Car Accidents

Wrong-way accident in Washington kills 1, injures 5

December 29, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

An accident caused by a wrong-way driver along Interstate 82 has resulted in numerous injuries and one death. The accident occurred on Dec. 15 near Granger when an 87-year-old woman began driving down the wrong lane of the highway. Police do not believe she was intoxicated at the time of the incident, but they are still conducting an investigation to learn what may have led to the collision.

The accident occurred at 6:30 p.m. when a Volkswagen Beetle was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of the interstate. The woman collided with an oncoming Toyota Corolla occupied by a 32-year-old female driver. The Corolla then crashed into a Honda Accord in the eastbound lanes. The woman driving the Corolla was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where she was said to be in serious condition.

The wrong-way driver died at the accident scene. The 35-year-old female driver of the Honda and her three passengers, which included two minors, were taken to Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center to receive treatment of undisclosed injuries. It was reported that all those involved in the accident except for one juvenile had been wearing seat belts during the collision.

3 men seriously injured in double accident

December 17, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Three men were injured in a crash on Interstate 205 in Washington after an earlier accident caused one man to hit the concrete barrier on Dec. 7. According to media outlets, a pickup that caused the initial wreck and reportedly left the scene was found later in the day in Vancouver, Canada. The truck owner was taken into custody on unrelated charges.

Witnesses say that the Ford F-150 pickup was driving erratically before it hit the Honda CRV from behind, causing it to hit the barrier. A second driver pulled over and walked across the freeway to assist the CRV motorist. However, a Honda Odyssey van then struck him and the CRV.

The 25-year-old CRV driver was seriously injured and taken to the hospital. According to officials, his condition was listed as satisfactory the night of the accident. The driver who tried to assist him was also seriously hurt. He was also hospitalized, but his condition was unknown. The Odyssey driver suffered unspecified injuries in the wreck.

Man killed on his way to help wife with flat tire

December 10, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Washington State Patrol troopers confirmed that a man was killed after pulling his car over to the side of a highway on Dec. 6. The man had apparently stopped to adjust a load on the back of his truck when another driver sideswiped the truck and killed him. The fatal accident took place in Smokey Point on the side of I-5.

According to his wife, the man had been on his way to Stanwood before suffering from fatal injuries. When the man’s wife called him to say that she had gotten a flat tire on her way to Kingston, the man turned around to come help her just before the fatal accident took place.

Troopers say that the driver who allegedly struck and killed the man was swerving to avoid hitting traffic that had slowed down in front of him. Impairment from alcohol or drugs is not believed to have been a factor in the accident. It is unclear if anyone else was injured in the accident or if the driver at fault was handed any criminal charges.

Cyclist severely injured in accident

December 4, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A Washington bicyclist was critically injured in an accident when he was hit by a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old woman police say was impaired. According to a Puyallup police representative, the bicyclist had the right of way at the intersection where the accident occurred.

Police said the driver appeared impaired after the crash and allegedly told officers she had used marijuana that day. She said she was taking a new antidepressant that she believed affected her ability to drive. Police administered a field sobriety test and determined the driver was impaired. She was taken into custody and arraigned on Nov. 26 in superior court where she was charged with vehicular assault, and bail was set at $250,000. Two passengers in the vehicle were released from custody.

The 66-year-old bicyclist was hit where SW Fourth Street intersects SW Ninth Avenue near the fairgrounds. According to arrest records, the woman was heading south when she failed to stop at a traffic sign and continued through the intersection, hitting the former church pastor. The woman continued on, pushing the bicycle and its rider into the side of a building. Witnesses said two passengers in the vehicle pulled the driver outside of the car but did not approach the injured cyclist.

Elderly man accused of driving drunk, causing accident

November 20, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

The Washington State Patrol alleged that an 86-year-old man was driving drunk while traveling the wrong way on Interstate 5 in Tacoma on Nov. 10. According to officers, they were dispatched to the area around 10:35 p.m. after receiving calls regarding a wrong-way driver in the southbound lanes of the highway.

Troopers reported that the man, who was driving an SUV, hit a southbound minivan before hitting a sedan head-on. A 36-year-old female passenger in the sedan was injured. Emergency responders transported her to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment.

Troopers placed the elderly man under arrest and took him into custody on suspicion of DUI. He may also face charges of vehicular assault. The accident forced the closure of two lanes of the interstate while police completed their investigation and cleaned up the accident debris.

Woman dies after semi collides with her car

November 12, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Washington state troopers say that a woman died in a crash with a semi-truck on Interstate 5 in Thurston County at about 3:50 a.m. on Nov. 7. According to reports, a semi-truck hit a 1991 Geo Metro that had come to a stop on a shoulder near mile post 102 northbound on I-5. The impact pushed the woman’s car about 100 feet.

The truck was reportedly going 58 miles an hour at the time of the collision, and the woman’s car was completely destroyed in the crash. Northbound lanes of I-5 had to be closed for a period due to the accident. There was no word as to the condition of the truck driver. There was also no word as to the conditions of the road at the time of the crash.

If a driver or pedestrian dies from injuries suffered in a truck accident, the family of the victim may file a wrongful death lawsuit. A wrongful death lawsuit may help the victim’s family win compensation for final expenses. The victim’s family may also win punitive damages for the driver’s negligence or compensation to help any dependents left behind.

Vehicular homicide charges filed following violent crash

October 31, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

One Washington driver is facing charges of vehicular homicide after an Oct. 26 accident near Shelton that resulted in the death of another driver. The Washington State Patrol reported that two vehicles were involved in the State Route 3 crash, a 2005 Acura TL and a Honda Civic.

According to troopers, the accident occurred at approximately 6:39 a.m., when the northbound Acura crossed the highway’s double yellow line in an attempt to pass other vehicles and collided with the southbound Honda. The force of the collision sent the Civic off the roadway and into a ditch.

The Civic driver, a 20-year-old woman, did not survive the accident. Officials pronounced her dead at the scene of the crash. The Acura driver was transported to a hospital via emergency airlift. The extent of the auto injuries suffered by the Acura driver as a result of the crash was not reported. Nor was the Acura driver’s identity disclosed during the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Police suspect DUI in crash that left 4 hurt

October 21, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A two-vehicle collision that occurred on Oct. 12 in Washington on US-101 left four individuals injured. According to the report, the truck accident was believed to have been caused by an intoxicated driver.

Police stated that the crash occurred when a 59-year-old man driving a pickup collided head-on with a sedan as the man drove around a line of vehicles that was waiting at a traffic light. Rescue workers who arrived at the scene took the injured sedan occupants, the driver and two passengers, ages 35 and 11, as well as a 14-year-old passenger in the pickup, to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for treatment. The report did not disclose the nature of the victims’ injuries. The pickup truck driver was unhurt in the crash, as reported. The accident caused traffic delays for over two hours.

Authorities stated that the truck driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Following the incident, the suspect was arrested and placed in the Clallam County jail after undergoing booking procedures. He has been charged with vehicular assault and is awaiting the results of the police investigation.

Nationwide road collision statistics and costs

October 9, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, 33,561 people were killed and 2.36 million people were injured in the 5.42 million motor vehicle accidents that authorities reported across the United States in 2012. This means that a crash-related death occurred every 16 minutes. In Washington state alone, 444 people died in traffic collisions the same year. Despite these statistics, the agency estimates that around 10 million or more car accidents a year are never reported.

With the NHTSA reporting an increase in motor vehicle crashes and deaths in 2012, an auto insurance claims study from the Insurance Research Council shows that the medical costs for auto injuries continues to rise quicker than inflation while the seriousness of the injuries decreases. The average economic damages claimed between 2007 and 2012 rose 8 percent annualized in relation to personal injury claims, and the average damages claimed for bodily injury increased 4 percent. By 2012, the average bodily injury claim was for $14, 653 while the average property damage claim was for $3,073. The average comprehensive claim cost $1,585 while the average collision claim cost $2,950.

The NHTSA reports that car accident victims only pay around 26 percent of the expenses. While local and state municipalities pay around 3 percent and federal revenues pay about 6 percent, medical providers and charities pay around 14 percent. Private insurers account for the remaining percentage of total crash expenses. In 2010, the total costs amounted to nearly $1 trillion.

Multiple-vehicle crash injures 3 on I-90

October 1, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

In Washington, a fiery accident resulted in Interstate 90 being slowed to a crawl while bystanders helped victims in burning vehicles. Authorities report that the driver of an eastbound green SUV did not properly negotiate a turn in the road and crossed the center median before ending up in the westbound lanes of the highway. This error started a chain-reaction collision, and the highway became littered with four wrecked vehicles, at least two of which caught fire.

One couple who were behind the green SUV were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire and offer comfort and aid to the man inside. Heroic bystanders, according to a Washington State Trooper, yanked out another driver who was pinned in her burning vehicle. The woman received severe auto injuries on her ankles.

Two drivers in serious condition were transported to Harborview Medical Center. A third driver experienced minor injuries. Law enforcement on the scene made it clear that seat belts were a contributing factor in everyone making it out of the damaged vehicles alive.