damages

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.

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.

Bus accident in Washington severely injures another woman

September 24, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A driver suffered serious injuries after her vehicle collided with a bus in Vashon Island on Sept. 17, authorities reported. The bus was reportedly carrying students who were going on a field trip, but none of the children on the bus suffered injuries as a result of the incident.

Authorities stated that the accident transpired around 11:30 a.m. That is when a large tour bus traveling on Vashon Highway crossed the centerline and collided with a car. Following the impact, the bus careened off of the roadway before finally coming to a stop in a thick hedge adjacent to the highway. Law enforcement officials suspect that the driver of the bus might have had a medical episode prior to the incident. Reportedly, the driver said that he had ‘blanked out.”

As a result of the crash, the car sustained heavy damage, and its driver suffered injuries that officials deem to be serious. Emergency personnel transported her via airlift to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The precise nature of the woman’s injuries was not clear in the immediate aftermath of the event.

Woman dies after pedestrian accident with alleged drunk driver

September 17, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A 23-year-old Washington woman is dead following an accident that occurred around 2 a.m. on Sept. 10 in Kitsap County when she was struck by a car as she was crossing the street. A 25-year-old male who was walking with her was critically injured. According to police, the driver of the vehicle appeared intoxicated and was unable to complete field sobriety tests after the accident.

The crash occurred after the pedestrians and the 26-year-old driver left a party at a local tavern. The woman was declared dead at the scene. The male pedestrian was taken to a hospital in Seattle for treatment of critical injuries. The driver and two passengers in the vehicle were uninjured.

According to police, the man admitted to drinking both beer and vodka before driving. He was also allegedly traveling at a speed of 35 mph in a 25 mph zone. The man is facing charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. At the time of the report, he was in jail on a $500,000 bond.

Washington woman injured when car crashes Lake City bar

September 9, 2014 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

The Back Door Pub in the 12300 block of Lake City Way NE, Washington became the scene of an accident that injured one woman when a man in his 30s allegedly crashed his car into the bar. The woman was pinned between the building and the man’s vehicle. According to the owner of the bar, the man sped his SUV toward a power pole but instead veered toward a group of people and crashed into the building, damaging a wall.

The 31-year-old woman pinned against the building had to be extricated. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center where she was treated for a fractured leg.

The bar owner alleged the man purposely caused the accident because he had been refused a drink at the bar. Police are investigating the accident but have not yet confirmed if the driver was arrested or is facing a DUI charge.

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 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.