17-Year-Old Bellingham Youth Killed in Fatal Hit and Run Pedestrian Accident on I-5

According to information provided by the Washington State Patrol (WSP), they were dispatched to a fatal hit-and-run collision involving a 17-year-old Bellingham resident at 12:28 a.m. the morning of March 19. The pedestrian accident happened in the southbound lanes of I-5 at the Guide-Meridian interchange in Bellingham.

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Honda Recalls 1.1 Million Vehicles After Air Bag Injury

In another blow to airbag manufacturer Takata, Honda chose to recall 1.1 million Acura and Honda vehicles in the United States after a Takata air bag inflator injured a driver. The Takata airbags, that are already linked to the biggest automotive recall in U.S. history, can explode and shoot pieces of sharp metal at the driver and passengers when the air bag inflator is deployed during a crash. Ironically, the air bag inflators are meant to be a safety feature.

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Who’s at Fault in a Hydroplaning Accident?

Driving in heavy rain is dangerous because it makes the roads slippery and reduces visibility. These factors dramatically increase the risk of car accidents, including rear-end and single-vehicle accidents caused by hydroplaning. The first 10 minutes of rain are the most dangerous time for rain-related car accidents because the oil from the roadway comes up and mixes with the water, making a very slippery surface.

What is hydroplaning?

Hydroplaning is when water stays between the tire and the road, disconnecting the tire from the road and making the car glide on top of the water. (Normally water flows through the tire’s tread and is then brushed aside). Drivers struggle to maintain control of their vehicles while hydroplaning because the drag from the water pulls one side of the vehicle making the tires on the other side slow down. This pulls the vehicle in the direction of the slower side and makes the car spin.

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2 pedestrians Injured at Ferndale 1st and Main Intersection

Adding fuel to the call for improved pedestrian safety at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Main Street, first responders were called to the scene of a car-versus-pedestrian accident about 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 4th. City of Ferndale officials were already looking at removing one of the crosswalks there and providing significant safety improvements to the other.

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Overturned Semi Closes I-5 South of Bellingham in Single Vehicle Truck Accident

Drivers heading south of Bellingham on the I-5 this morning were met with a much longer commute because an overturned semi-truck had both lanes blocked. The semi-truck hit the median in a single-vehicle crash about 2:30 a.m. on southbound I-5 at the North Lake Samish on-ramp (milepost 246). The driver was able to climb out on his own, and suffered only minor injuries. According to Washington State DOT officials, traffic was detoured off I-5 at the North Lake Samish interchange for about three miles along North Lake Samish Drive to East Lake Samish Drive and back onto I-5 southbound at Nulle Road.

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Whatcom County Residents Overconfident about Ability to Navigate Roundabouts

As local drivers are aware, many single-lane and double-lane roundabouts have been installed around Washington state in the last decade as a way to reduce car accident injuries and keep traffic moving more smoothly. Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than traditional stop signs or signal-controlled intersections, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.

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Personal Injury Claim for Bullying

Bullying is a serious problem that has always affected children. In recent years, researchers, school teachers and administrators, and families have begun to take the issue more seriously. Sincere attempts are being made to catch warning signs and step in when a child is at risk.

There are no easy answers to solving the problem of bullying but bullying prevention approaches that offer the best results involve coming at the problem from multiple sides.

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City Planners Consider Safety Improvements to Downtown Ferndale Intersection

In April of 2017, city officials permanently removed electronic traffic signals at 1st Avenue and Main Street after a test period with the lights deactivated. Since the lights came down, the city has received complaints from drivers, pedestrians and local businesses about it being more difficult for drivers to make left hand turns and for pedestrians to cross the intersection safely. In a presentation at the Ferndale City Council meeting on Tuesday, February 19, Public Works Director Kevin Renz discussed 2019 infrastructure projects including one to make improvements to the intersection.

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Multi-Vehicle Car Accident on Southbound I-5 at Portal Way

Just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19^th a multi-vehicle car accident on southbound I-5 north of the Portal Way off-ramp left both southbound lanes and one northbound lane blocked for an hour as emergency crews cleared crash scene debris. As of 2 p.m., one lane of southbound I-5 had been reopened and both were reopened by 4 p.m. The lane closures caused a traffic jam stretching for three miles at the peak of the delay. An unrelated crash in the northbound lanes may have added to the traffic jam.

According to Whatcom County Fire District 7 Fire Chief Larry Hoffman, emergency responders treated patients in six or seven vehicles. Four patients were transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s Medical Center; three under basic life support protocol (BLS) and one under advanced (ALS).

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Senior Drivers Over the Age of 85 Have Car Accident Fatality Rate 9 times Higher Than Younger Drivers

In 2009, there were more than 33 million licensed drivers over the age of 65 in the United States and that number is estimated to grow to 70 million by the year 2030. Americans are living longer lives than previous generations but that means many are outliving their ability to drive safely by seven to 10 years. Cognitive, visual and physical declines mean that many elderly people are not able to drive as safely as they once were.

Most elderly drivers recognize their limitations and choose to stop driving in the dark, in rush hour traffic or far away from home even if they resist giving up their license. If you have an elderly parent who is still driving but you don’t feel should be, the first step is to have a discussion and ask them to get an evaluation at the doctor.

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