Fatality Shows Importance of Seatbelt Use

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The number one safety precaution in a passenger vehicle is wearing a seatbelt. As a Bellevue car accident lawyer and Kent wrongful death attorney, I have seen far too many accidents result in worse consequences because the safety belt was not worn. All vehicles have various safety ratings, but there is no feature on a car that is more helpful in the event of a collision than the basic seatbelt. According to a study done by NHTSA, there were 15,383 lives saved by the use of seatbelts in 2006.

On Sunday, January 30^th, 40-year-old Tony O. Bey from Kent was killed in a single-car crash after failing to wear a seatbelt. Tony, along with two other occupants, was traveling eastbound on I-90 in a 2000 Subaru Legacy station wagon. It was shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon when the car flipped over on the road. Tony sustained fatal injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries. 19-year-old driver Eric A. Bey and 38-year-old passenger Linda Edwards-Bey, who were both wearing seatbelts, were not seriously injured.

While the cause of this auto accident has not yet been determined, there is still a very important lesson to be learned. Seatbelts save lives. Police officers are enforcing the use of safety restraints all over the country because they are critical to maximizing the safety of vehicle occupants. Signs on the freeway saying “click-it or ticket” are posted to encourage safe and responsible driving.

Losing a loved family member or friend is an incredibly painful experience. Whether it be in a car accident or not, the last thing that you and your family want to have to deal with or worry about is legal issues and complications. You deserve to know that the legal situation will be taken care of with professionalism and respect. Because I believe so strongly in this, I co-authored a book with attorney Patrick J. Kang entitled ‘In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death. We have made this book available free of charge to Washington residents and it can be found by clicking the preceding link.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Everett car accidents, Washington auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Seattle personal injury attorney Jason Epstein and his Seattle car accident, Renton motorcycle accident, and Bellingham wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.