any acts of a negligent driver of the truck. In addition, Cedeno's personal auto insurance policy will pay Potteiger $125,000.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken drivers and their families. 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 U.S. Department of Transportation released data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2008 which provides the latest motor vehicle accident statistics.

2008 statistics showed that 37,261 people died due to motor vehicle accidents across the United States.

In Washington state, the total number of motor vehicle fatalities was 521. Of the 521 deaths:

• 243 deaths or 47% of the total were car occupants
  
• 107 or 21% of the total were pickup truck and SUV occupants
  
• 9 or 2% were occupants of large trucks
  
• 78 or 15% were motorcyclists
  
• 63 or 12% were pedestrians.

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 families 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.

A motorcycle rider and his passenger were injured in a motorcycle accident in Bellingham reports The Bellingham Herald.

According to the report, Kirkland D. Ross, age 34 of Bellingham, was driving his Suzuki motorcycle eastbound on Marigold near Lake Whatcom Boulevard when he went off the road and hit a tree. Ross and his passenger, Kerrie C. O'Brien, age 37 of Port Orchard, were both taken to St Joseph Hospital in Bellingham for treatment of injuries and then released.

Ross faces possible Vehicular Assault or driving under the influence charges pending results of toxicology tests. Vehicular Assault can be charged if a person is injured in a motor vehicle accident and it is determined that a driver was driving under the influence or driving with reckless disregard for the safety of others.

State troopers said that Ross did not have a valid motorcycle license and was not wearing a helmet. In Washington State, to ride a "street bike," a driver must take an approved motorcycle rider course, pass a knowledge test and pass a motorcycle riding test to get a motorcycle endorsement.

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 families of those killed in car and motorcycle accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including medicals costs, loss of wages and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Every year, 1.5 million motor vehicle accidents are caused by collisions with deer. Although Washington State is not in the top 10 of collisions with deer, running into wildlife is a common problem in our State. Every year, there are 150 fatalities nation-wide caused by collisions with deer and other animals and around 10,000 injuries

However, the story we saw in the Yakima Herald is the first we've seen, "Bear vs. Motorcycle -- Bear wins." According to the article, a 46-year-old Yakima-area man was riding his motorcycle when he went around a curve and saw a bear. In trying to avoid the bear, he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed, injuring his ribs.

The bear seemed to be uninjured and it took off.

Motorcyclists are at most risk with collisions with deer and other animals. 85% of deer-motorcycle collisions end up with human fatalities.

This information is provided by Seattle car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent motorcycle accident victims and their families.

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.

Actor James Caviezel, who was born in Mount Vernon, suffered cuts and bruises when he was involved in a motorcycle accident 14 miles outside of Leavenworth, Washington according to The Seattle Times. Caviezel stared in the motion picture, "The Passion of the Christ."

Caviezel was riding a 2006 Harley-Davidson motorcycle when a Wenatchee man, who might suffer from mental illness, threw a bicycle in his path. Caviezel, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Cascade Medical Center in Leavenworth for treatment.

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 and car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help you may recover compensation for your injuries including medical costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Colin M. Kenagy, age 41 of Sultan, was injured in a motorcycle accident near Entiat. Kenagy was taken to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee for treatment of injuries to his right arm and elbow.

According to a report in The Wenatchee World, Kenagy was driving north on Highway 97A when a Ford Escape driven by Lorilee A. Judy, age 46 of Olympia stopped for a deer crossing the road. Kenagy ran his 2004 Yamaha motorcycle into the rear-end of the Ford.

Judy was not injured injured in the accident.

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

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to arrange for a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Wenatchee World reports that Michael W. Sorensen , age 21 of SeaTac, and Joseph A.W. Sorensen, age 26 of Tukwila, both suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident on Highway 2 just west of Leavenworth on Sunday morning.

According to the report, the motorcycle accident occurred when a pickup truck, driven by Ramiro Botello-Botello, age 43 of Cashmere, stopped abruptly for backed up traffic. Michael Sorensen injured his knees when his 2007 Suzuki motorcycle hit the pickup. Joseph Sorensen suffered injuries to his right shoulder blade, knee and elbow when he swerved to avoid hitting the pickup and lost control of his 2008 Suzuki motorcycle. Both men were taken to Cascade Medical Center in Leavenworth for treatment.

Both Michael and Joseph Sorensen were cited for following too closely. Washington State Statutesays that the primary duty of avoiding a collision rests upon the following driver. The following driver should not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent and must regard speed and traffic on the road and maintain as much distance as required to make an emergency stop.

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 families of those killed in motor vehicle accidents including motorcycle, bicycle, autos and trucks.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule your free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.