25-Year-Old Woman Killed in Rear End Collision | Seattle Auto Accident Lawyer

While paying attention to the road may seem a simple task, all it takes is a split second lapse in attentiveness to cause an accident. As a Seattle car accident attorney, many of the injury victims I have worked with were involved in a crash that was caused by a driver that simply lost focus on the road. Despite the driver not doing something as overtly negligent as texting while driving, this is oftentimes the cause of rear-end collisions

On July 18th, 25-year-old Hailey Pearce was on her way back from a wedding in Billings, Montana on Highway 395. According to Washington State Trooper Shawn Pichette, Pearce failed to see a Chevy service truck in front of her and rear-ended it. While the other driver was not injured, Pearce was in critical condition. She was airlifted to a hospital in Richland, where she later passed away. The Chevy service truck, which Pichette says was a rear escort for a farming combine further down the road, was going 20 miles per hour, presumably a much slower than Pearce was.

Pearce was living in LeGrande, Oregon. She was known for her volleyball skills, primarily as a four-year-starter at Rocky Mountain College. She was Freshman of the Year in 2004. The next two years she served as Rocky’s J.V. head coach, and went on to become the head coach at Eastern Oregon University. She had recently finished leading her first season into the Frontier Conference.

According to Trooper Pichette, Pearce’s airbag did not deploy. Thus, the sudden obstacle Pearce had not foreseen, combined with a faulty airbag, resulted in tragedy. For Pearce’s friends, family, and all those who were at the wedding with her that weekend, Pearce’s memory will not be forgotten. Straight Talk Law wishes to express its heartfelt sympathy at Pearce’s loss.