Teen Driver Causes 3-Car Pileup, 6 People Injured

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As a Kent auto accident lawyer working at a Renton personal injury law firm I know that before you let your teenager behind the wheel there is nothing more important that teaching them safe driving skills and talking with them about the dangers of impaired or distracted driving.

Washington State Patrol officers are unsure what caused 18-year-old Edward Bennett to cross over the center line Saturday evening, but charges are pending against him while they try to determine whether or not drugs or alcohol played a part in the three-car pileup. Bennett was driving west on State Route 14 when he crossed the center line and crashed into 39-year-old Brenda Duggan and then smashed head-on into 56-year-old Virgil Janes. In total six people were injured and all three vehicles were totaled. The victims, Duggan and Janes, were both taken to Skyline Hospital where Duggan is now suffering from a fractured back, Janes was released with minimal personal injuries. Bennett was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center for with severe head trauma and both of his passengers were taken to Skyline Hospital.

Even though the Washington State Patrol officers don’t know the exact cause of the auto accident but they do know that most likely Bennett was either distracted or impaired when he veered into oncoming traffic. Distracted and/or drunk driving is dangerous and potentially deadly regardless of your age and how experienced of a driver you are. Bennett is extremely lucky that no one was killed in this auto accident but he cause personal injuries to five other people and critically injured himself. I hope that everyone recovers quickly and that depending on the findings of the investigation that Bennett is properly charged and learns a hard but serious lesson.