compensation

Washington crash kills 2, 1 critically injured

September 5, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A 68-year-old former police chief and a 16-year-old boy were killed in a head-on crash near Redmond on Aug. 24. According to sources, around 9 p.m., the man was driving west when an eastbound pickup truck driven by the teenager hit his SUV head-on.

After hitting the SUV, the teen’s pickup continued moving in the westbound lanes and crashed into another car. The pickup then flipped over and blocked both lanes of the highway.

The man and teen were declared dead at the scene. Police say the man’s 68-year-old wife was also in the car at the time of the crash. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment, where she was listed in critical condition. The woman in the second vehicle that was hit suffered only minor injuries, and she reportedly declined medical attention.

Washington driver charged after accident

August 26, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A 21-year-old driver was charged by police with vehicular homicide for killing his friend while he was attempting to replicate a skateboard trick using his car. The driver was traveling on Saturday, Aug. 16, with friends when one of his passengers asked him to try a ‘slap the rail” trick using his car. The idea was to hit the curb with the tires of the car and cause it bounce the vehicle.

The vehicle was headed north on Interstate 205. The driver took the exit ramp at freeway speed and lost control. The vehicle landed upside down. Police said an 18-year-old passenger was killed in the rollover and the other occupants all suffered minor injuries.

Reports state the group of friends had been watching a skateboarding movie earlier in the day. Police said the driver of the car was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. The driver was brought into court on Monday, Aug. 18. The judge set his bail at $30,000 and his arraignment for Aug. 29.

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.

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.

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.

How can events like the recent G.M. recall scandal be prevented?

April 13, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

The United States is in the midst of yet another auto recall crisis; one which could prove to be larger and more damaging than the Toyota “sudden acceleration” scandal. This one involves General Motors and its decision to recall approximately 2.6 million vehicles due to a faulty ignition switch.

Issued within the past two months, the recall was anything but timely. There is evidence to suggest that top G.M. officials first learned of the problem in the early 2000s but apparently decided not to warn the public or pay for replacement switches – each of which would have cost just 90 cents. The result has been dozens of serious car accidents responsible for at least 13 deaths.

Who, exactly, should be held responsible? And how can we make sure this type of negligence or intentional misconduct is not allowed to happen again? Most people would say that a company’s top officials should take on these responsibilities and liabilities. Sadly, this is not how most of corporate America seems to work.

Recent accident shows again that seatbelts reduce auto injuries

December 27, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Cars are an integral part of everyday life. From taking the kids to school and driving to work, to going out to dinner and going on a family vacation, people spend a great deal of time in their cars. Because of this, most Washington residents do not expect that their daily errands will lead to auto injuries.

A recent mid-morning crash left one resident injured. The woman was riding as a passenger in an SUV. The driver apparently lost control of the car, and then the car ended up going off the road and rolling over.

The driver was apparently not injured in the crash; it was not clear if he turned down medical attention or if he had been evaluated. The woman, however, was reportedly not wearing her seatbelt and was ejected from the car at some point during the accident. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment. It was not immediately clear how serious her injuries were.

Motorcycles recalled for clutch problem

October 18, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Legendary motorcycle company Harley-Davidson has issued a recall for more than 29,000 motorcycles. The recall includes a “do not ride” notice to both owners and dealers because the defect is dangerous and could cause a motorcycle accident.

The problem is with the clutch in some 2014 touring models. A spokesperson said that the hydraulic system has the potential to lose its ability to generate sufficient life to disengage the clutch. The clutch is required to change gears on the motorcycle and a malfunction could be very dangerous if the rider is traveling at a high speed or in a heavily trafficked area.

The recall impacts bikes that were manufactured between May 3rd and October 14th of this year for both touring and custom bikes in a certain category. At the time that the recall was issued by Harley-Davidson the government was still shut down so the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration was not operating to monitor the recall. The motorcycle company says that they issued the recall in compliance with NHTSA’s standards. Proactive safety measures and recalls like this one are a good sign coming from companies and may help consumers have more confidence.

Company being sued for products liability declares bankruptcy

October 4, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

As one Seattle attorney has discovered, pursuing compensation from manufacturers of defective products can become especially difficult when these companies claim to be cash strapped. Companies sometimes file for bankruptcy. This may mean injured individuals and their attorneys will have to find other parties that they can hold accountable in products liability matters.

We’re seeing this right now concerning the east coast New England Compounding Center said to be responsible for the distribution of tainted steroids. Allegedly as a result of the taking of these steroids, around 750 people have suffered fungal meningitis or other serious maladies and 64 people have died. While damages could be in the amount of hundreds of millions of dollars, the compounding company has since filed for bankruptcy.

The process for recovery under such circumstances can take years. Because of New England Compounding’s pending bankruptcy, attorneys are now considering filing lawsuits against the owners of the pharmacy and other companies belonging to these same owners. At the same time, there may still be profits made by New England Compounding that can be recovered by victims of the steroid vaccinations as well.