Orcas Island Crash Injures Newspaper Publisher and Husband

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Washington is one of the nation’s biggest trade centers, which is largely the reason why there were 1,428 trucking accidents in the state in 2009. This equates to an average of 4 truck related accidents per day. As a Bellevue truck accident lawyer and Redmond personal injury lawyer, I have seen how the sheer size of a truck can lead to many serious injuries. Tragically, 55 of the accidents in 2009 led to a fatality. Large trucks are certainly not easy to drive – and get more difficult during the winter – but that does not give the driver, or the company he or she works for an excuse for an accident that injures an innocent driver. Truck drivers carry the same responsibility as the rest of the drivers out on the road to drive safely.

Around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning on Orcas Road near the Orcas Ferry Landing, Elyse Van den Bosch – publisher of the Islands’ Sounder newspaper – and her husband Fred Munder were clipped by an 18-wheeler that veered into the oncoming lane. The married couple was injured in the collision, and air lifted to St. Joseph’s hospital, where they are currently being treated. The collision was caused by the truck’s long trailer crossing into the couple’s lane, causing their SUV to roll over before coming to a stop upside down against a tree. Both are still recovering in the hospital, where Munder is being treated for a broken leg and arm, while the Van den Bosch is awaiting surgery on a fractured hip. The truck driver was not injured in the crash.

Accidents like these can happen in a split second, and are virtually impossible to avoid as the victim. Both occupants of the vehicle that got hit by the truck sustained injuries that will take a long time to heal, and will likely result in high medical bills. The insurance of either the truck driver or the company he or she works for will have to pay for the damages suffered by the victims. Insurance companies, however, are very skilled at lowering and denying claims like these, so it is a good idea to consult with an experienced Seattle personal injury lawyer for advice.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Bellevue auto accidents, purchasing car insurance in Washington, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Seattle personal injury lawyer and author Jason Epstein and his Washington auto accident, Tacoma motorcycle accident, and King County wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.