Seattle Injury Blog

January 17, 2008

Storm Drains Pose Danger to Cyclists

A cyclist who was injured in a Seattle bicycling accident near the Washington Park Arboretum claims he knows what caused the 2004 crash: his bike tire got stuck in a drainage grate with slots parallel to the roadway.

According to an estimate by Seattle Public Utilities officials, there are between 70,000 and 80,000 grates throughout the city. Some have vertical slots. Others, including all replacements, have designs that make it unlikely bike tires can get stuck.

But because SPU employees don’t know the locations of the grates with wide parallel slots, and they don’t have a precise timetable to repair them, some cyclists are demanding action.

“We’re trying to figure out the most economical way of combining a street drain inventory with our existing work plans for this summer,” said SPU spokesman Andy Ryan last week. “We want people to be safe.”

But, said Ryan, a replacement plan needs to keep ratepayers in mind.

A new grate costs about $500, and “that doesn’t include labor costs or additional costs if drain work is needed,” he said.
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January 8, 2008

Passing train hits Stanwood man

By Kirk Bernard

On Monday, a man who was crossing railroad tracks near downtown Stanwood was hit by a fast-moving train.

Just before 9:30a.m., an Amtrak train struck the man. He suffered life-threatening injuries in the Seattle Pedestrian Accident and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle by helicopter. No update of his condition was available.

According to witnesses, the man ducked under the railroad crossing arms as the train approached near the 8600 block of 271st Street NW. Stanwood Police Chief David Bales said that the man tried to run across the tracks and out of the way,

“We actually see this frequently when people are hit by trains,” Bales said. “They’re looking at them head-on and don’t realize how fast the train is going. They often underestimate the speed of the trains.”

Amtrak trains generally are travelling more than 50 mph when they come through town, Bales said. It was unknown how fast the train was moving Monday. Pedestrians and motorists should never walk or drive around lowered railroad crossing arms, Bales said Continue reading

January 8, 2008

Driver arrested in fatal wrong way car accident

By Kirk Bernard

A man from Federal Way was arrested early Sunday after driving the wrong way on SR 18 east of the Auburn Black Diamond Road, hitting another vehicle head-on, and killing the driver involved in the Washington Auto Accident.

According to Washington State Patrol troopers, the man was driving a Honda Accord eastbound in the westbound lanes at about 4:38 a.m. When he crossed the Green River Bridge, he hit a Honda Civic, which was traveling westbound.

The driver of the Civic, a 25 year old Federal Way woman, died at the scene.

January 4, 2008

Tulalip Teen Injured in Rollover Accident

By Kirk Bernard

Late Tuesday night, a Tulalip girl was seriously injured in a rollover automobile accident, police said.

According to Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover, the 15-year-old girl was a passenger in an SUV that rolled over and smashed into a pole at about 11:30 p.m. in the 11200 block of Quil Ceda Boulevard.

The girl was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with head and foot injuries, said Hover. According to Susan Gregg-Hanson, a Harborview spokeswoman, she was in satisfactory condition by Wednesday.

December 19, 2007

$100 Million Lawsuit in Metro Bus Crash Death

By Kirk Bernard

A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against Metro by the family of a man who was killed in a bus accident collision with a Metro bus.

Last April, the Metro bus, driven by Sandie Olosky, crossed over the center line and hit the truck driven by 21 year old Michael Dahlquist on Highway 164, near Enumclaw. His parents are seeking more than $100 million from Metro.

“Not a second goes by that we don’t miss our son,” said Jeff Dahlquist, father of the deceased.

December 17, 2007

Lawsuit Filed Against Driver Involved in Cyclist Death

By Kirk Bernard

An accident in September that resulted in the death of a bicyclist hit by a dump truck is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit. The family of the bicyclist is suing the truck driver and the Woodinville-based construction company that employed him.

The Washington motorcycle accident occurred on Eastlake Avenue East. The cyclist was riding north on Eastlake toward the University Bridge. A truck, owned by Nelson and Sons Construction, made a right turn onto Fuhrman Avenue East and hit the cyclist and another rider as they rode in the bicycle lane. The two men were pinned under the truck, and dragged 25 feet. Bystanders were able to free one man, who was injured, but the other man was killed almost instantly, according to www.SeattleTimes.com .

Though Nelson and Sons declined to comment on the case and the driver of the dump truck could not be reached, the plaintiff’s attorney stated, “He failed to yield to them when they had the right of way.”

December 14, 2007

Fatal Accident Causes Death – Company Fined

By Kirk Bernard

An employee of Avista Utilities died last May when he fell from an extended boom-truck lift. The accident occurred at Hiawatha Elementary School, in Othello, Washington. Avista confirmed last week that they intend to pay all fines associated with the Washington work injury accident.

The man died while helping conduct an annual science experiment at the school. Students design devices to protect an egg when dropped from different heights. The man died from head injuries and a school teacher was treated for broken vertebras after being thrown from the boom-truck lift when the base of the bucket arm broke away from the truck.

The Communications Manager of Avista said they plan to pay the $17,600 worth of fines, which include failure to ensure training, failure to ensure proper pre-start checks, and failure to ensure the employee wore proper equipment in case of a fall from the bucket. (According to the citation document)

December 13, 2007

Bus Beating Victims to Receive Payment by Metro

By Kirk Bernard

Two teenagers were attacked and beaten by a group of youths while riding a Metro bus in 2005, and last week a jury ruled that King County Metro was negligent when the bus driver took no action to stop the attack.

In a civil case brought against the transit company, the Superior Court jury voted to award both plaintiffs $125,000 each in damages. Attorneys for King County had argued throughout the trial that the driver didn’t see the assaults as they were happening.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs claimed that the driver was partly to blame. They said he should have called his dispatcher for back up when he saw a “rowdy” group of teenagers boarding the bus late at night, and that he also should have radiod for police help once the assault began. One plaintiff attorney said, “He’s got an emergency alarm, he’s got mirrors, he’s got a PA system. He’s got tools….three of the young passengers were left to fend for themselves.”

December 10, 2007

Train Strikes Car, Driver Killed

By Kirk Bernard

Saturday night, a car was hit by a train and the driver killed at a railroad crossing in the Vancouver, Washington area. The crossing was located on private property.

The train, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad freight train, was heading westbound. Just after 8:30pm, it struck a station wagon. The Washington Auto Accident happened in the 17200 block of the Old Evergreen Highway.

Vancouver police officers and fire fighters rushed to the scene, but reported that the driver was already dead when they arrived. The driver was still inside the vehicle. According to investigators, the car was knocked nearly a mile down the tracks due to the impact.

December 3, 2007

Motorcyclist Killed in Collision with Dump Truck

By Kirk Bernard

Early Tuesday morning, a Seattle man died in a motorcycle accident when the bike he was riding collided with a dump truck.

According to Sergeant Jeff Johnson, the motorcycle was heading north on East Lake Sammamish Parkway. It then struck the side of a dump truck. The dump truck was turning left from 229th Avenue Southeast.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 44 year old man whose name has not been released to the media, was killed instantly. The intersection was blocked off for several hours while witnesses were interviewed and relevant measurements were taken.