Car accidents happen each day throughout the Seattle area. While the majority of accidents are only fender benders resulting in property damage and minor, if any injuries, sometimes the injuries are more severe. An early morning accident last week left the driver of a car with life-threatening injuries.

The motor vehicle accident occurred in an industrial area in the 4800 block of Fourth Avenue South, where the when a woman driving a Mazda hit two garbage trucks in succession. As she drove south down Fourth Avenue, she hit the first garbage truck that was headed in the opposite direction. That first collision caused the woman to lose control of her car and hit the second garbage truck involved in the incident.

Though the specific injuries the woman sustained are unknown, they were serious. Accordingly, emergency workers transported her to Harborview Medical Center.

The drivers of the garbage trucks fared much better than the woman behind the wheel of the car. One was not injured at all in the crash. Though the other one was hurt badly enough to need to go to the hospital, according to the police, his injuries were not life-threatening. He also was taken to Harborview Medical Center.

There are of course many reasons that an accident may occur. Reasons range from negligence on the part of the driver, medical emergencies experienced by a driver and equipment defects.

It is not clear what caused the woman in this case to cross the center line and hit the first garbage truck.

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Woman critically injured after hitting two garbage trucks near Georgetown," Scott Sunde, Feb. 2, 2012