Posts tagged "Fatal accident"

Hit-and-run accidents are a problem for cities throughout the nation, including Seattle. Though the individuals who leave the scene often think they will not be caught, in many cases they are identified and held responsible for their role. A license plate left at the scene of a recent hit-and-run accident in one Washington community served to tie the vehicle involved to the incident.

According to Washington State Patrol, the woman who was driving the vehicle that was missing the license plate struck a man on a motorcycle from behind on state Highway 20. Immediately following the collision, rather than stopping, she continued on and then called a tow truck to come and get her vehicle that was damaged in the collision. The woman was arrested after the car was found while being towed.

Regular readers of this blog are aware of the all too frequent pedestrian accidents that occur throughout the Seattle area. Most of these types of accidents we write about involve individuals who are walking when they are struck by a motor vehicle. Though not nearly as common, it is possible for individuals who are standing or sitting to be involved in pedestrian accidents as well.

This past weekend a pedestrian who was not walking died after being hit by car. Rather than walking, the man was instead sitting in the middle of a North Seattle Road. The early morning incident occurred while it was dark on 15th Avenue Northeast.

Commuting to work by car every morning and after can be a stressful task, which is why many Seattle residents choose to take their bikes to work. Unfortunately, one local man's commute ended in tragedy. The anxiety associated with the fatal bicycle accident became heightened after the offending driver let the scene of the incident.

A 44-year-old photographer was biking home from work one afternoon last summer, when an SUV attempting to take a left turn struck and killed the man. Immediately after the collision, the driver fled the scene. Until recently, police had not been able to track down the man responsible for the accident.

Back in April, many Seattle Mariners fans were shocked when they heard of a fatal accident involving some of their National League counterparts. Although the accident happened in St. Louis, after a Cardinals game, the legal theory involved in a wrongful death lawsuit that has followed the fatal accident also applies in Washington. Under the theory of premises liability, property owners may be held responsible for personal injuries caused by dangerous conditions that exist on their property.

Back in April, a 58-year-old man was celebrating a win for the home team in a tent along with at least 100 other patrons of a sports bar. The weather conditions however, were not ripe for being outside, as the winds were estimated to be 50 mph. These strong gusts lifted the party tent from its moorings. The tent's heavy metal posts started flying and the accident victim and his brother were knocked to the ground.

Tax Day 2012 has come and gone. On that day procrastinators throughout the country, including Seattle, scrambled together their income tax filings complete an in the mail before the deadline. According to a recent study many individuals were likely involved in serious motor vehicle accidents that day as well. The study revealed that Tax Day is one of the most deadly days when it comes to fatal car accidents.

According to the study, which was based on information obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over the course of 30 years, 6,783 fatal traffic accidents occurred on the day. Broken down, the average number of car accidents that resulted in death on each Tax Day is 226.

Many people who reside in cities rely on buses for transportation. Some take the bus because they do not have a car or in an effort to save money on gas. Others feel it is best for the environment. Whatever the reason one decides to utilize the form of public transportation, buses service many people regularly completing their routes without incident. Recently however, Seattle has seen a rash of pedestrian accidents involving buses.

The first accident took place in the morning and involved a 51-year-old woman. She was reportedly hit by the bus as she stepped off the curb. After the incident she was transported to Harborview Medical Center where she was admitted into the intensive care unit.

Seattle shipyards provide workers throughout the area with livable wages as the industry has done for the last century. Here, workers drive trucks, use welding machines and operate cranes while constructing or repairing vessels. As is the case with most industrial type jobs, there are many potential dangers and unexpected accidents can occur at any time.

Last week a worker at local shipyard, Vigor Shipyards, sustained serious injuries when he fell from scaffolding while working. Emergency workers, including the Seattle Fire Department, were called to the Elliot Bay shipyard, formerly known as Todd Pacific Shipyards, after the incident. Sadly, they were unable to help the man who had fallen between 70 and 100 feet. The trauma he sustained was too severe and the worker died at the scene.

For many living in the state of Washington, walking is the preferred method of getting from one point to another. This is due to a variety of reasons depending on one's circumstances. The end of last month an elderly man from Mercer Island died after he was hit by a car while crossing the street. The fatal pedestrian accident took place on Island Crest Way, in the evening.

According to Mercer Island police, the 90-year-old man was crossing Island Crest Way at a point in the 4700 block where a crosswalk once existed. It appears that he had managed to cross the street but was not yet on the sidewalk when he was struck by the car. Though only the vehicle's side mirror hit the man, he was nonetheless seriously injured.

There are potentially many reasons that car accidents occur. While driver error is often the cause, it is not always the only factor. In some cases the design of the road can be at least in part to blame.

Earlier this month the families of two teens who survived a car accident this past fall filed a $70 million damage claim against Snohomish County where the accident occurred. Before filing a lawsuit a damages claim must be filed. As part of the claim, the families had requested an investigation by the Washington State Patrol.