Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The Kitsap County Sheriff's office is investigating the cause of a head-on car accident that killed two drivers. Mark Thoman, age 25, of Silverdale and Steve Cockerham, age 47, of Poulsbo were both killed when their vehicles collided head-on near the Kitsap County treatment facility on Tuesday morning around 9:30 am reports The Seattle Times.

Apparently, Thoman was headed north in a 2002 Volvo in the 12300 block of Brownsville Highway when his car crossed the center line on the curve and collided with Cockerham's pickup trip.

Kitsap County Sheriff's spokesman Scot Wilson in the Kitsap Sun said they are looking into the following factors in determining the accident cause:

• Speed of both vehicles
  
• Seat belt use by both drivers
  
• Weather and road conditions
  
• Shifting loads in the pickup truck.

Heartfelt condolences go out to both men's families.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious car accident or a loved one has been killed, you should contact the law offices of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 32 years experience representing clients during a very difficult time in their life dealing with the aftermath of an automobile accident.

Contact The Farber Law Group to discuss your case.

Prosecutors have filed a warrant for Scott Michael Buskeness, 31, who they believe was responsible for a head-on car accident on Route 7 in Spanaway that killed Jamie Reinford, 33, and Richard Pennington, 34. Another person suffered a fractured ankle in the car accident. Buskeness is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault according to The Tacoma News Tribune.

According to reports, Buskeness crossed over the median while driving on State Route 7 near 146th Street around 1:35 am on Monday night. He ran head-on into a Dodge Colt with Reinford and Pennington and another passenger inside. Reinford was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma where he died late Tuesday night. Pennington was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he died. The passenger of the Colt was also taken to Harborview for treatment of injuries.

Buskeness admitted to police that he he had smoked methamphetamine on the day of the crash and marijuana within the past week. Police did not arrest him but took him to Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis with a hand injury. Police said that they thought he was so impaired that he would remain at the hospital for a few days. Instead, he was released the next morning and police have been looking for him since then.

It is curious why police did not arrest him at the time of the accident as he currently faces a DUI charge in Thurston County and has 19 convictions for felony traffic offenses and violent crimes.

Vehicular homicide can be charged if a person dies while a person was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (RCW 46.61.520) and vehicular assault can be charged if a person sustains a serious injury while a person was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (RCW 46.61.522).

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to an automobile accident or if a loved one has been killed, contact The Farber Law Group. Our personal injury attorneys have more than 30 years experience in car accident and wrongful death cases.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that a bicyclist was killed in an accident while biking to work on Thursday morning around 6:30am in Skyway, Washington, south of Seattle.

According to one report, the man was riding his bicycle near 130th and Renton Avenue South when he was struck by a car driven by a man in his late 70's. Police said that alcohol or drugs were not a factor.

John Urquhart of the King County sheriff's office said the man was "riding legally" at the time of the accident.

Every year approximately 540,000 bicyclists are injured in accidents and more than 700 are killed. There is no state law requiring bicyclists to wear helmets but Snohomish, Pierce and King Counties do require them. It is unknown whether the cyclist in this accident was wearing a helmet.

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, as service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber law Group today for a free and confidential case evaluation. We handle bicycle accidents on a contingent fee basis; you pay nothing unless we recover a settlement for you.

See our Bicycling Resources.

Hendricus MacKaay, 77, and Tryntge MacKaay, 79 a couple from Malakwa, B.C. were killed in a head-on car accident on Highway 97, six miles south of Tonasket around 6am Monday morning.

The Wenatchee World reports that the couple were driving northbound when a '96 Suburban driven by Roger T. Sanne, 74, of Tonasket crossed over the highway centerline and hit a Ford Explorer driven by Sheryl A. Dahl, 54 of Okanogan. After hitting Dahl's car, the Suburban then hit the Pontiac hatchback driven by Mackaay head-on. Hendricus Mackaay was killed at the accident scene and Tryntje Mackaay died shortly thereafter at North Valley Hospital in Tonasket.

Roger T. Sanne was taken to North Valley Hospital for treatment of facial cuts. His passenger, Shirley L. Sanne, 70, was taken to the same hospital for treatment multiple fractures to her foot, wrist and collarbone. Dahl was not injured.

According to the report both the Suburban and the Pontiac were inoperable after the car accident. The Explorer driven by Dahl was drivable.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

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 in car accidents. We also represent the families of those killed in car accidents in bringing a wrongful death suit against the negligent party.

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

According to a Washington State Patrol media release, the patrol has arrested Kelly L. York Jr. on a charge of Felony Hit and Run charge after the Thanksgiving Day collision that killed a 37-year-old mother of four and injured four others.

The car accident occurred on Thanksgiving day around 5:00 pm at the intersection of Branch and Wierman Road near Toppenish, Washington. Investigators believe that York, driving a 1997 Jaguar, ran a stop sign as he was heading north on Wierman Road and broadsided a Nissan Sentra. Rosa Magana, 37, of El Mirage, Az, who was a passenger in the Nissan, died shortly after the accident. The 17-year-old driver of the Nissan and four other passengers, ages 6 to 16, were transported to Memorial Hospital. Three of the victims were later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

According to police, Kelly York Jr., and a passenger fled the scene of the accident on foot. The WSP arrested York on December 2nd at a residence on Weikel Road.

This information was provided by the 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, bicycle accidents, bus accidents, trucking accidents and pedestrian accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for your medical costs, lost wages and for pain and suffering.

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

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that a 50-year-old man was killed in a car and truck accident on State Route 99 -- Pacific Highway South -- in Federal Way, Washington on Tuesday night.

The motor vehicle accident happened around 8pm.. The man who was killed was turning onto Pacific Highway South from 374th in a Toyota MR2 when he collided with a pick up truck; the driver of the pick up was not injured.

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, truck accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle accidents and pedestrian accidents. With our help you may be able to recover compensation for your damages.

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

We were excited to see an article in The News Tribune.com about a new product on the market called TarpX which is a load control system. TarpX is a product which makes it easy to secure loads in the bed of a pick up truck. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, unsecured loads cause an estimated 25,000 accidents and 100 deaths a year. In Washington State, the State Patrol estimates about 400 accidents a year caused by unsecured loads.

Drivers often do not understand simple laws of physics when they put a load into the back of their pick up truck. They might be transporting furniture or hauling a load of junk to the dump and they don't always realize they need to secure that load. Often, motorists believe that, when hauling a heavy item like a couch or a refrigerator, the item does not have to be secured because it is too heavy to blow out. However, the momentum of heavy objects shifting in the back of a truck can have disastrous consequences and cause an accident. Sometimes the accident is caused when a load drops and vehicles swerve to avoid whatever dropped and crash. Other times, flying debris can come through a car windshield and severely injure or kill the driver or passengers in the vehicle.

Washington State Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.655 is the statue covering lost or unsecured law. It is also known as "Maria's law" after Maria Federicci, a who was blinded and suffered severe facial injuries and brain damage in 2004 after a piece of furniture feel of a truck and a piece of particle board came flying through her windshield.

This brings us back to the TarpX, a product designed and distributed by a Tacoma-based company founded by Dan Kinley, Trevor Colby and Mike Walters. The TarpX is an easy to use tarp system with built in anchoring straps. It packs up small, is easy to use and is engineered brilliantly.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or a loved one killed because of the hazard caused by a lost load, you should contact a personal injury attorney to insure your rights are protected.
The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience in representing people with serious injuries due to the negligence of another person.

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

In a media release yesterday, the Washington State Patrol announced that they will be targeting state routes and interstate highways in the Tri-Cities area -- Richmond, Pasco and Kennewick -- looking for drivers not wearing their seat belts.

The WSP dubs their initiative "Nighttime Seat Belt Enforcement" (NTSBE). The Patrol will be looking for drivers not wearing seat belts in areas where there has been a higher incidence of automobile accidents and where drivers have a low seat belt compliance. The NTSBE program will be concentrated between the nighttime hours of 7pm - 6 am. The death rate due to car accidents is four times higher at night than in day time night as people comply with seat belt laws less.

There have already been 12 fatalities in auto accidents in the Tri-Cities area in 2008. In seven of the twelve fatalities -- 58% -- the driver was not wearing a seat belt. 67% of the 12 deaths involved a driver who was impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Washington State Patrol Captain Shawn Berry said, “The majority of fatality collisions in this region involve drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and occupants who are not wearing seat belts. We are urging motorists to remember to wear their seat belts and to not drink and drive during this upcoming holiday season.”

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed. We are aggressive in the actions we take against motorist who were driving drunk at the time of the accident.

Contact The Farber Law Group for a free consultation. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

The Seattle Times reports that a car driven by a 16-year-old girl swerved off of Green River Road and went into the Green River near the Auburn Golf Course during very heavy rain conditions on Friday morning. The driver of the car managed to escape but she was unable to rescue two boys in the car, one 2 and one 14. The car was swept down the river.

King County Sheriff's Office's dive team believe they have located the car but they have been unable to recover it because of current conditions.

Our hearts go out to the driver of the car, the two boys who lost their lives and their families.

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 motor vehicle accidents.

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

A cross-over crash involving three vehicles killed a Puyallup woman and injured three others on State Route 512 in Puyallup in Pierce County on Monday according to The Seattle Post Intelligencer.

The accident occurred around noon when a 54-year-old Puyallup woman crashed through the cable barrier and collided with a semi-truck. The semi-truck then jack-knifed and collided with a pickup truck. The wrong-way driver was killed, the semi truck driver, a 41-year-old Tacoma man, suffered minor injuries and the driver of the pickup, a 22-year-old Silverdale man, was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma with serious injuries. The pick up driver's four-year-old male passenger suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma.

Wrong-way crashes are a very serious problem. Just last week there was a deadly crossover crash in Federal Way which killed two people and seriously injured three others. The two people killed have been identified as Robert Galaviz, 55, of Federal Way, and Georgina Steele, 61, of Seattle, reports the Washington State Patrol. In that case, a 51-year-old Puyallup man, a youth basketball coach, has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide because police believe he may have been impaired due to alcohol or drugs.

Alcohol or drugs are often a factor in these crashes and they usually result in deaths and very serious injuries because drivers of the cars involved are often going at high rates of speed. In this Puyallup accident, we don't yet know the cause and whether health problems, mechanical problems with her vehicle or road design were factors.

Cable Barriers

Many people have some serious concerns about the use of cable barriers to prevent cross-over crashes. Many call for greater safety features and concrete barriers.

This information has been brought to you 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 because of the negligence of another driver. We also represent those who have been injured by drunken drivers.

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

Two people were killed and two people were injured when a 2004 Suzuki driven by Daniel Geronimo Varela of Burbank crashed into a tractor-trailer driven by James Kooch of Hermiston, Oregon about eight miles East of Pasco on Highway 12 reports The Seattle Times.

Killed in the crash were the two passengers in Varela's car: Jesus Jaime Mendez, 19, and Jorge Mendez, 17, both of Burbank.

Valera and Kooch were taken to Kennewick General Hospital with injuries.

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 in Washington State representing victims of car accidents and their families.

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

The victims in Thursday nights' Federal Way cross-over crash have been identified according to The Seattle Times. Killed in the accident were Robert Galaviz, 55, of Federal Way and Georgina Steele, 61, of Seattle. A 66-year-old passenger in Steele's car suffered serious injuries and a 25-year-old Des Moines woman suffered minor injuries.

Washington State Patrol reports they have arrested a 51-year-old Puyallup man, who crossed over the center median near the 320th Street exit and struck four southbound cars. The man is suspected of being impaired at the time of the accident and he may be charged with vehicular homicide.

Vehicular homicide (RCW 46.61.520) is a statute that provides a driver can be charged if a person dies as a result of "negligent" operation of a motor vehicle. A driver is negligent if he/she was driving recklessly, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving without regard for the safety of others.

When a driver is charged with vehicular homicide, the family may also bring a suit for wrongful death.

If you or a loved one has received serious injuries, or a loved one has been killed due to an automobile accident, you should contact The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience in Western Washington representing automobile accident victims and families of wrongful death victims.

Two people were killed in a cross-over car accident in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 in Federal Way reports KOMONews.com. The accident occurred around 6pm on Thursday night when a driver headed north on the I-5 in Federal Way crossed over the center line and caused a multi-car crash at south 296th Street. It is not known at this time how many people were injured in the accident.

A "cross-over" crash is when one vehicle crosses over the median or center line and collides with vehicles going in the opposite direction. Barriers are often put in place which prevent a cross over crash. Barriers have been quite controversial in Washington State of late as some people say the cable barriers are not as effective as concrete ones. See the Washington State Department of Transportation Report on the efficacy of cable barriers in one section of I-5.

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. Located in Bellevue, Washington, our firm has represented car accident victims and their families for more than 30 years.

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

We wanted to update you on the blog we posted yesterday about the 70-year-old man who drove the wrong-way on the I-5 in Olympia, Washington, crashing into a pickup truck and killing the driver. The driver of the truck has now been identified as Andy D. Russo Ramjak, 29, of Olympia. Ramjak was married and a father of three children. The Thurston County Coroner, Gary Warnock, determined that Ramjak died as a result of "blunt force trauma from the car crash, not as a result of the fire," according to The Olympian.

The wrong-way driver was Donald Sullivan, 70. The Washington State Patrol are trying to determine why Sullivan made such a grievous error. Was his age or mental condition a factor in the accident? A drug recognition expert have determined that Sullivan was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the car accident.

Police have not decided whether they will press criminal charges against Sullivan.

This information was brought to you by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber law Group. If you are seriously injured in a car accident, or someone you know is injured or possibly even killed, call the personal injury attorneys at The Farber Law Group. We handle personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits that are the result of auto accidents in Washington State every day.

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

A man was killed on the I-5 after the truck he was driving was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 below the Plum Street overpass in Olympia, Washington around 8:30 pm on Monday night. The man who died has not yet been identified. The pickup he was driving was owned by LeMay Enterprises.

The accident occurred when a white Buick driven by 70-year-old Donald Sullivan of Olympia with his wife Udelia, 69, as his passenger, entered the I-5 southbound lanes going in the wrong direction. Johnson reportedly side swiped at least one car before he ploughed head-on into the pickup truck. Sullivan was said to be traveling at a "very high rate of speed."

Several people called 9-1-1 before and after the accident. The truck reportedly burst into flames after it was hit. The identification of the driver will be done by checking dental records.

Both Sullivans were taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries.

It is not known if criminal charges will be filed in the accident or whether alcohol was a factor.

Information for this posting was reported by Jeremy Pawloski in The Olympian.

If you are seriously injured in a car accident, or someone you know is injured or possibly even killed, call the personal injury attorneys at The Farber Law Group. We handle personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits that are the results of auto accidents in Washington State every day.

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

A Lynnwood, Washington woman, Michelle Sawyer, 29, was killed along with thr