Seattle Police Car Crash Caused by Texting Driver

By Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. on February 3, 2014

A driver, who officials say was texting, struck a car that forced a Seattle detective’s unmarked car into a ditch. According to a KIRO TV news report, the distracted driving accident occurred on Interstate 5 near the 200th Street exit in SeaTac. Officials say the driver was texting and let the vehicle drift into another lane where it struck a vehicle. That car then hit the police vehicle carrying a detective and a Seattle Police Department employee. The passenger in the detective’s car was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Distracted driving is a serious problem all across the nation. When you are making a call or sending a text, you are not focused on the roadway or on the act of driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted drivers injured 421,000 people in 2012. Sending or receiving a text can take your eyes from the roadway for about 4.6 seconds, which is the equivalent of the length of a football field if you are driving 55 mph. Motorists who are looking at their cell phones are often unable to react to changing roadway conditions or even notice that they are in danger until it is too late.

To combat this issue, the state of Washington has imposed distracted driver laws. There is a primary law in Washington that bans all handheld cell phone use for drivers, including a ban on texting for all drivers. Drivers who text while driving can face citations from the authorities and civil litigation from anyone they injure.

If a distracted driver has injured you or a loved one, it may be in your best interest to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights. Distracted driving is a form of negligence and negligent drivers can be held liable for the financial, physical, and emotional damages they cause. Please contact an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer for a free and comprehensive consultation.