Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog

Multiple people injured in Washington car accident

August 18, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A 59-year-old woman and a 63-year-old woman suffered serious injuries in an accident that took place at the 20500 block of Miller Bay Road NE in Kitsap County on Aug. 3. Additionally, a 15-year-old girl was treated at the scene for minor injuries. One woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center while the other woman was airlifted to Harrison Medical Center.

Police say that the accident occurred in Suquamish when the driver of a Chevrolet Cavalier was going northbound on Miller Bay Road at a high rate of speed when it collided with a Dodge going southbound that was attempting to make a turn into a driveway. The two vehicles collided in a T-bone fashion, and the driver of the Cavalier was also seriously injured in the crash since he was not wearing a seat belt.

Authorities also said that the man was fleeing from a traffic stop, tried to flee the scene of the accident on foot and was likely impaired at the time of the crash. Blood was drawn from the man after first aid was administered and before he was airlifted to a hospital in Seattle via an Airlift Northwest helicopter. Miller Bay Road NE had to be closed for several hours while the scene was cleared, and the crash is still being investigated.

Washington crash kills 1, possible drunk driver pleads not guilty

August 7, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

An Aug. 3 rollover accident on State Route 7 killed a University Place man and led Pierce County prosecutors to charge a Fort Riley, Kansas, man with vehicular homicide. The 25-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Aug. 5 and was held on $75,000 bail.

The accident occurred around 10:45 p.m. when the Kansas man lost control of a northbound pickup truck while rounding a curve near Pilgrim Road. The truck hit a guardrail after leaving the road and rolled before returning to the north lanes. The driver went to Good Samaritan Hospital with unspecified injuries, and a 48-year-old passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, died after being partially ejected from his seat and becoming trapped between the guardrail and the truck.

The authorities believe that alcohol was a factor in the wreck and reported that the driver showed signs of intoxication at the crash site. Court records show that the passenger had asked the other man to drive, and the driver allegedly said that both men had shared a few beers before the accident and had been drinking all day.

Verizon settles with accident victim who suffered brain injury

July 31, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Washington residents may be interested to hear that the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit against Verizon was offered a $3 million settlement in July. The suit alleged that the driver of a Verizon-owned bucket truck was distracted at the time of the 2012 accident that caused the woman to suffer a traumatic brain injury. The woman, who had been a nurse for 32 years, was forced to leave her job as a result of her injury.

The accident occurred on Feb. 27, 2012, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The Verizon truck rear-ended the plaintiff’s stopped vehicle on Garrett Road. The woman’s mild traumatic brain injury, which doctors and neuropsychologists agreed resulted from the collision, caused diminished cognitive function and memory loss. She also suffered from herniated neck and back discs that required surgery.

People who testified at the trial stated that the driver of the truck was using two cellphones at the same time as he approached the woman’s stopped car. He was on hold to speak with a Verizon employee with his personal cellphone while looking down at his business cellphone when he struck the woman’s car. Verizon settled the suit after court proceedings that lasted more than a week.

Washington car accident leaves 3 injured

July 24, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Authorities report that a two-car accident in the afternoon of July 20 in Walla Walla County left three individuals with injuries. All of the people involved in the crash were wearing seat belts, and no drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident, according to troopers who investigated the scene.

A 53-year-old male driver was traveling in the eastbound lane of U.S. Highway 12 when he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and hit another car. He was not hurt, but his 47-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The female driver of the other car and her passenger were both injured. The 69-year-old driver was driven to Richland for treatment, while the passenger, a 76-year-old man, was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

After a car accident in Washington involving auto injuries as this one did, authorities might attempt to construct a clear picture of liability. By using the results of an accident investigation by police or evidence such as eyewitness accounts or footage from a traffic camera, an attorney representing an injured plaintiff may be able to ascertain who is liable for a client’s damages. That attorney could build a strong personal injury claim and seek compensation for damages.

Man flees scene of Washington car crash

July 18, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A car accident that occurred in Seattle on July 11 left a passenger with serious injuries. According to law enforcement officials, two men were headed north around 3:15 p.m when the driver tried to pass a Metro bus but lost control. He then hit a fence and a tree. After the vehicle rolled, it ended up on its side.

The totaled car’s driver ran from from the scene before law enforcement arrived. The passenger, suffering from severe but not life-threatening injuries, was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

Another person at the scene was hit with debris from the fence. She was also transported to the hospital. Her condition was not known at the time of the report, and the accident was still under investigation.

Drunk driving suspected in crash in Washington

July 9, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Shortly before 7:30 a.m. on July 6, local police officers responded to the scene of a two-car crash in SeaTac. Upon arrival, they found that two people had been critically injured in the early morning accident.

Responding officers discovered a 42-year-old driver in a silver Subaru and a 22-year-old driver in a red Nissan at the scene. Beer bottles were reportedly found inside of the Nissan. Both injured drivers were transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and the older driver’s condition had been upgraded by that afternoon.

The SeaTac Police Department suspects that the Nissan driver was under the influence. Police stated that the young man was speeding and drove over the centerline of the roadway before striking the older man’s Subaru head-on. A local news outlet tweeted a photo of a Budweiser beer can inside of the Nissan.

Are unsafe guardrails making your commute dangerous?

July 6, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

While driving down the highway, most of us don’t even notice the small and subtle structures running along the road. Some are highway dividers made of concrete with less-solid materials sticking out of the top. Other times, they are small fences running along the shoulder of the highway.

These structures serve a number of purposes. But perhaps their most important functions are to contain out-of-control vehicles and absorb crash impact forces. They may not always stop cars and trucks before they leave or cross the highway, but if constructed correctly, they can turn a fatal crash into a survivable one.

According to a lawsuit set to go trial this month, one of the largest manufacturers of guardrails in the nation may be hiding changes it made to its product that make it less effective and safe than the company claims. The company being sued, Texas-based Trinity Industries Inc, gained federal approval in 2000 for the ET-Plus end terminal, a critical safety component of the guardrails.

General Motors seeks to put recall scandal in the past

July 5, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Not long ago, General Motors announced its plan to award monetary payments to individuals who were injured or who lost loved ones in crashes caused by defective ignition switches installed into various vehicle models by the auto giant. Some of the affected victims may welcome these payments, especially if they are struggling with significant medical debt tied to their injuries. However, relatively modest payments cannot erase the fact that all of the car accidents caused by the defect could have been prevented if GM had acted on its knowledge concerning the problem.

General Motors almost unquestionably hopes that once it pays victims for the harm it caused them that the recent defect scandal will fade into the past. However, the public generally has a longer memory than GM would prefer. In addition, those who have been affected by GM’s staggering negligence and possible fraud will never forget how the auto manufacturer treated consumers who voluntarily chose to purchase its products.

The recent GM payouts highlight an important issue which affects any number of plaintiffs involved in personal injury lawsuits. On the one hand, it is completely justified and appropriate to seek monetary damages against negligent entities which have harmed you or your loved ones. These damages not only represent a physical manifestation of an entity’s liability and provide a deterrent against others who would behave in the same way, they also help to ease the financial burdens caused by harm done.

World Cup inspires heightened coverage of header hazards

July 3, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

The United States has been knocked out of the World Cup. However, the national team inspired a great deal of “soccer fever” before it lost to Belgium a few days ago. Soccer is a great sport for kids, amateurs and professionals alike, partially because it is such a physically active sport and promotes both athleticism and team work.

However, there is a darker side to soccer that has only recently been discussed in the media and among sports safety experts. While soccer is played primarily with the players’ feet, many also regularly use their heads to steer flying soccer balls in various directions. According to a local CBS station, many high-level players use their heads an average of 12 times each game.

While one wouldn’t normally associate soccer with preventable brain injuries, it is becoming increasingly apparent that heading the ball regularly and repeatedly can ultimately cause players brain damage. The excitement of the World Cup has thankfully inspired a discussion about this critical player safety issue.

President hosts concussion awareness conference

June 19, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Late last month, President Obama organized a conference on the subject of sports-related concussions. We have previously discussed that these kinds of traumatic brain injuries may initially seem relatively harmless but can ultimately result in severe consequences. The media and safety advocates have been increasingly concerned about sports-related concussions for some time. It is a positive development that the White House has now taken significant executive notice of this public health and safety issue.

The attendees of the president’s conference included representatives from both the NCAA and numerous professional sports organizations such as the NFL. Professional sports team owners, physicians, members of Congress and scientists were also present in significant numbers. According to the New York Times, both public and private entities pledged tens of millions of dollars for education and research on sports-related concussions by the time that the conference concluded.

Many individuals are focusing on the fact that the conference was long overdue. And given the fact that sports-related concussions have harmed countless individuals, this concern is certainly understandable. However, it is also important to note that because the nation cannot change its past, it is critical that leaders remain unafraid to confront problems as they are manifesting right now. The conference may have been overdue, but the fact that it occurred at all is a positive development.