By admin on November 8, 2011 -
Seattle has a reputation for being a pedestrian friendly city. But recent data shows a disturbing trend in the number of car on pedestrian accidents. According to reporting by the Seattle Post Intelligencer regarding a 2010 traffic report for the city, the amount of pedestrian road crashes hit a four year peak last year. Oddly, the same report showed that tickets issued to dangerous or negligent vehicle drivers fell drastically during that period, and jaywalking citations rose as well.
The report showed that the majority of accidents involved some sort of driver mistake (in numerous cases it was a neglect to yield). The data indicated that a vehicle struck a pedestrian on approximately 530 occasions last year; cyclists were hit by vehicles on over 360 instances. This marks the largest amount, and per capita level, since 2006. A former city transportation official noted an additionally terrible trend in the data: slower moving elderly pedestrians were the demographic most affected. Out of the 25 fatal pedestrian traffic accidents in that period, over half of the pedestrians hit were 60 years old or older.
Exhibiting a problem in the city’s enforcement focus, the data also strangely showed that the amount of citations issued to vehicle drivers involved in pedestrian accidents fell to half the amount of the year prior (from approximately 400 to below 200), while tickets for jay walking rose by 23 percent. Have you or a loved one been injured as a pedestrian in Seattle as a result of a vehicle driver’s negligence? Contact the Seattle pedestrian accident injury attorneys with Hardwick & Pendergast P.S. at 1(888) 228-3860. Call for a complimentary consultation today.
By admin on August 22, 2011 -
A hiker was injured in a hit-and-run accident recently on the Malaga-Alcoa Highway in Chelan County, but police were quickly able to find the driver who fled the scene, thanks to the help of a few eyewitnesses, according to a recent news report from NCWTV.
The driver is suspected of driving a stolen vehicle at the time of the Washington hit-and-run accident, which occurred around 2 p.m. on a weekday afternoon. After striking the pedestrian in front of a building on the Malaga-Alcoa Highway, the driver abandoned the car at the scene and continued heading down the roadway on foot, eventually ducking into the trees near the road. Two eyewitnesses at the scene rushed to help the injured pedestrian and contacted police.
Working together, police units from Chelan County, Douglas County, and the Washington State Patrol began combing the area, searching for the driver based on a description from the eyewitnesses. They eventually found the driver sitting under a tree some distance from the road. He was taken into custody by police and examined briefly for injuries, but he had not been injured in the pedestrian accident.
When a car and pedestrian collide, it’s almost always the pedestrian who suffers the worst injuries. At Hardwick & Pendergast, we’re committed to providing experienced representation for those who have been injured due to another person’s negligence in accidents. We fight to hold negligent parties accountable for their actions so our clients can focus on recovering from their injuries. To learn more about how our Washington pedestrian accident lawyers can help you, call Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. today at 888-228-3860 for a free and confidential consultation.
