Accidents on Washington roads are not uncommon, and many of the same causes of standard motor vehicle accidents apply to accidents between smaller vehicles and large commercial trucks. For example, erratic driving and unsafe operating practices committed by either truck drivers or car drivers can cause collisions and create significant dangers for those who are involved.
Spinal cord injuries are a serious complication from accidents
Every car accident has the potential to inflict serious and grievous injuries upon its victims. While some may escape their ordeals with only minor harm, others may be affected by car accident injuries for the rest of their lives. One of the most serious injuries that a Washington resident may suffer in a vehicle collision is a spinal cord injury.
A spinal cord injury affects the bundle of nerves that runs down a person's body. The spinal cord is protected by the spinal column, but when one of the bones of the spinal column breaks it can cause damage to the cord's nerves and other parts of the body. That is because the spinal cord is responsible for carrying information from the brain to other parts of a person's body.
Who is responsible when a pedestrian is hit on a highway?
Depending upon the type of road that a Washington resident must travel on, their speed may be relatively low or quite fast. Local roads through neighborhoods and congested commercial areas often have low speed limits because there are more vehicles, pedestrians and obstacles for drivers to look out for. On interstates and highways, though, speed limits are much higher as many such hazards are presumed to be removed from the paths of drivers.
However, from time to time a tragedy occurs on Washington highways where pedestrians are struck and sometimes killed by drivers. To answer the question posed in this post's title, liability for a highway-based pedestrian accident will depend upon which party - the driver or the pedestrian - was at fault for the crash.
Despite improvements in safety, car accidents are still dangerous
Vehicles have changed a lot over the last few decades. Since their introduction to the consumer world, cars have become safer and more secure for those who choose to drive them and ride in them. Features like anti-lock brakes, seatbelts and airbags are just a few of the standard features that Washington residents may find in their new automobiles.
While these and other features have saved lives and made cars generally safer than they were in the past, an alarming number of individuals are still hurt and killed in collisions each and every year. For example, in 2016 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted that 37,461 people died in vehicle collisions that year.
Two children hurt in Seattle auto-pedestrian collision
Accidents between pedestrians and cars can have tragic results. It is an unfortunate reality that in the congested metropolitan cities of Washington that these incidents occur with upsetting frequency. Not long ago, two young girls were struck by a vehicle in the Dunlap area of Seattle.
The girls, who are believed to be the ages of nine and 12, were crossing Rainier Avenue South. They were apparently hit by a vehicle in the vicinity of South Henderson Street. The driver of the vehicle stopped and spoke with authorities and it is unknown if charges will be filed against that individual.
Is maintenance required of commercial trucks?
It is important for vehicle owners to perform regular and necessary maintenance on their cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles in order to ensure that those automobiles remain in safe and working condition. A vehicle that is poorly maintained can put its driver, passengers and others in danger if it fails to respond as it should. Just as private drivers are required to perform upkeep on their personal vehicles, so too must truck and commercial vehicle owners make repairs to the large automobiles that they send out onto the roads.
Under guidance provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration certain commercial vehicles that carry passengers are required to regularly inspect and make repairs to their rigs. Certain vehicle components such as emergency doors must be inspected at least every 90 days.
Defending your rights after a distracted driving accident
It takes only a moment for a car accident to occur. In the time it takes for a driver to check their text messages, change their radio station or turn around to talk to their passengers a life-altering collision could happen with another vehicle on the road. When distracted driving accidents happen, Washington residents deserve strong representation for the recovery of their losses.
David A. Williams is committed to serving the needs of vehicle accident victims in the Bellevue area. Distractions have become a major problem for all drivers who must share the roads with others, and attorney Williams and his firm are prepared to fight for the rights of men, women and children who have suffered injuries and harm due to the careless actions of others.
Who can you sue after a commercial vehicle accident?
Seeking legal assistance after a commercial vehicle accident can be an important step in the financial recovery of a victim. In Washington, individuals who suffer harm at the hands of commercial drivers may have rights to pursue their losses through civil claims based on negligence and other causes of action. However, their opportunities to seek recovery may not be limited to just the drivers who were involved in their collisions; other parties may hold responsibility for their losses and suffering.
For example, the victim of a commercial vehicle accident may be able to include in their lawsuit the owner of the company that put the driver and their rig on the road. If a retailer employed the driver and provided them with the truck that was involved in the accident, then by virtue of the existing relationship the liability of the driver may extend to the owner as well.
Washington laws regarding pedestrian safety
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, more than 5,000 people die in the United States each year from collisions with motor vehicles. This alarming statistic affects Washington residents as pedestrians become victims of crashes when drivers fail to follow the rules of the road and some of the laws that drivers must comply with.
It is the duty of drivers in Washington to avoid colliding with pedestrians and to take preventative steps, such as using their horns, to alert pedestrians to their presence. Additionally, drivers must yield to pedestrians who are in intersections at crosswalks. Such crosswalks may be marked or unmarked, and drivers must permit pedestrians to get from one side of the road to the other without disrupting their movements.
Multi-vehicle accident injures several victims in Seattle
Traffic in Washington's metropolitan areas can be terrible. A single accident or area of road construction can cripple the daily commute of drivers who simply want to get to or home from work. Recently, a five-vehicle accident caused major problems for drivers in the area of Seattle's Aurora Bridge.
At around 5:30 in the evening during the nightly commute a major accident happened on the bridge. As a result, all lanes of the bridge were closed and three people suffered injuries. All of the victims were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive their ordeal.
