Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

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A 20-year-old Grandview, Washington, woman was killed after a drunk driver going the wrong way struck her vehicle head-on on the Interstate 82, the Tri-City Herald reports. The 49-year-old man was charged with vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say the man had been drinking beer before he got behind the wheel of his truck and drove the wrong way on the Interstate 82 slamming into a 2007 Chrysler 300 driven by the young victim. The wrong-way driver apparently had bloodshot and watery eyes and emitted a strong odor of alcohol. His speech was slurred and he admitted to drinking beer, Washington State Patrol officials said.

In Washington State, it is illegal to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is also against the law to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. If a DUI accident results in the death of an individual other than the drunk driver, the person will face vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide. Conviction on these charges could mean a lengthy prison time.
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A Washington car accident killed a 25-year-old man and injured five of his passengers including a toddler, The Kitsap Sun reports. Washington State Patrol officials said that the 1993 Dodge four-door was heading south on Highway 3 when it collided with a 2002 Toyota pickup truck heading north. According to officials, it was the driver of the Dodge who failed to yield right-of-way to the other vehicle. The driver of the Dodge was pronounced dead at the scene. Five passengers were taken to a Seattle hospital in serious condition. The driver of the Toyota pickup truck was apparently not injured.

A number of car accidents in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington occur as a result of drivers failing to yield the right-of-way at intersections. That’s exactly what happened in this car accident. The driver, whom officials say failed to yield the right-of-way, was killed, and all of his passengers were seriously injured. I hope that these injured victims recover from their injuries.
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A 43-year-old Seattle man has been killed in a rollover car accident involving several vehicles on the Interstate 5 just north of Highway 518, the News Tribune reports. The victim was apparently driving a 1996 black Toyota Land Cruiser heading south on the 5 Freeway when there was a crash between a white Ford Crown Victoria operated by a taxicab company and a Toyota Land Cruiser. After the impact, the Toyota rolled over and landed on its roof where it was struck by a 2000 Toyota Camry. The driver of the taxi and the Camry were not injured, but the driver of the Land Cruiser, who authorities say, was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead. The incident is still under investigation.

In cases that involve multiple vehicles and victims, it’s always a good idea to get legal representation, especially if you’ve suffered serious personal injury and damages. That’s because in these accidents, the investigation is bound to be complicated and will invariably involve insurance adjusters and attorneys for several other parties. There will be conflicting reports and accounts from those involved in the accident as well as eyewitnesses.
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of potentially dangerous cribs, the largest crib recall in the history of the United States. The CPSC is advising consumers to stop using The Stork Craft drop-down-side crib because it poses a serious strangulation risk to infants. Approximately 2.1 million of the cribs have been sold and are in use.

The move follows the news that 4 infants have died of suffocation after becoming entrapped in the crib’s drop down sides. There have also been at least 110 incidents in the United States and Canada when the drop-down sides of the cribs became detached, which resulted in dozens of babies either becoming entrapped between the side and the crib frame, or falling out of the crib altogether.

Drop down side cribs have a track record for injuring infants. Nearly 5 million cribs have been recalled over the past two years and the CPSC has discussed banning dropdown sides all together. Adding to the danger in this particular case is the fact that parts used to create the cribs are easily broken, missing, or misassembled. For instance, the crib’s drop-side could come off its tracks and create a “hazardous gap which can lead to infant entrapment and suffocation.”

Stork Craft has released a toll-free number for consumers to call, or to order a free repair kit: (877) 274-0277.
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The death of a loved one can have a devastating impact on surviving family members. During this time of grief, it’s difficult to think of anything else except the loss of that special person.

But after the grieving ends, what is there to do about the ones who caused the death? Did the construction site employers, contractors and/or subcontractors fail to provide a safe environment for the loved one? Did that failure cause the accident that led to the death of the loved one?

Wrongful death can arise as a result of construction site accidents in Seattle. Wrongful death occurs when a person’s reckless or negligent actions result in the death of another. Wrongful death attorney Kirk Bernard knows that in order to win a wrongful death lawsuit, the following must be proven: defendant had a duty to the decedent; defendant breached that duty; death was caused by defendant’s breach of that duty; and the survivors have suffered damages as a result of the loss and death of the decedent.

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The connection between nine deaths and extremely flammable women’s robes has instigated a recall by Blair LLC. According to a kfoxtv.com report, a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announcement stated that four additional reports of death linked to the full-length women’s chenille robes have been reported to Blair LLC of Warren, PA since June. Because of this, the company has expanded its recall to incorporate additional products imported from the Pakistani manufacturer. The recall now includes more chenille robes and three other chenille products, all made by A-One Textile & Towel, of Karachi, Pakistan.

What has been quite unnerving to consumers is that these dangerous robes were initially recalled in April by Blair after it discovered that three robes caught fire, including one incident in which a consumer suffered second-degree burns. Considering that the robes fail to meet federal flammability standards, they present great risk of serious burns to anyone who wears the garments while exposed to an open flame, such as a stove in the kitchen. Most of the reported deaths linked to the full-length robes took place when the victims were wearing the robes while cooking. A CPSC spokesman said that the victims were mainly in their 70s and 80s.
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According to State Patrol, a collision late Friday night left a man dead on Highway 3 about three miles north of Poulsbo in Kitsap County. The man was 25-years-old, and from Marysville. He reportedly died at the scene.

The driver apparently failed to field to yield the right of way while pulling out of the Hilltop Store onto Southbound Highway 3. His car was struck by a pickup truck headed Northbound. The truck was driven by a 46-year-old Bainbridge Island man who was not hurt in the accident.

Five passengers car were hurt, including a one-year-old boy.

Two of the passengers, including a 29-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, were transported to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton. The woman suffered from broken ribs and pelvis.

Additionally, two women, ages 20 and 21, were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries. The young child was also airlifted to Harborview with a head injury. All of the passengers were from Marysville.

Both the car and the pickup were totaled in the accident. Drugs and alcohol are suspected in the crash according to the State Patrol.
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According to a heraldnet.com article, a worker has died after falling four stories from a building in Lynnwood where he was installing carpet. Apparently, the accident took place around 10 a.m. on November 12, 2009 as the carpet installer fell out of a Holiday Inn Express window and landed on his head. Sadly, the man later died from his injuries after being transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

This fall accident is still being investigated to determine the exact cause of the incident and whether or not any safety regulations were violated. Similar fall accidents have been known to occur due to lack of fall protection, slippery surfaces, negligent actions of fellow employees, or other safety rules being forgotten or broken by employers.

If it is determined that the man’s employer, or a third party, is responsible for some form of negligence that contributed to the accident and the man’s subsequent death, then the deceased man’s family may seek compensation for loss of companionship, loss of past and future wages, funeral expenses, and medical bills.
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A 22-year-old former Richland High School swimmer was hit by a car while crossing a Seattle street Wednesday night. It was reported that she sustained a serious head injury in the accident. She was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. The driver of the car was a 20-year-old man.

The 22-year-old was a swim champion, and was the first swimmer to make it onto the high school’s Wall of Fame, said her prior swim coach.

“She was an amazing athlete,” the coach said. “She was an extremely outgoing girl who loved life, every minute of it.”

Our hearts certainly go out to this woman’s family and friends during this difficult time.
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Two women, both in their 20s, died early Sunday morning when the car they were in veered off the roadway in Bremerton. The car then plunged down a ravine and slammed into an embankment.

The driver of the car, a 24-year-old man, survived the crash. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

At approximately 12:50a.m. Sunday morning, medics and Kitsap County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene, at National Avenue South and McCall Boulevard West in the Navy Yard City area of Bremerton. According to investigators, the car was heading south on National Avenue when it left the roadway near McCall Boulevard.

The vehicle then launched off the roadway and plunged down into a ravine. There, it crashed into a dirt embankment, said a statement released by the Kitsap County Sheriff.

The two passengers were declared dead at the scene. According to Komonews.com, Sheriff’s deputies are still trying to determine the vehicle’s speed at the time of the accident. It is not yet known if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.
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