Police Seek Witnesses in Two Accidents
Detectives from the Washington State Patrol are seeking witnesses in two recent serious injury accidents involving commercial vehicles.
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.
Pedestrian in NE fatally struck by pickup
A man walking on a sidewalk in Northeast Washington was struck and killed by a pickup truck Tuesday after the truck collided with a car and apparently went out of control, D.C. police said.
The crash occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. at Rhode Island Avenue and 12th Street NE, Lt. Robert Glover said. He said the Ford F-250 pickup was traveling west on Rhode Island Avenue when it entered the intersection and struck a Chevrolet Impala that was headed north on 12th Street.
The truck left the road and struck the pedestrian, who was on the sidewalk at the northwest corner of the intersection, before coming to a stop in the front yard of a residence, Glover said. Police withheld the identity of the victim pending notification of his next of kin.
Glover declined to speculate on whether snow contributed to the crash, saying the accident was under investigation and that no charges had been filed.
Wash. court reinstates $8M award against Hyundai
The state Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated an $8 million default judgment against Hyundai Motor Co. in a lawsuit over the backward collapse of a front seat in a 1997 crash that left a man paralyzed.
In a 7-2 ruling, the high court reversed the Court of Appeals, which had overturned a trial court’s finding for Jesse Magana of Vancouver.
The justices said the South Korean automaker deliberately withheld documentation from Magana’s lawyers for too long concerning other crashes in which front seats collapsed backward.
“Trial courts need not tolerate deliberate and willful discovery abuse,” wrote the majority, led by Justice Richard Sanders. “This result appropriately compensates the other party, punishes Hyundai, and hopefully educates and deters others so inclined.”
The court also ruled that Hyundai should pay Magana’s attorney’s fees and expenses.
Magana, 51, said he was relieved by the court’s decision and wished it hadn’t taken so many years to resolve the case.
“It’s been extremely frustrating, mainly because it would have been over with if they never lied in the first place,” he said.
“I can understand an accident. Things happen,” Magana said. But when it came out that Hyundai knew there was a problem with the seat back, “that’s what hurt, because it could have been prevented.”
One of Magana’s lawyers, Peter O’Neil, said Hyundai began strengthening the seat-reclining mechanism on its Accent model around 2000.
Hyundai officials did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages seeking comment Wednesday.
Washington Truck Accident Kills 4 Horses
Four horses died as the result of an 11:30 p.m. collision with a Washington semi truck and two trailers Wednesday. Two of the horses were killed instantly, and two others were euthanized due to catastrophic leg injury, veterinarian Chuck Reeves said this morning.
The collision occurred on U.S. Highway 12 near the Long Station elevator about four miles west of Dayton.
Driver of the 1999 Kenworth semi-tractor towing two trailers was Samuel P. Hiskey, 61, of New Plymouth, Idaho. Hiskey, who was using safety restraints, was not injured, according to a report from Washington State Patrol.
The truck sustained about $15,000 in damages, and was transported from the scene by American Towing of Pasco, according to the state patrol report.
The dead animals were transported to a burial site by a state Department of Transportation truck, Reeves said.
Reeves said the last time he recalls an accident involving a horse and vehicle was over 30 years ago, when a car and a horse collided near the county road shops in Dayton. A passenger in the vehicle died as a result of that accident, he said. The horse survived the collision, but later died of kidney failure.
Reeves declined to name the owner of the horses, and Washington State Patrol reports did not give the owner’s name.
Washington Truck Accident Lawyers
Seattle area Washington State attorney, Robert Kornfeld, represents injured motorist and truck drivers who are involved in motor vehicle accidents with trucks. This may include pedestrians, automobiles, single truck accidents or multiple truck vehicle accidents, such as tractor-trailer and semi’s and the proverbial “eighteen (18) wheelers. Mr. Kornfeld handles truck accident cases including on the job injuries with trucks, trailers, fork lifts, and motor vehicle injuries with trucks. Contact our Washington Truck Accident Lawyers Today.
10-year-old Woodland boy hit by truck while skateboarding
A 10-year-old Woodland boy was in serious condition at a Portland hospital after being struck by a pickup truck while skateboarding near his home Wednesday evening.
Woodland Chief Rob Stephenson said Leonardo Soule suffered head injuries in the accident.
He was first transported by Life Flight helicopter to Southwest Washington Medical Center and later transferred to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Stephenson said.
A Woodland police bulletin said the accident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday on the 2000 block of Lewis River Road when the boy suddenly crossed in front of a pickup driven by Lionel M. Livermore of Woodland near the intersection of Valley Way.
Livermore could not stop in time and hit the boy, knocking him off the road.
The boy was talking on a cell phone to his mother when the accident occurred, Stephenson said.
Stephenson said speeding also does not seem to be a factor.
Find a Washington Truck Accident Lawyer.