Sen. Maria Cantwell announced Tuesday she has secured a commitment from Toyota executives to turn over ‘black box’ data that could provide answers to the cause of Chris Eves’ crash, which was originally attributed to driver error.

Toyota has resisted family requests for the data, but with recent revelations about problems with some Toyota vehicles experiencing unintended acceleration, the company has now agreed to release the information.

Eves, 29, was driving a three-month-old Tundra on Oct. 26, 2007 when the vehicle veered and crashed head-on into a tree on a rural road north of Bellingham.

The truck never swerved. There are no skid marks and no clear evidence as to why he hit the tree. There’s only a final ominous note in the police file: “It remains unknown why the collision occurred.”

As the Eves kept pushing for answers, the Washington State Patrol said fatigue and Chris’ blood alcohol level, which was at the legal limit of .08, were contributing factors to him falling asleep at the wheel.

But as part of our Problem Solver Investigation, KOMO News obtained crash photos showing extensive front-end damage. And nearly every accident report we examined indicates this crash was at a very high rate of speed.

And that left Chris Eves’ parents wondering: How does any of that data add up to falling asleep at the wheel?

“I don’t think Chris would have hit that stump so hard if he had been asleep,” Lori Eves said during our original investigation. “I think his foot would have went off the pedal.”

Two years later, the data kept in the vehicle’s event data recorder (EDR) is the only way to know how fast Chris Eves was going. According to Toyota’s Web site, the EDR could have recorded speed, pressure on the gas pedal and if he’d tried to brake.

“I know that the speed of my son’s vehicle is on there,” said Chris Eves’ father, Ron Eves said in February.

But car owners need a Toyota tool and software to download the information from the EDR. And for more than two years, Toyota, citing corporate policy, had refused to help.

Subsequently, the Eves learned that their son’s 2007 Toyota Tundra was among the millions of vehicles on Toyota’s October 2009 and January 2010 recall lists for problems with the driver-side floor mat and accelerator pedal, either of which could cause unwanted acceleration.

And on Tuesday, under pressure from the U.S. government and a specific request by Sen. Cantwell for Eves’ data, Toyota relented.

“We will be glad to do so,” said Yoshimi Inaba, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. “This is our desire also to find out what has happened. And very, very sorry about what has happened to this family.”

In addition to Eves’ case, Inaba said the automaker will start making available to U.S. safety regulators all EDRs on Toyotas involved in sudden acceleration episodes.

The company will be delivering three data readers to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday and hoped to make the data more accessible to other systems by the middle of 2011.

Rob Kornfeld is a Renton, Washington State personal injury attorney.

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At 4:40 a.m. Friday, a trooper stopped a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe displaying Washington license plates for speeding on Interstate 5 near Milepost 13, just south of Ashland.

During the stop, troopers and a drug-sniffing dog searched the car and found 6 kilograms of cocaine (approximately 13.2 pounds) wrapped in 1-kilo bundles hidden in the car.

The estimated wholesale value of the cocaine is about $150,000, but it would be much higher after the drug was cut with other substances and repackaged on the street, OSP Lt. Kelly Collins said.

“This cocaine could sell for close to half a million dollars after it reaches the street dealers,” Collins said.

Arrested were A male, 24, of Renton, Wash., and A Male, 28, of Seattle, on charges of delivery of cocaine and possession of cocaine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have placed a federal hold on the suspects on the suspicion they are in the country illegally. They were lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail.

“This was a large drug bust for us,” Collins said. “We’d like to have more of these.”

Collins said that OSP’s recent staff increases have bolstered the agency’s ranks enough to allow troopers to focus on drug interdiction rather than just responding from one traffic accident to another.

“It’s nice to have the back-up you need to make these large drug stops,” Collins said. “Before, we rarely had time to really look for drugs on the interstate.”

Collins, a 25-year veteran with OSP, said the agency has seized more hard drugs such as cocaine over the past two years simply because there are now more troopers on the road.

“I don’t think there’s necessarily more drugs on the interstate, it’s just that we now have the manpower to do something about it,” Collins said. “There’s always been a lot of drugs coming up and down Interstate 5.”

These are the types of people who keep causing these Renton personal injuries! If you would like like to file a claim in pursuit of financial compensation for your pain, suffering and medical bills call Renton Personal Injury Lawyer Kornfeld at 425-893-8712   to schedule a free consultation at a place of your convenience.

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A. Whenever someone dies as the result of negligence, a defective product or a deliberate act, a wrongful death has occurred.

Q. What is the difference between a wrongful death and a murder?

A. Wrongful death is a civil claim in which a person, loved one or family member seeks to recover a judgment as compensation for the passing of a loved one. Murder is a criminal judgment which seeks to compensate loved ones by punishing the perpetrator through time in prison. In some cases, while proof beyond a reasonable doubt cannot be proven, civil liability can still be secured.

If a family member of yours has died financial compensation is problably the last thing on your mind. However, your deceased loved one may have wanted you to pursue a settlement and time is sensitive for these types of claims. To learn more visit our Renton Wrongful Death Lawyers.

The first crash occurred just before 10 p.m. on Feb. 4 on northbound I-5 at the 88th Street NE. overpass. The crash involved two tractor-trailer trucks and two passenger cars. One truck was slowing down for slower traffic ahead when the second truck struck it from the back. One of the truck drivers was seriously hurt and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The other wreck happened Monday afternoon on eastbound Highway 522 east of Highway 9. A dump truck crashed into the back of a passenger car, injuring three people, including two children. All three were rushed to Harborview, one of the victims with critical injuries. The car may have been stopped in the slow lane when it was struck by the truck, trooper Keith Leary said.

He said seeking additional witnesses is standard procedure when the patrol’s Major Accident Investigation Team is involved.

If you saw either of the collisions or know someone who did, please call detective Sgt. Jerry Cooper at 360-805-1192 or detective Curt Ladines at 360-805-1160.

Email Renton Truck accident lawyer Rob Kornfeld at Rob@Kornfeldlaw.com or call 1 (800) 282-4878 for scheduling a free consultation or case evaluation over the telephone, by e-mail or in person at a convenient location for you, either at our main office, a satellite meeting location, or at your home or in the hospital.

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Alicia Rae Haupert appeared in court this morning and bail was set at $40,000, according to the Washington County Attorney’s office. She is being held at the Washington County Jail.

Killed in the crash was Andrea Barbara Zimmerman, 20, who was a passenger in a car driven by Haupert.

Police say Haupert was driving a 2006 Pontiac G6 south on Minnesota 95 in May Township about 8:30 a.m. Friday when she lost control of the car and slid sideways off the road. The car rolled over and struck an electric pole near 144th Street.

The other passenger in the vehicle was the owner of the car — Trisha L. Hughes, 20, of Lake Elmo. Hughes, who was sitting in the front seat, and Haupert had minor injuries.

All three had been drinking and were not wearing seat belts, according to the State Patrol.

Haupert told police she was going 55 mph when she hit some black ice, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court. When she tried to correct the car’s movement, the car “fish-tailed” and spun out of control, the complaint states. There were no other vehicles in the area.

Haupert told police she had been drinking vodka mixed with Full Throttle — an energy drink — the night before the accident. She said she stopped drinking about midnight and “went to another house and fell asleep around 4 a.m.,” according to the complaint. Haupert said she and her friends left about 8 a.m. so she could go to work.

According to the criminal complaint, Hughes said she had seven or eight shots of vodka the previous evening and that Haupert “drank more than she did.”

Haupert told police she “did not remember how much she had to drink the night before … and did not feel that what she had to drink affected her ability to drive.” A preliminary breath test at the scene of the accident indicated that she had an alcohol concentration of 0.108; the legal limit is 0.08.

The funeral service for Zimmerman, who was a 2008 graduate of Stillwater Area High School, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Stillwater. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 tonight at Simonet Funeral Home, 6429 Osgood Ave. N., and one hour before the service at the church.

Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson said his office is also reviewing police reports indicating who furnished the liquor to the women, who were all underage. He said criminal charges against the individual who furnished the liquor may be forthcoming.

Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443.

Rob Kornfeld represents clients who have suffered major personal injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions which can result in wrongful death. There are many types of accidents which can cause serious personal injuries that can last a……..more on Washington Car Accident Lawsuits

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Alli is an FDA-approved over-the-counter weight loss drug that contains orlistat as its active ingredient.  The counterfeit version of Alli does not contain orlistat; rather, it is made with varying amounts of sibutramine, a stimulant drug.

Although sibutramine is the active ingredient in another FDA-approved prescription weight loss drug, it is only to be used in specific doses and under the supervision of a physician. The counterfeit product is illegal and unsafe.

Additional FDA laboratory tests on the counterfeit product show that people may be taking 3-times the usual daily dose (or twice the recommended maximum dose) of sibutramine if they are following the dosing directions for Alli. Healthy people who take this much sibutramine can experience anxiety, nausea, heart palpitations, tachycardia (a racing heart), insomnia, and small increases in blood pressure. This excessive amount of sibutramine is dangerous to people who have a history of cardiovascular disease, and can lead to elevated blood pressure, stroke, or heart attack.

FDA recommends everybody check and make sure they are not taking counterfeit Alli. If they suspect they are taking the counterfeit product, they should stop taking the drug. People should contact their healthcare professionals if they have taken the counterfeit product and are experiencing more than mild side effects, especially if they have a history of cardiovascular disease.

Although the counterfeit product looks very similar to Alli, this product can be identified by:

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If you have been victimized by a defective product contact the Renton personal injury lawyers at Kornfeld Law today.

The accident was reported at 11:20 a.m. Friday. Matthew Weisenburger, 45, of Maple Valley, lost control of the 2006 Ford Escape he was driving eastbound on Highway 2, about 25 miles west of Leavenworth, according to a Washington State Patrol memo. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck a 1999 GMC Suburban driven by Randy Kim Roberts, 55, of Leavenworth.

Weisenburger was transported to Cascade Medical Center with arm and leg injuries. Megan Weisenburger, 18, a passenger in his vehicle, was taken to Cascade Medical Center with possible broken ribs, according to the State Patrol report. Roberts was transported to Cascade Medical Center with a foot injury. No information was available from Cascade Medical Center.

Weisenburger was cited for driving too fast for road conditions, which were icy, the report said.

— Rick Steigmeyer, World staff

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The Oregon State Police identified the Vancouver residents as Terry Bradbury, 43; Charles Bradbury, 14; Ashlee Bradbury, 15; and Dawn Nicole Misener, 17. All were taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, where Ashlee Bradbury was reported in critical condition Saturday afternoon. Terry Bradbury was reported in serious condition and Charles Bradbury was in stable condition. There was no report available for Misener.

Police said all four were expected to survive the accident.

The accident occurred at 5:35 p.m. Friday on Highway 26 near Boring, Ore. A 2008 Toyota Prius driven by Anthony Petereit, 53, of Boring, was eastbound in the westbound lanes when it struck the Chevrolet S10 pickup that Terry Bradbury was driving.

According to a police news release, Petereit had some health problems, including diabetes, and may have blacked out at the wheel, allowing the Toyota to cross a grassy median and roll into the oncoming lanes.

Petereit, who had been on his way home from work, was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Barbara and Bradley Peterson filed suit against Dr. Lawrence Davis, now living in Colorado, on Dec. 7.

They alleged in their complaint that in December 2007 Barbara was seen at Davis’ office for treatment of a multinodular goiter. Davis recommended a total thyroidectomy be performed, the document said.

Davis explained to Barbara that he would use a recurrent laryngeal nerves monitoring device during the procedure to identify and avoid damage to the sensitive nerves in her throat, the suit claimed.

Immediately following the procedure, however, Barbara Peterson began experiencing hoarseness and shortness of breath. The suit stated that Davis saw Peterson at least six times following the procedure, and each time she exhibited those symptoms.

The lawsuit alleged Davis told Peterson the problems would abate and that he vocal cords were not damaged during the procedure.

In March 2008 Kearney ear, nose, and throat specialist Dr. Thomas Connely evaluated Barbara Peterson, the suit said. He diagnosed her with bilateral vocal cord paresis, meaning her vocal cords were not functioning. Connely also told Peterson that despite Davis’ claims to the contrary, the North Platte doctor had not uses a monitoring device during the thyroidectomy, the suit stated.

In July 2008 Omaha ear nose and throat physician Dr. Frederic Ogren confirmed Connely’s diagnosis, and the lawsuit said in August 2008 Barbara Peterson had to be checked into the emergency room at Great Plains Regional Medical Center due to respiratory distress.

In January 2009, Ogren performed a tracheostomy and laser cordotomy on Barbara Peterson. The suit said a few days later she experienced severe breathing difficulties and was again taken to GPRMC.

The lawsuit said Ogren removed Peterson’s tracheostomy tube in May 2009.

The Petersons claim Davis was negligent in not employing a monitoring device and that the procedure was unnecessary in the first place. Barbara suffered permanent vocal cord damage, scarring on her neck from the tracheostomy (necessitated by the botched thyroidectomy), and permanent shortness of breath, according to the complaint.

They are seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering. The suit claimed medical expenses had already exceeded $67,000.

Davis was also named in a lawsuit filed in July by the estate of Doug Watson. That lawsuit alleged that Davis inserted a tube into Watson’s artery, instead of his jugular vein, leading to a crippling stroke. No new motions have been filed in that case since August.

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