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Car and Truck Accidents

• I-90 Head-On Car Accident Hospitalizes Two l Kirkland Car Accident Attorney
  Dec 16, 2009

  Late Tuesday evening a 2001 Acura crossed the median of I-90 near Preston and continued onto the on coming lanes of I-90.  The Acura narrowly avoided hitting a semi-truck but smashed head-on into a 2006 Honda Civic being driven by a 29 year-old North Bend, Washington woman.
  
  Both drivers suffered serious injuries in the I-90 car accident and were transported to Harborview Medical Center.  The North Bend woman is in critical condition in the Harborview intensive care unit.  The at-fault driver is in serious condition and also in the Harborview intensive care unit.  Alcohol is suspected of playing a role in causing the head-on collision.
  
  During this Holiday Season parties are in full swing. Which means drunk drivers will be increasingly hitting the roads every night of the week, not just weekends.  Please take a cab if you have a few drinks at your Christmas party.  It's just not worth risking serious injury or death over a $40 cab ride. 
  
  
  
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• Do Wet Seattle Roads Increase Traffic Deaths in November?
  Nov 19, 2009

  In the last 2 days there have been two fatal Washington car accidents on Seattle area roadways.  November 2009 in Western Washington has seen many days of rainy and stormy weather.  The trend sure indicates that rain storms equal increased fatal car accidents.
  
  A 63 year-old Edmonds, Washington man died following a rear-end car accident involving three cars on Tuesday morning.  The man who suffered the fatal injuries was stopped at a red light when he was slammed into by another car and thrown into the car in front of him.  It's not clear what kind of injuries led to this tragic result. 
  
  As Kirkland Washington rear-end car accident attorneys we see this kind of collision all the time.  In our experience this is a very out of the ordinary result.  Normally rear-end collisions at red lights don't result in people being killed, even in high speed collisions.  So there must be some extraordinary circumstances in this case. 
  
  However, from a legal stand point it does not matter.  If you rear-end someone and they suffer fatal injuries as a result because they were more fragile medically than most people it's tough luck for you.  Washington law says that you take the injury victims as they are, period end of story.  You don't get to compare and generalize to other people.  Injury cases focus solely on the person injured nobody else.  In this case the driver could be faced with a wrongful death claim.
  
  Another three car accident happened on I-5 near Sea-Tac, which took the life of a person driving a Toyota Land Cruiser.  The 3-car collision closed southbound I-5 for three hours Wednesday.  The Washington State Patrol is still investigating the fatal Washington car accident and is looking for eye witnesses.  If you saw this accident you are asked to call WSP Detective Ruth Medeiros at 425-401-7719. - 2 - 10

• Do Cell Phones Cause Enough Driver Distraction to Kill?
  Oct 06, 2009

  Ephrata, Washington mother was reaching for her cell phone which caused her to lose control of her car.  The car left the roadway and flipped down an embankment near Royal City killing her 6 year-old daughter.  The child was not proper restrained in a child safety seat.  As a result the young girl was partially ejected from the car and died at the scene of the Washington car accident.  Fortunately, the mother's 2 and 3 year old sons who were also in the car survived. 
  
  Recent studies and news have linked cell phones to an ever increasing problem of distracted drivers.  Tragedies like this one illustrate the horrible consequences that can result when a driver loses focus on the road to reach for a cell phone. 
  
  The importance of using a proper child safety seat is made shockingly clear here as well.  Adult seat belts do not work to keep children as safe as needed in car accidents.  Child seats are the only way to make sure your child will be as safe as possible when riding in your car.  Is it worth risking the life of your child to not do it?
  
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• Washington Traffic Fatalities Lowest Since 1955
  Oct 01, 2009

  Washington car accident related death are at a 54 year low according to Washington Department of Transportation and Washington Traffic Safety Commission.  In 2008 522 traffic deaths have been reported, which is the lowest number since there was 461 in 1955.
  
  The drop is attributed to use of seat belts.  Since 2000 the number of traffic fatalities caused by failure to wear a seat belt has dropped by over 33%.  The percentage of drivers in Washington who wear their seat belt is 96.5%, third highest in the nation behind Michigan and Hawaii.  
  
  The number of car accidents is also dropping.  In 1990 the number of traffic deaths or serious injury accidents was 2,500.  In 2008 that number has dropped to just over 1,000 according to the Washington State Patrol. - 4 - 10

• Toyota Lawyer Alleges He was Ordered by Toyotay to Destroy Evidence
  Sep 01, 2009

  A story out of Los Angeles, California details how a high ranking lawyer for Toyota Motor Corp.'s USA sales company was ordered and forced by Toyota management to hide and wrongfully withheld evidence in lawsuits alleging defective roof design in rollover car accidents.  Dimitrious Biller, former attorney for Toyota, has filed a lawsuit with these allegations.
  
  I find this very, very troubling and frankly the reason that injury victims often need attorneys to file civil lawsuits against big greedy corporations.  It is a complete disregard of the American justice system for Toyota to act in such a way.  Any why?  So they can keep their massive profits despite having put defectively designed and unsafe vehicles out on the road.
  
  Roof crush injuries in rollover accidents are usually of a very serious nature.  Often times roof crush injury victims suffer severe spine injuries, broken bones, head and brain injuries and even death.  This kind of corporate abuse of the justice system is the stuff John Grisham books and Hollywood movies are made of. 
  
  Mr. Biller's lawsuit claims he was ordered to destroy evidence in over 300 roof crush lawsuits.  Ethically this is a cardinal sin for a lawyer.  I won't be surprised if Mr. Biller is disbarred eventually.  However, if Biller's claims are proven true Toyota could be faced with the reopening of hundreds of cases that have been previously settled or decided and examined for abuse. 
  
  I'm sure we can also look forward to Biller getting a book and movie deal to tell the story in the coming years. - 5 - 10

• Everett Police Looking For Driver in Fatal Collision l Everett Wrongful Death Attorney
  Aug 25, 2009

  Everett police are looking for the driver of a car involved in a fatal Everett Washington street race car accident that killed a Everett man on Friday, August 21, 2009.  The street raced between two cars took place just before the fatal Everett car accident on 9000 block of northbound Evergreen Way.  The driver the police are looking for was driving a Dodge Neon type car.  If you have any information about the driver please call (425) 257-8450.
  
  One of the racing cars, an Acura Integra, slammed into a Toyota Corolla at a high rate of speed.  The Acura broadsided the Toyota as the Toyota made a left turn into a driveway from southbound Evergreen Way.  Witnesses reported the racing cars were going over 50 mph in a 35 mph zone.  
  
  The Acura driver is cooperating with police in their vehicular homicide investigation.  The Acura driver apparently did not know the other driver.
  
  This type of tragic car accident is why it's so important to carry UIM insurance.  Even if the Acura has car insurance, there's a chance his insurance company may deny coverage because he was street racing.  However, if you have UIM insurance on your own car insurance then you can deal with this problem effectively.  Especially in a fatal car accident where the surviving spouse and family will have a Washington wrongful death claim against the Acura and even the other car if he can he found.  - 6 - 10

• Head-on Car Crash near Poulsbo on Highway 3 kills 2 men
  Jul 13, 2009

  Late night car accident two miles north of Poulsbo on Highway 3 claims the lives of two local men.  Michael B. Kelly of Kent was driving his family home from a weekend trip to Victoria, B.C. on Saturday night, July 11, 2009.  When a SUV driven by Wesley A. Schmidt of Puyallup swerved into their lane and hit them head-on.
  
  Mr. Kelly and Mr. Schmidt both died as a result of the head-on collision.  Mr. Kelly's family also suffered injuries. His wife Rosemary Kelly was taken to Harborview Medical Center with a spine injury.  Mr. Kelly's 11 year-old son was also taken to Harborview with a head injury.  His 4 year-old daughter was lucky to escape the fatal car accident without injury.
  
  Our sincere condolences go out to the Kelly and Schmidt families.  May Mrs. Kelly and her injured son may a full and speedy recovery from their physical injuries.  Our prayers will be with them for their emotional loss of a husband and father. - 7 - 10

Motorcycle Accidents

• Motorcycle Rider Dies When Car Pulls Out on Highway 2 in Sultan, WA
  Feb 18, 2010

  Sunny spring type weather means motorcyclists are opening up the garage and taking their bikes for a ride.  A Washington motorcycle accident happened yesterday afternoon in Sultan, Washington.  A teenage driver pulled out from a driveway in front of the bike, cutting the rider off and causing him to crash badly.  The motorcycle v. car crash happened at the intersection of Highway 2 and Rice road.
  
  The motorcycle rider was Bruce Ramsey, a 47 year-old corrections officer at Monroe State Prison.  He was a 25 year veteran officer who had risen to the rank of lieutenant.  He left behind his wife, Kelly, daughter Jennifer and son Michael.  Our sincere condolences go out to the Ramsey family.
  
  The driver of the car was a 16 year-old Marysville, WA girl.  She also had a 17 year-old male passenger.  Neither of them were reported to have suffered injuries.  
  
  This is another tragic Washington biker who has died wrongfully. His family is left with tragedy. Families who lose loved ones as a result of a motorcycle accident caused by the carelessness and negligence of another driver have a wrongful death claim that may be asserted.  Nothing can ease a family's pain and the financial burden can be devastating.
  
  That's is why, when the family is over the shock and initial devastation of the loss they may wish to seek legal remedies to soften the financial burden that has resulted.  A surviving spouse and children have legal rights against the car driver that caused the fatal accident.  
  
  In this case, since the driver was a 16 year-old girl, I pray she had a high amount of liability insurance.  She is likely on her parents insurance policy, which usually means their will be more than just the Washington state minimum level of insurance ($25,000).  There may not be enough insurance to cover the full damages suffered by the family.  In such cases, the motorcycle rider's bike insurance may step in under his underinsured motorist insurance coverage to cover any damages not compensated for by the at fault driver.  Wrongful death cases can be complicated and complex, involving many different insurance companies.  It's usually best to seek the advice of an experience Washington motorcycle accident and wrongful death attorney as soon as possible.  
  
  If you find yourself in the above situation and feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start, please call us, we are experienced Motorcycle accident attorneys and can help you through this difficult process.
  
  
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• Bellingham Motorcycle Accident Caused by Drunk Rider
  Aug 14, 2009

  Kirkland D. Ross of Bellingham was riding his motorcycle at 11 p.m. on June 11, 2009 traveling east on Marigold Drive when he lost control of his bike and crashed into a tree.  Ross and his passenger Kerrie O'Brien of Port Orchard were injured and transported to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment of their motorcycle accident related injuries.
  
  According to Washington State Patrol troopers Ross was not wearing a helmet (lucky to be alive) and didn't have a valid motorcycle license.  DUI charges are pending against Ross.  Drinking and driving don't mix, and doubly so when riding a motorcycle. 
  
  Passenger O'Brien may have an injury claim against Ross provided her own drunkeness didn't contribute to her getting on the bike or causing the crash.  If she was also drunk her injury claim may be defeated.  If you find yourself in this type of scenario its important to consult with an experienced Washington Motorcycle Accident Attorney before speaking with any insurance company representative. - 9 - 10

• Motorcycle Slams into Rear of Ambulance, Helmet Saves Rider's Life
  Jun 09, 2009

  A Seattle motorcycle rider was distracted by a car accident on the side of I-5 near Northgate which had emergency vehicles present.  The motorcyclist failed to see an ambulance stopped in his lane ahead of him and crashed into the rear doors of the ambulance suffering serious injuries.
  
  The Seattle motorcycle rider was taken to Harborview Medical Center.  His helmet left a dent in the doors of the ambulance and is credited with saving his life.  An EMT has just step into the ambulance to treat a patience narrowly mssing a collision with the motorcycle.  The impact was so great that the medics intiailly didn't think the Seattle man would survive the motorcycle crash. 
  
  According to Washington State Troopers the motorcyclist was riding with headphones in both ears, which is illegal in Washington state.  Drivers are allowed to drive with one ear bud so long as you can hear surrounding noises.  - 10 - 10

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