Auto TextBak Program Helps Deter Texting While Driving | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:05 +0000

Another new anti-texting while driving program has been developed and released for purchase. Developed to help “help drivers focus on the road instead of their phone,” Auto TextBak allows users to set away messages on their mobile devices. Before you start your car, the program allows you to set an auto-response that will be sent to the sender of any text message that your phone receives while in away mode. You can put your BlackBerry or smart phone on away mode and set your auto response to “Driving. Can’t talk right now,” or any other message that you wish.

The developers hope that the Auto TextBak application will put an end to the distraction of wanting to read or respond to a text message you may receive while driving. The application can be downloaded and purchased for only $2.99 at http://www.autotextbak.com/ .

Please do not use your cell phones while driving and check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving.

This information 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.

Aberdeen, Washington Man Crashes Van into 7-11 and Causes Serious Personal Injuries to Mother and Her 2-Year-Old Daugter | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:27:37 +0000

A 57-year-old man in Aberdeen crashed his van into a 7-11 Friday night and caused serious personal injuries. The man, Kelvin Kinney, had parked his blue Chevrolet van directly in front of the 7-11 convenience store and ended up somehow losing control of the vehicle. The van smashed through the front entrance and ended up traveling about 20 feet through, all the way to the back of the store.

A woman and her 2-year-old daughter were standing near the front door, and were hit by the van. The mother, a 30-year-old, was treated for personal injuries at Grays Harbor Community Hospital and released a short time later. The 2-year-old was immediately taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious, internal personal injuries.

Perhaps the most disturbing detail of this accident was that it was the second time in a year that the man had crashed into a building. Records show that Kinney crashed into a former car showroom in Aberdeen last April. For that crash, investigators determined that Kinney suffered from a diabetic medical issue and he was charged with negligent driving.

The fact that this is the second time that the same man has crashed into a building, most likely again because of his medical condition and negligence, is troubling at best. If you have a medical condition that requires strict monitoring and control, perhaps you should not operate a motor vehicle. This man was not in a the physical and mental condition to drive and injured two innocent individuals in this car accident.

We hope and wish for a full and quick recovery for the mother and her young daughter.

Lake Stevens Teenager Suffers Serious Personal Injuries in Car Accident with Semi Truck | Seattle Auto Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:21:54 +0000

Earlier this afternoon a 19-year-old Lake Stevens woman suffered serious personal injuries after being involved in a car accident with a semi truck on Highway 9. The accident occurred just after 12 o’clock and the woman was immediately rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The extent of the woman’s injuries as well as what caused the car accident are unknown at this time.
We hope for a full and quick recovery for the young Lake Stevens woman.

Edmonds Car Accident Leaves Pedestrian With Serious Injuries | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:14:24 +0000

Not many details are available at this time, but late last night a pedestrian suffered serious life-threatening personal injuries in Edmonds after being hit by a car.

A 33-year-old man was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after being hit by a car at the 23800 block of Highway 99. Pedestrians are always at great risk whenever crossing a street, but this is especially true on Highway 99.

No other details of the accident are available at this time. We will update the story when more information is made available and we wish for a full and quick recovery for the injured man.

While we do not know what happened in this accident, we’d like to take the time to remind you to please drive alert and attentively at all times and always keep your eyes out for pedestrians. If you need to cross the street, please do so at a marked cross walk.

Fake Wake at Illinois High School Teaches Dangers of Texting While Driving | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:12:02 +0000

In an attempt to raise awareness about distracted driving and the car accident injuries and auto accident deaths that it causes, last week, students at Granite City high school put together a mock car accident that resulted in the fake wrongful deaths of nine of the school’s students. The school’s students then experienced the fake wake during their P.E classes and signed a pledge promising to not text while driving or drive when under the influence of alcohol.

The nine students who were “killed” in the car accident wore bright orange shirts and had to avoid talking all day. The mock wake included pictures of the “victims,” obituaries, a coffin and a wrecked car that sat outside of the school. 17 year-old student council member Tori Busch had a difficult time with the event as one of her cousins was killed in a car accident in Missouri last year.

“It could be something that could happen to all of us and your friends could be gone in a second,” Tori said. “We want them to realize that doing anything distracting while they are driving could cause something like this could happen.”
Perhaps senior Laura Lofink best summed up the attitude of many teens in our country today.

She said, “They think it could never happen to me, when the reality is it could happen to anyone at any time.”

According to the Suburban Journals, the wake was paid through a $1,000 grant from Operation Teen Safe Driving, sponsored by Allstate Foundation, Ford Motor Co., and Illinois Department of Transportation.

I’m sure the event provided Granite City High School a powerful day that they will never forget. While most of us know the dangers involved with texting and driving, many of us still choose to ignore them. The teenagers involved in the fake wake at this high school were allowed to talk to their “victim” friends at the end of the day.

If you choose to text while you drive, you are putting lives in danger and creating the sad possibility that an individual will never have the chance to speak with a friend or loved one ever again.

Please do not use your cell phones while driving and check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving.

AT&T Anti-Texting While Driving Campaign: “It Can Wait” | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:06:20 +0000

In an effort to reduce auto accidents, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents which cause countless injuries and wrongful deaths, campaigns are being created left and right across the country in order to help put an end to cell phone use and distracted driving. Now, a cell phone company has finally joined the fight. AT&T has launched their “Txtng & Drivng … It Can Wait” campaign. This campaign hopes to remind all cell phone users that any text message they receive while driving can wait to be read until they are out of their car and done driving.

Using real life examples, the campaign hopes to show how insignificant and unimportant actual text messages that caused car accidents were. One of the television commercials shows the text “Where you at?” which is described by a mother as the text message her daughter was reading right before she was killed in a car accident.

The national radio, television, print and internet campaign will encourage individuals to read the last text message they have received and ask themselves if that message, and similar ones, are putting your life, and the lives of others at risk. There is no text that couldn’t wait until you are done driving.

You can visit www.att.com/txtngcanwait for resources, information and a page to take AT&T’s pledge against distracted driving.
Please do not use your cell phones while driving. Also, check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving.

Washington House Passes Stricter Texting While Driving Ban | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:13:14 +0000

I’m not the only one who wants the roads to be safer and to have less car accidents in Seattle and the rest of our communities in Washington. Wednesday night in Olympia, the Washington House of Representatives approved a stricter ban on texting while driving with a vote of 86-12. This bill would make texting while driving a primary offense if police catch you in the act and the fine for texting while driving would be $124. It is encouraging to see that lawmakers see this as a necessary step in order to improve road safety and reduce Washington auto accidents. The bill also says that drivers under the age of 18 can be pulled over for texting or using a cell phone in any way; of course, there is an exception for emergencies.

The specifics of the bill state that it is illegal to read, write or send text messages while driving.
Senator Eide said texting and driving is “the equivalent of driving drunk. We don’t tolerate drunks in Washington State. It’s time to say hang up and drive.”

Rep. Reuven Carlyle agrees with Eide and said, “mobile phones have permeated every aspect of life. But when it comes to public safety, when it comes to young people, when it comes to the reality of decisions that they make, this legislation is an important step forward.”

Governor Chris Gregoire will not see the bill on her desk until the House and Senate work out a few details, but it was important to get the ball rolling on this issue.

Hopefully this law will be finalized as, in my opinion as a Seattle car accident attorney, it is something that is incredibly important to the safety of our community. There is absolutely no reason why states (such as Arizona) should not be passing similar bans. With legislatures throughout the country taking stands, it is great to finally be able to write about our own state of Washington.

Please do not use your cell phones while driving and check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving.

Car Accident Caused By Texting While Driving| Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:06:45 +0000

A Gloucester, Massachusetts woman was nearly killed in a car accident last month that was caused by texting while driving. Police reported that the driver that caused the car accident and caused serious personal injuries to a woman was in fact texting while driving. The injured woman, Jerry Favaloro, suffered a shoulder injury, injuries to both her knees and had to have a dozen stitchesput in her head.

Perhaps this statement from Favaloro best sums up the accident. “It totally infuriates me because of the fact that it didn’t have to happen. I just want to know what possessed her to text while she was driving.”
Favaloro was attempting to cross the street when she was hit and thrown 25 feet. The driver, a 27 year old woman, admitted that she was texting while driving at the time of the car accident.

Currently in Massachusetts, a complete ban on texting while driving is close to being passed.

Favaloro is happy about this potential ban and wants everyone to be aware of the dangers of texting while driving. She said, “when a person gets into an automobile accident they’re driving deadly weapon. And the next person might not be as lucky as I was.”

Please do not use your cell phones while driving and check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving.

Startling Results Show Texting While Driving Increases in Washington | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:54:37 +0000

Pemco Insurance, a Seattle, Washington auto insurance company, has recently completed a poll concerning cell phone use while driving among Washington residents. The survey showed disturbing results as it seems Washington drivers are texting while driving more frequently than in the past. Not just more frequently, but WAY more frequently.

Pemco’s study showed the number of Washington drivers who admitted to using their cell phone while driving has increased from 17 percent 20 months ago to 41 percent now. During this same time period, drivers who admitted to sending text messages while driving rose from 3 percent to 22 percent. Unbelievable! And in only 20 months! The study also showed that the people who admitted these actions the most are adults under the age of 55 who have teenage children living at home. I guess the bad habits of the kids are rubbing off on their parents, but then the parents are being even more recless than their teenagers.

These results are not encouraging and we clearly need to do more to end distracted driving in our communities. We all know how dangerous the habit of texting while driving is, so why must we continue to do it? If this many people are aware of their actions, they should realize the dangers associated with them and be able to make a conscious effort to stop. How many people need to be maimed or injured in sensless auto accidents?

While it is currently illegal to use your phone and send text messages in Washington, it is only a secondary offense. Perhaps it is finally time to make cell phone use in the car a primary offense in order to keep our roads safe. In fact, legislation is currently pending which would make texting while driving a primary offense. More information can be found about the legislation and the group sponsiring it at www.nodistractions.org.

Please do not use your cell phones while driving and check out the website, Teens Against Distracted Driving. TADD is a national movement with a mission of getting everyone, but especially teenagers, to stop texting while driving. Encourage your teenagers to go to www.TeensAgainstDistractedDriving.com and take the pledge. They will even get a free TADD bracelet (similar to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong bracelets)!

Three Taken to Harborview Medical Center in Auburn Car Accident | Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:51:17 +0000

Auburn police are investigating a car accident that took place around 6 PM last night in Auburn. It was at about that time when a passer-by noticed a four door sedan that was turned on its side about 20 feet down an embankment near Kersey Way. When authorities responded they found three people trapped in the car after what appeared to be a car accident. The three individuals involved in the car accident were all taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The most seriously injured of the three, a woman in her 20’s, was airlifted to Harborview to be treated for multiple serious personal injuries. The two other passengers, another woman and a man in his 20’s, also sustained multiple personal injuries and were taken to Harborview in Seattle, although not by helicopter.

At this point, little is known about what caused the accident. Authorities are hoping that witnesses will come forward to help shed some light on what happened to cause the car to go off the roadway and down the embankment. If you witnessed anything unusual or saw the accident, please contact the Auburn police department.
We wish a full recovery for all those involved in the car accident.