WSP Impound Cars After DUI Arrest | Seattle Car Crash Lawyer

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One does not have to be a Seattle personal injury attorney to know that feeling of helplessness when you know something bad is about to occur but are unable to prevent its happening. For Washington State Patrol officers, tow truck
drivers, and others, such is a feeling they must often encounter. It occurs for them when a drunk driver is released from jail and is not yet sober, but cannot be prevented from getting behind the wheel of their car again. Luckily, this
weekend “Hailey’s Law” was passed and put in to effect, making the roads safer for all of us.

Four years ago, Hailey Huntley was hit head-on by Janine Parker, who was trying to drive home intoxicated. Parker had already been stopped once that night and a trooper had taken her home. Deciding she couldn’t leave her car at the side of the road, Parker took a cab back to her car and was driving home when she hit Huntley. Huntley has since had to schedule 15 surgeries for her broken pelvis, leg, and knee, a crushed foot, and collapsed lungs, and has won a $5 million judgment against Whatcom County and the State Patrol.

“Hailey’s Law,” formally known as Senate Bill 5000, allows police officers to impound drunk drivers’ cars for at least 12 hours after their arrest, given exceptions. Tow truck drivers and others who have to deal with drunk drivers who want their car back will particularly appreciate this law, as they will no longer have to give cars back to people who are clearly drunk but are allowed by law to get back on the road. “It’s a real benefit so that we can keep the roads safer,” says Gail Chase, from ABC Towing.

To read “Hailey’s Law”, click here.

For information on how to spot a drunk driver, click here.