Washington Injury Attorney Blog

Michael D. Burke, 34, of Wenatchee was sentenced to 3-1/2 years prison in the pedestrian accident which killed Arnulfo Garcia Maldonado in September 2009. Burke was found guilty of hit and run injury accident involving death and negligent driving. Prosecutors were not able to charge Burke with Vehicular Homicide because they were not able to prove that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

According to The Wenatchee World, Garcia Maldonado was attempting to cross North Wenatchee Avenue when he was hit by Burke. Garcia Maldonado died two hours later at Central Washington Hospital.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A man and a woman were injured in a pedestrian accident when they were hit by a car while walking near the Boise, Idaho airport early Tuesday morning.

According to a report in the Idaho Statesman, the pair were walking in a crosswalk on Airport Way when they were hit by a car that was turning onto Airport Way from Vista.

The couple reportedly were at the airport to catch a flight. There injuries were thought to be serious but not life-threatening.

Boise police are investigating the cause of the accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Anthony Paul Cisco, 42, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to Vehicular Homicide in the pedestrian accident death of Rebecca Wilkie-Moore, of Purdy, in July of 2008.

Wilkie-Moore was a widowed single-mother when she was hit by Cisco as she walked from the bus on Purdy Drive in Tacoma.

Cisco drove away after the accident, leaving Wilkie-Moore mortally wounded, but was followed by a witness.

Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person is killed and the driver was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving recklessly or driving without regard for the safety of other.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Source: The Tacoma News Tribune, Man sentenced to 10 years in crash death of Purdy woman

There have been a lot of studies and reports lately regarding distracted driving which compare texting and driving to drunk driving. Now, studies show that texting and walking can also be hazardous.

Recently, the New York Times cited an Ohio State University study that showed that twice the number of pedestrians are being treated in emergency rooms for trip and fall accidents while using a cell phone to make calls or text message.

In another study, a psychology professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham conducted a study to test the theory of "inattentional blindness." The study which was posted in Applied Cognitive Psychology showed that people who were distracted while walking because of a cell phone or iPod usage or walking in groups were less likely to notice even bizarre occurrences like a clown riding a unicycle. Inattention blindness means that a person can look at something but fail to recognize or register the object because of their inattention.

While many distracted walkers may suffer minor injuries like tripping on a sidewalk and spraining an ankle but other more serious injuries can include walking into fixed objects or in the path of oncoming cars which can be extremely dangerous. While many pedestrian accidents are caused by motorists, pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings, make eye contact and a wave to drivers before they cross intersections.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents due to the negligence of another. With our help, you may receive compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 18-month-old Oregon boy, Brock Aschenbrener, was injured in a pedestrian accident when his mother, Charmin Aschenbrener, hit him with an SUV as she was backing the vehicle out of a Milwaukie driveway.

According to a report written by David Krough on KGW.com, Brock Aschenbrener suffered critical injuries and was taken to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital.

Studies show that a high proportion of toddler injuries occur in their driveways when vehicles back up.

Many of these traumatic pedestrian accidents cause severe head injury with a 10 times increase in the likelihood of death when compared to other pediatric accidents.

Public awareness and education is need to prevent these devastating pedestrian accidents.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 24-year-old La Center man was hit and killed by a semi-truck as he stood on Interstate 5 in Thurston County around 1:00am this morning reports The Tacoma News Tribune.

According to the report, the pedestrian accident occurred a little before 1:00am. The semi-truck driver was not injured in the accident.

It was not know what the man was doing on the highway or whether the accident was a suicide. The Washington State Patrol said they do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of the Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been injured in pedestrian accidents and trucking accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A study, with results that might be counter intuitive, found that nearly twice as many pedestrians were injured in painted or marked crosswalks than painted ones.

The pedestrian accident study was written by the Transportation Research Board in Washington DC, covered a five year period and looked at 400 intersections that had one painted and one unpainted crosswalk. The study also took into consideration the amount of pedestrian and vehicle traffic at the intersections they studied.

During the period of the study, 177 pedestrians were hit in the marked crosswalks and there were 18 fatalities versus 31 pedestrian accidents and only three fatalities in the unmarked crosswalks.

The conclusion of the study was that the higher rate of pedestrian accidents in marked crosswalks is due to the pedestrian's "attitude and lack of caution" when using the marked crosswalk. Pedestrians feel safer when the intersection is marked and thus tend not to take cautious actions like looking both ways.

The authors of the study recommended that crosswalks should only be painted where warranted.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 18-year-old man, Sean F. Crissy, has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and hit-and- run fatality after a 54-year-old Bellingham man was hit and killed while he walked at Chuckanut Drive and Sea Pines.

According a report by Seattle's KOMO News.com, the Bellingham man was reported missing by his wife at 9pm after he did not return from his evening walk which began at 6pm.

Police officers found the missing man lying beside the road only three blocks from his home.

When Bellingham police searched for the missing man, they found a Dodge van, which had been reported stolen, with windshield damage. The van's owner said he reported the vehicle stolen after his son, Sean Crissy, told him that the van had been stolen.

When police officer's caught up with Sean Crissy on Saturday, he reportedly told them that he had been under the influence of mushrooms and had been drinking as well as text messaging when he hit the Bellingham man. They arrested Crissy at the home of a friend without incident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Washington State Senator Tracey Eide has introduced a bill which would make using hands-held cell phones or texting while driving a primary offense. The current Washington law, RCW 46.61.668 "Sending, Reading, or Writing a Text Message While Driving" makes texting or using a hands-held cell phone while driving a secondary offense which means that law enforcement can not ticket motorists for the infraction unless they are stopped for another offense like speeding, running a red light, etc.

Distracted driving is a serious issue but as long as it is only a secondary offense, many drivers don't take the ban seriously and ignore it altogether.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there were 5,870 car accident deaths last year and 515,000 were injured in accidents attributed to distracted driving. In fact it is believe d that distracted driving was involved in 16% of all fatal car accidents.

This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously inured in car accidents caused by distracted drivers. See "What if my car accident was caused by someone using a cell phone?"

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Puget Sound Business Journal reports that the Washington State Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Xiao Ping Chen, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle after her husband, Run Sen Liu, was critically injured in a pedestrian accident and then subsequently died.

Liu was hit by a motor vehicle as he crossed the intersection at South Jackson Street and 10th Avenue in South in Seattle, February of 2007. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for two years before he died.

In her lawsuit, Chen alleged that Seattle was negligent in maintain the roadway. Evidence showed that there had been previous serious accidents at the same pedestrian crosswalk where Liu was injured.

In reversing a lower court ruling against Chen, the Court of Appeals said, "a municipality has a duty to all travelers to maintain its roadways in conditions that are safe for ordinary travel."

Washington State has a wrongful death statute which allows the family of a person who was killed due to the negligence of a person or entity to recover damages in a civil action. Wrongful death cases are usually brought on behalf of the deceased by the surviving spouse, child or parent.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm experienced and knowledgeable in handling wrongful death cases

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A pedestrian was hit and killed by an alleged drunk driver who then left the accident scene in Marysville reports The Everett Herald Net.

According to the report, the pedestrian was a 26-year-old Arlington man. He was walking in the 10400 block of Smokey Point Boulevard around 2 am when he was hit. Bystanders provided CPR but the man could not be revived.

Later, the Washington State Patrol stopped a speeding driver who asked the trooper what he had hit. The driver's Blood Alcohol Content was measured at .177, more than two times the legal limit of 0.08%. He is being investigated for Vehicular Homicide which can be charged if a driver was driving under the influence and a person in killed.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken drivers and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Two pedestrians were hit by a car while crossing Nob Hill Boulevard at 11th Avenue on Tuesday evening reports The Yakima Herald.com. Brittny Kilpatrick, age 20, died of her injuries on Wednesday at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Her companion, Sarah Nelson, age 22, suffered minor injuries in the pedestrian accident.

The two women were in an unmarked crosswalk when they were hit by a Nissan Maxima driven by Monica Barajas, age 20, of Yakima. According to the report, a vehicle in the inside lane stopped for the pair but the Maxima in the outside lane continued and hit the pair.

Police are investigating the pedestrian accident but they do not believe that alcohol or drugs were involved. Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.235 specifies that all vehicles must stop at an unmarked or marked crosswalk when a pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Washington State Patrol is looking for a vehicle that hit and killed a 54-year-old Blaine man as he walked on Highway 548 early Saturday morning near Blaine around 2:50am reports Seattle's KOMO News.com.

According to the report, the pedestrian accident occurred just south of Birch Bay Lynden Road. Blaine is a city near the Canadian border about 111 miles north of Seattle along Interstate 5.

It is the responsibility of every motorist to stop and render aid and accept responsibility for their part in any vehicle accident. In Western Washington there have been numerous of incidences of hit and run driving. Nearly one in five pedestrians, or 18%, of all pedestrians killed by vehicles are hit-and-run reports The U.S. Department of Transportation. Hit and Run charges are often accompanied by a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charge.

The most common reasons drivers hit and run are:

• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving distracted or driving tired
  
• Driving without a valid license -- this is often the case of an illegal immigrant, an un-insured motorist, an uninsured driver or a driver with a revoked or suspended license
  
• Driving that is prohibited by law including street racing or driving a stolen vehicle
  
• Driving aggressively or road rage
  
• Driving without a conscience -- an amoral person
  
• Driving at a young age where the driver does not have a developed conscience or impulse control

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents or motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A female pedestrian, identified as Annette Gobin age 49 or Poulsbo, was killed on Wednesday evening after a Kitsap Transit bus struck her. The pedestrian accident occurred on State Route 305 at Johnson Way around 7:30pm reports The Kitsap Sun.

According to the report, Gobin tried to cross the highway and stepped in front of the oncoming bus and there was nothing the bus driver could have done to prevent the accident.

As is routine in accidents like this, the bus driver was administered a breath analyzer test for alcohol but he passed. The Washington State Patrol does not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Kristen E. Grindley, age 23 of Seattle, was found unconscious, injured and lying in a pool of blood on Pullman-Albion Road near state Highway 27. Now, the Whitman County sheriff's county is asking for anyone with information about what happened to Grindley to call them at 509-397-6266.

According to a report in The Spokesman-Review, Grindley, who is a recent WSU graduate, was airlifted from Pullman Regional Hospital to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and is currently unconscious.

The sheriff's office is trying to determine whether Grindley was struck while walking or if she fell from a motor vehicle.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The daughter of Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawk's quarterback, was injured when she was hit by a dirt bike while the family was vacationing in Lake Chelan, Washington reports The Seattle Post Intelligencer.

According to the report, Hasselbeck's daughter who is six years old, was treated at Central Washington University in Wenatchee and then Children's Hospital in Seattle for her injuries. Hasselbeck said that his daughter will miss basketball season but that she would recover from her injuries.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm with offices in Seattle in Bellevue.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Last year, 4,378 people were killed in pedestrian accidents. Fatal accidents between motor vehicles and young pedestrians most often occur between 4pm and 8pm, the time when most children will be trick-or-treating.

Halloween can be a dangerous time for young pedestrians. Often children are so excited that they dart out into traffic. 84% of pedestrian deaths among young pedestrians occur at non-intersection locations. Drivers need to be hyper-vigilant on Halloween. The following are some tips for drivers to insure that a pedestrian accident does not occur:

• Don't use a cell phone while driving because being distracted can lead to an accident.
  
• Watch for children darting across streets and from between parked cars.
  
• Stay below the posted speed limit during trick-or-treating hours and in neighborhoods.
  
• Do not attempt to pass stopped cars. They could be stopped for children crossing the street or to drop off children.
  
• Stay alert at intersections.
  
• Pay attention to children on sidewalks as they may suddenly run across a street.
  
• Don't assume that a child approaching your car sees you; A mask or excitement might obscure their vision.
  
• If you are dropping off a child, when you pull to the curb, turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers.
  
• If you attend a Halloween party, do not drive with a mask on.

If you are a parent with a child who will be trick-or-treating, follow these safety tips:

• Accompany your child to insure their safety.
  
• Give your child flashlights or glow sticks so they can be seen.
  
• Sew reflective tape on their costumes.
  
• Make sure your child knows how and where to cross a street for safety. Teach them to cross at cross walks and to look left and right and left again and make eye contact with drivers.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents, including pedestrians.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

a 12-year-old girl was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after she was injured in a pedestrian accident in Sunnyside on Monday morning.

The girl was walking on the Yakima Valley Highway around 7am with two boys, ages 10 and 7, when she was hit by a pickup truck, according to a report in The Seattle Times. The truck driver said that he did not see the children because sunlight was in his eyes. The boys apparently suffered minor accidents in the accident.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 10-year-old Yakima girl was critically injured in a pedestrian accident as she walked to school on Monday morning in Yakima reports the Yakima Herald.com. The girl was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment and she remains in critical condition.

According to the report, the girl was crossing the street at an intersection with her sisters when she was hit by a pickup truck driven by a retired Washington State Patrol sergeant, David Gotazh. Apparently Gotzh did not see the red light because of the glare of the sun.

People who are in pedestrian accidents often sustain serious injuries including head, pelvis and leg injuries. Last year there were 4,378 people killed in pedestrian accidents in the United States.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Wenatchee World reports that Arnulfo Garcia Maldonado, age 47, died of injuries he received in a hit-and-run pedestrian accident early Sunday morning.

According to the report, Maldonado was crossing North Wenatchee Avenue around 1am Sunday when he was struck by a speeding pickup truck. He was taken to Central Washington Hospital where he died of his injuries around 3am.

Police have arrested a 34-year-old Waterville man and arrested him on suspicion of Vehicular Homicide. Charges of felony hit-and-run are pending. Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person was killed and the driver of a car was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving recklessly or driving without regard to the safety of others.

A witness told the police that after Maldonado was hit by the truck, he was thrown into the air and fell on the hood of the truck before landing on the roadway. The pickup truck accelerated and left the accident scene. The police later arrested the truck's owner outside of the Wenatchee Roaster & Ale house.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.