Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

I recently reviewed a report entitled Driver Distraction: A Review of the Current State-of-Knowledge published in April by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This report looked at many studies having to do with Driver Distraction. With cell phones becoming so ubiquitous I was interested in how they affect driving performance. In fact a blog we posted yesterday about a bicyclist who suffered a serious spinal cord injury was caused by driver distraction.

The report cited studies that found that approximately 10.5 % of car accidents which were serious enough so that at least one car had to be towed away from the scene was due to a distracted driver. Another study found that distraction was a major factor in 33% of the crashes and 27% of near crashes.

What is Driver Distraction?

Driver distraction is anything that causes a driver to shift their attention away from the driving task, usually to the detriment of driving performance.

Driver distraction can be caused by every day activities including eating, smoking, changing radio stations, setting a GPS device and the usage of cell phones and text messaging.

Studies have broken distractions into several categories.

Inside the car distractions:

• Purposeful -- for example changing a radio station
• Incidental -- answering a phone or eating
• Uncontrolled -- examples are being distracted by a child, pet, sneezing or coughing.

People are often in the habit of performing purposeful secondary tasks and some might even be beneficial to help break boredom and to counteract fatigue.

External distractions:

• Animals running in front of a vehicle
• Weather conditions like a blinding sun
• Oncoming headlights
• Sirens
• Advertising

Several laws have been enacted to prohibit text messaging while driving and to prohibit talking on the cell phone without a hands-free device while driving. Remember, though, it's not just cell phones that can cause you to be distracted.

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, or the families of those killed, in motor vehicle accidents due to the negligence of another person. We have more than 30 years experience in Bellevue, Washington. With our help, you may receive compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

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

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

The Farber Law Group, located in Bellevue, Washington represents people who have been seriously hurt in motor vehicle accidents including car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, single or multiple truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, boating accidents and bicycle accidents throughout Western Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

People are often seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents and their injuries can include traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury and whiplash, broken limbs, severe lacerations and internal injuries.

In Washington State, there were 568 fatal car accidents in 2007. Mr. Farber is experienced in representing the families who have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident through the negligence of another person. While no amount money can compensate for the loss of a loved one, a successful wrongful death claim may help a family through a very difficult time, especially when they have lost the major wage earner.

With more than 30 years experience in Western Washington and throughout the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Farber represents cases in Bellevue, Kirkland, Seattle, Renton, Auburn, Spokane, Bothell, Federal Way, Tacoma, Arlington, Marysville, Puyallup, Tacoma and Bellingham. For out-of-state cases, Mr. Farber works with partner attorneys.

Contact The Farber Law Group for a free case evaluation.

The Seattle Times reports that a 15-year-old boy was hit and killed instantly by an Amtrak train at a pedestrian crossing in Centralia. The boy was riding his bicycle along with another boy on Saturday afternoon around 4:30 pm when the train accident happened. The other boy was following and was not injured. The accident occurred in the 600 block of South Tower Avenue.

The Amtrak train was traveling from Portland to Bellingham. The train was delayed for about 90 minutes after the accident. The Seattle Times article said that Centralia police are investigating.

This is the second time that the Bellingham-Portland Amtrak has hit and killed a bicyclist in the past two months and one of more than a dozen pedestrians killed by a train in Washington State this year. Read Bellingham to Portland Amtrak train kills female cyclist.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured or killed in car accidents, train accidents and bicycle accidents.

Contact us and we will evaluate your case for free.

In the eighth train-pedestrian fatal accident this year in Washington State, a woman bicyclist was killed by an Amtrak train in Bellingham around 7:45pm Tuesday evening.

The 49-year-old woman has yet to be identified according to KOMO TV news. The woman was at a pedestrian crossing marked with signs at the time of the accident. There is some speculation that she may have been listening to music and did not hear the train. Trains are allowed to travel at 35mph in that stretch of track.

This information has been brought to you by the Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. Based in Bellevue, Washington we represent car accident victims, bicycle accident victims and people with severe personal injuries and wrongful death.

Contact us for a free case consultation.

In the second pedestrian vs. train accident of this type within the past few weeks (see previous posting), a 50-year-old Renton, Washington man was killed by an Amtrak train while he was talking on his cell phone. KOMO TV reports that the accident occurred in Auburn near the Emerald Downs race track around noon. Apparently, the man did not hear the train's horn because of his phone conversation.

Angie Rodriguez (age 17) was killed about two weeks ago by an Amtrak train as she talked on her cell phone while walking near train tracks in Kent.

This information was brought to you by the Washington Injury Attorney Blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent accident victims and their families. Contact us today if you or a family member has suffered a serious personal injury or wrongful death due to the negligence of another. We will provide you with a free case consultation.

The Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper reported that a freight train that derailed four tank cars was caused by human error. The four cars that derailed were carrying thousands of gallons of liquid propane at the time. Chris Bristol reported that a Federal Railroad Administration investigation in Washington D.C. found that the unmanned Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed because the operators had failed to set the brakes.

The S.S. Steiner hops warehouse on Washington Avenue was damaged along with the tracks but no one was hurt in the incident that occurred last April 8, 2007. The train wreck resulted in evacuation of parts of Yakima County but luckily, no propane escaped.

Warren Flatsu, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration in Washington D.C. said that “human factors are the leading cause” of train accidents.

Train accidents that result in deaths are fairly rare occurrences. In the past four years, in Washington State, there have averaged from one to four deaths per year due to train accident according to the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis. The major causes of accidents are:

• Human factors – 38%
• Track defects – 35%
• Equipment defects -12%
• Signal defects – 2%
• Miscellaneous causes – 13%

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a train, you need to contact an experienced personal injury attorney. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience in representing people with severe personal injuries due to the negligence of others. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.