A high speed chase in Snohomish County resulted in one injured suspect last night. A patrol car was responding to a call when one of the two suspects they were looking for jumped into a car and sped away, with the police in pursuit. The suspect led them on the chase for a time before running the car into a power pole near State Route 9 and Soper Hill Road in Lake Stevens. The driver was ejected from the car and he was pinned to the fence. Live wires that had been knocked loose kept police and other emergency personnel from reaching him initially. Eventually the power was cut and the suspect was transported to the hospital. He sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries to his leg.
This crash was a deadly combination of two factors: speed and distraction. You don’t have to be on the run from the police to get caught in a situation like this—just send a text on the freeway. When your mind or eyes are focused on anything other than the road ahead, you are putting yourself and anyone who happens to be on the road with you at risk. This might seem like a case of “got what he deserved” but every day average drivers engage in activity that is just as dangerous. As a Seattle personal injury attorney I see how one timey bad choice can change a life forever. Do everything you can to limit distractions and drive safe!
A man was hit and killed walking on I-5 Saturday night in Everett. Shane Archey was kicked of the 510 Sound Transit bus from Seattle to Everett around 7 PM. He disembarked at the South Everett Freeway Station, about one more from where he eventually died. Walking south bound on I-5; Archey was struck by three vehicles. His family, who has been speaking with Kirotv.com, said that Archey has battled an addiction to pain medication for most of his life. It is not known if that played a factor in the accident, or what Archey was doing walking on the freeway in the first place. He was 40 years old.
This situation is tragic, and our thoughts go out to Shane Archey’s family in this difficult time. Hopefully, it can act as a reminder to others that pedestrian safety is just as serious as vehicle safety. Without the protection of a car, one mistake at the wrong time by a pedestrian can mean almost certain death. Almost as important as not getting behind the wheel drunk, you should not venture out near busy roads alone when you are intoxicated. Following all traffic laws and signals is also extremely important, especially at night. Don’t rely on these signals completely, though, sometimes just being alert out on the road can save your life. As a Seattle pedestrian accident attorney, I know how devastating and life changing these accidents can be, so stay safe however you travel.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, a Bremerton man was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was riding his bike around 2 AM south on Highway 3. He lost control of the bike and the cyclist went down in the road. Soon after, a Ford Explorer SUV heading south hit the motorcyclist, who was lying in the highway. State Troopers arrived on the scene, where the rider was pronounced dead by authorities. The Bremerton native was 26, but his identity has not been released as yet.
The cause of this accident in unclear, but there are steps that can be taken to increase your safety while on a motorcycle. The first and possibly most important of these steps is to take continuing education classes. Riding a motorcycle requires a lot more skill and concentration than driving a car. It has been proven that those riders who take safety classes are much less likely to get into an accident than those who do not. Of course wearing a helmet is important, as well as obeying all speed and traffic laws. As a motorcycle accident attorney, I know how dangerous they can be, so I urge you to do everything you can to keep yourself safe on the road. Riding a motorcycle is an enjoyable and engaging way to travel that you should be able to enjoy for years to come.
Super commuters—those who travel more than one hundred miles each way for work—are becoming more and more common in Seattle. The study, performed by New York University, did not require that the commuter make this lengthy trip every day, just once or twice or a week. The trip can be made by car, train, plane or bus, as long as they are logging the miles. The study showed Seattle to be the 3rd place city for super commuters on the rise. In fact, between 2002-2009 the number of super commuters went up by sixty percent. The most common super commuter home-bases are Portland, Spokane, Bellingham, Kennewick and Yakima. In general, super commuters tend to be young (under 29) and middle class. Commuters will travel these distances out of fear of losing their job or simply because they cannot or do not want to move their families.
These long commutes are a product of the current economy, but they could also be a recipe for disaster. The longer a commuter has to stay in the car, the more likely they are to be fatigued and distracted. Not to mention, the prospect of hours and hours in the car without a single phone call or text would probably be unthinkable for most modern workers. As a Seattle accident lawyer, I have often see how a tired, distracted driver can wreak havoc on the road. Know your own body, and if you are too tired to drive, don’t get behind the wheel.
A law firm in New York changed policies and paid over $570,000 as a result of an age discrimination suit. Kelly Drye & Warren, who have over 300 lawyers in their employ, has paid $574,000 to an attorney who continued to work at the firm after he turned seventy, which was the mandatory age for retirement. Lawyers who wanted to practice could only continue after they turned seventy by giving up all owning interested in the firm and being paid through discretionary bonuses only. This is in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The law firm has changed this policy as a part of their agreement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
These days, employees are having (or choosing) to work longer than ever before. In spite of this, many employers will create policies that are discriminatory against older workers. No one should have to face discrimination or mistreatment just because they are a capable older employee. The best way to protect yourself is to know your rights—study up on discrimination and make sure that you are being treated as you should be. Losing your job is a terrifying proposition, especially for an older worker, but you should never have to face discrimination on the job, and you definitely do not have to face it alone. If you think you are being discriminated against, it may be time to call an experienced Seattle employment attorney to help you to navigate your case.
In the last week, Seattle and surrounding areas were hit by two pedestrian accidents. One of the accidents involved a train in Auburn, while the other was a van in Seattle. It was Sunday when an 18-month-old little girl darted out from behind a parked car, into the path of a van putting out of an apartment complex. The Dodge van was driving out onto 43rd Avenue South when it struck the toddler. The girl was immediately taken to Harborview Medical Center, and was said to have serious injuries. Officers tested the diver for any signs of inebriation or alcohol and found none.
Later in the week, an unknown pedestrian was walking through an idle train in Auburn when another train hit and killed the victim. The accident occurred at about 6 PM on Tuesday evening. The Amtrak trains and pedestrian traffic was temporarily delayed because of the incident. Pedestrians and drivers alike have responsibilities outside themselves when out on the road. Drivers are responsible for being alert and aware of the pedestrians around them, while pedestrians must follow all street signals and stay within crosswalks. We have to also pass along these safety lessons to our children as pedestrians, in the hopes that they will both stay safe and choose to keep others safe once they do get behind the wheel. Personal injury attorneys like me will tell you that it only takes one moment of carelessness or inattention to change a life forever.
A Honda ended up in an empty house in Kent after a two car accident on Sunday. The two cars collided at the intersection of 240th Street and 100th Avenue Southeast at around 3:45 PM. The Jeep was rolled over, and the Honda involved was sent into the nearby home. Thankfully, the house was empty at the time. The Honda driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The other driver had no injuries. Investigators from the Kent Police are still determining the cause of the accident. It is lucky that no one was seriously injured in this accident—at a greater speed or with people in the house, who knows what could have happened.
There is unpredictability inherent in the act of driving, but there are things that you can do to protect yourself, your passengers and others on the road. There’s the obvious: don’t drink and drive, text and drive, or allow yourself to be otherwise distracted or impaired while you are behind the wheel. Just this much, if done by everyone, could reduce a huge percentage of deadly auto accidents. As a Seattle personal injury lawyer, too often I see how a behavior like texting and driving can be without consequences for a time so drivers think it is perfectly acceptable to continue. However, as soon as one mistake is made, those consequences become life changing. Do your part to keep the roads safe, and stay alert while driving.
A 25-year-old Kingston driver was killed in an accident early Friday morning. He was headed Northbound on Viking Way when he swerved to the right of the two-lane roadway. The car was spun ninety degrees and hit a small tree. It was then flipped over completely onto its top before coming to rest back on its wheels. Emergency crews responded to the accident, which took place near Poulsbo, at around 1:50 AM. They found that no other vehicles or persons had been involved in the crash, and immediately transported the driver to Harborview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators suspect that alcohol or drugs may have played a role in the crash.
The truth of what happened in this accident may never be fully known. What we do know, though, is that his family will never be the same again. Do everything you can to protect yourself and the families of those you are sharing the road with by making wise driving decisions. Never ever text and drive, and don’t drink and then get behind the wheel for any reason. You can’t predict what sort of situation you might be driving into, so it’s best to arm yourself by being as alert and focused as possible while driving. In my work as a Seattle accident attorney, often I have seen how one bad decision can affect many lives, so take the time to make sure your trip will be as safe as possible.
South King County drivers be aware—extra DUI patrols will be out in Auburn, Federal Way, Kent and Renton this weekend. If your plan was to celebrate Easter out on the town, make sure that you plan your safe ride as well. In addition to the patrols, officers will be stopping by bars to talk with owners, managers and servers. They will be educating these workers on their responsibilities to keep drunk drivers off the road. Over service will be discouraged, and ways to aid patrons in finding a safe ride home will be laid out. This is a part of the Target Zero program, which aims to rid Washington State of all fatal and serious injury crashes by 2030. Hopefully it will have a more direct effect and save some lives this weekend.
These DUI patrols serve several purposes: obviously more patrols means a better chance of DUI offenders being caught, and the educational benefit to bar owners and workers will help everyone in the long run. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, increased DUI patrols are heavily publicized (as this one was on Komonews.com) so that drivers will think twice before getting behind the wheel. As a Seattle personal injury attorney, I know that those who cause accidents hardly ever do so maliciously. It is often by ignorance or just plain bad planning that someone ends up driving drunk. So do yourself (and everyone else on the road) a favor and plan ahead for your ride the next time that you go out.
Personal injury attorneys, perhaps more than other people, see first-hand the way one simple decision can change a life or family forever. That is why Jason Epstein started Teens Against Distracted Driving (TADD), an organization that aims to educated young drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, and especially that of texting and driving. Jason will be appearing on Q13 Fox today to promote his non-profit organization and encourage all drivers to put down the phone when they get behind the wheel.
In June 2011 alone, over 196 billion texts were sent. It’s impossible to know but fair to assume that more than a few of those texts were sent or received by a driver behind the wheel of a car. As smartphones and other in-car technology becomes more readily available, so do the chances of a driver becoming distracted. New laws have been passed in many states to help prevent this, but the best way to prevent distracted driving is to show people directly how dangerous it can be—especially teen drivers. Jason has chosen to focus on reaching young drivers, and with good reason. 16% of all distracted driving crashes that included a fatality involved a driver under the age of 20. Habits are formed in those early driving years, and by teaching about how dangerous texting and driving is, Jason hopes to influence those behaviors for life. Jason, along with TADD, travels to schools around Washington State with this mission in mind. He asks students to pledge to never text and drive—and in return he gives them a bracelet as a reminder, and the mission to spread the word to their friends and peers.
