Who Was Driving in Everett, WA Serious Injury Car Crash? | Seattle Personal Injury Attorney

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July 23, 2009, a mother and daughter suffer serious injuries from an auto accident and subsequent car fire. Police believe that a Pontiac GTO broadsided a Ford Taurus on Everett’s Evergreen Way splitting the Taurus in two. Imagine the force required to split a car in two! The Taurus burst into flame partially burning the 52-year-old mother and her 6-year-old daughter trapped inside causing serious injury.

A teenage boy, Artem Osedlenko, told police that he was driving the GTO at the time of the crash. However, substantial evidence and witness testimony suggests otherwise. Seatbelt bruises on the boy’s right shoulder combined with other documented evidence support the conclusion that he was a passenger in the Pontiac GTO, not its driver.

When asked by Everett police why he had fabricated his story, Artem stated, “cause I was scared about the accident. And I was thinking about my Dad, and I was scared about him.”

Police say Artem’s father, Valeriy Odsedlenko, who was also at the scene of the accident, has hired an attorney and is not talking. Police have asked a Superior Court judge to subpoena DNA evidence to prove he was the driver.

Larisa Odsedlenko, Valeriy’s wife, has told police that the family moved to America from Ukraine, seeking religious asylum. She says her husband doesn’t drink and he’s never been in an accident before.

“We pray all the time for these ladies, because they are in a hard condition,” said Larisa Oseledko. “And we hope everything will be fine with them.”

Investigators are also still trying to find out how fast the GTO was traveling at the time of the accident. Anything faster than 35 miles per hour, and the prosecutor could charge the driver with vehicular assault. But right now, they’re not sure who the driver was, and why the son changed his story.

“What his motive is, isn’t clear to us right now. We’ll try and figure that out,” said, Sgt. Robert Goetz with the Everett Police Department

Police say there is no reason to believe drugs or alcohol was involved.

Tragically, a mother and daughter will forever be emotionally and physically scarred from what happened on the night of July 23^rd. While Mr. Osedlenko’s noncompliant behavior is within his legal rights at a United States citizen, it is understandable that many individuals reading this story would feel that honesty is a better policy.

Despite our feelings, Mr. Odsenlenko’s rights are constitutionally protected and help to protect his right to a fair and just trial before a jury of his peers, should one occur. Among those rights are the right to remain silent and the right to not incriminate himself.

It is important for us, as the general public, not to lose faith in our justice system. Investigators, attorneys, judges and police officers, all work tirelessly to assure that facts are brought to light, offenders are punished, and justice is found.

From a civil standpoint, it doesn’t really matter if the father or son was driving. The mother and her daughter both have civil claims against the person who caused their injuries, whichever one of them it may have been. Because of the nature of the serious injuries they sustained, hopefully there will be large enough insurance limits to cover their damages.

This blog is provided by www.straighttalklaw.com, where you can order free books on Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Jason Epstein and his law practice Premiere Law Group in Seattle, Washington.