Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

A Seattle father and son, who both sustained major injuries in a DUI car accident, received tremendous support from their community. According to a Fox News report, the driver who struck the father and son was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. The convicted motorist was under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he hit the father and son as they stood on the driveway of their home, causing debilitating injury to both. The son lost his leg in the crash and the father suffered devastating neck and ankle injuries. The family owns a Chinese restaurant in West Seattle, which had to be shut down because of their injuries and inability to work. So far, the family is unsure if and when the restaurant can be reopened.

As we all know, drunk driving is against the law and is a serious crime. What we very often do not hear about is how these accidents affect the families of injured individuals. In this particular case, not only did the father and son suffer catastrophic injuries, but it seems like they have lost the business they worked hard to establish and they’ve lost their livelihood. One man’s decision to get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol and drugs greatly impacted this family’s life. The driver can apologize all he wants. But the young man will never get his leg back. And the family may never get its business back.

When a drunk driver causes an injury accident, he or she can be held not only criminally responsible, but also financially responsible for medical expenses and other costs incurred by the victims or their families. In such cases, injured victims can seek compensation with the help of skilled Seattle car accident lawyers to help cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, as well as costs for any physical therapy or rehabilitation that is needed for treatment of accident-related injuries.
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A 58-year old Seattle man was killed in a pedestrian accident after he was struck by a pickup truck while attempting to the cross Benson Highway in an unincorporated area of Kent. According to a news report, the man was not in a crosswalk when he tried to cross the five-lane highway. Washington State Patrol officials said the driver of the 2000 Toyota pickup truck could not stop in time to avoid colliding with the man.

This is apparently the second pedestrian-car collision in the last seven weeks along the Benson Highway. A 22-year-old woman was killed in October when she tried to cross the highway to catch a bus. That pedestrian was not in a crosswalk either. Officials say it is not illegal to cross the highway, but pedestrians must yield right-of-way to vehicles when they are not in a crosswalk. Officials say that pedestrians should use a crosswalk when crossing any street, especially at night time when visibility is greatly reduced.
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A 22-year-old woman sustained critical injuries in a Washington pedestrian accident after a car hit her and left the scene. According to an article in the News Tribune, the young woman from Kent, Washington, was walking along the 2400 block of Benson Road when she was struck. Washington State Patrol troopers apparently found the woman in the northbound lanes of the roadway, 150 to 200 feet from where she was hit. The woman was transported to a Seattle hospital for treatment of critical injuries.

Pedestrian accidents can cause extremely critical injuries including traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, broken bones, coma or even death. In the United States, about 1,000 innocent pedestrians are injured every day by negligent drivers. According to the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), there were a total of 5,648 pedestrian accidents in the state in 2007. In those incidents, there were 208 fatalities and 867 serious injuries.
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