Car Accident Attorney Blog Bellingham

Avoid Flooded Roadways Because Of Increased Risk of Car Accidents

In Whatcom County, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on reports of flooding in certain areas from mid-fall through mid-spring. This is because when it rains a lot, rivers, creeks and ponds can overflow onto the roadways. Drivers should avoid any flooded roads if at all possible because driving through a flooded area impacts the operation of your vehicle and increases your risk of being in a car accident.

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How to Drive Safely on an Icy Hill

The USDOT Federal Highway Administration data shows an average of 536,731 icy road accidents every year. Out of these accidents, about 1,836 people die and 136,309 more are injured. NOAA records accident fatalities for a range of weather-related accidents such as flood, wind and cold but not for icy roads. If they did, they would find that the average icy road fatality count is 3.6 times the total deaths from all other weather hazards combined (507 combined deaths over a 10-year average compared to 1,836 for ice alone). See chart at icyroadsafety.com.

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NSC: New Year’s Day Holiday Period Traffic Fatality Estimate for 2021

The National Safety Council estimates that 384 people will die in traffic accidents on U.S. roads this New Year’s Day holiday period and an additional 43,800 will suffer an injury severe enough to require medical attention. While this year is not normal, many will still choose to gather with friends and family to celebrate the new year. As it is with most holiday celebrations, alcohol is almost always involved. More people traveling on the roads combined with more people consuming alcohol, leads to increased traffic accident deaths year after year.

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What You Should Know about Drugged Driving Accidents

To drive safely, drivers must be fully alert and focused. Thousands of unnecessary collisions happen every year because drivers get behind the wheel while they are impaired with drugs or alcohol. A drugged driving accident is when a crash occurs because the driver was impaired from the effects of recent drug use. After alcohol, marijuana is the most commonly found substance in drivers’ blood after they are involved in a crash. The bottom line is that drugged driving endangers the driver, their passengers, and other vehicles and pedestrians on the road.

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Bellingham Woman Involved in Fatal Highway Crash in Skagit County

As reported by kgmi.com, a Bellingham woman named Sonja Bratz was involved in a fatal highway crash in Skagit County on the evening of Friday, December 18. According to state troopers, Bratz was driving southbound on State Route 20 when she crossed over the center line and struck a vehicle driven by an Anacortes woman. Bratz died at the scene of the accident and the driver of the other vehicle was airlifted to Harborview. At this time, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were involved; the cause of the accident is still under investigation.

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December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

Since 1981, every president of the United States has proclaimed December as National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month or, more recently, National Impaired Driving Prevention Month to create awareness about the dangers of driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol. December is chosen for the simple reason that the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day have consistently higher rates of drug and alcohol related crashes. December, 2020 was declared National Impaired Driving Prevention Month by President Trump.

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How Does Speed Affect Car Accidents?

Speeding is a danger to everyone on the road from the driver themselves, to other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. The fact is that speeding increases the chance of getting into a car accident and increases the likelihood that the accident will be deadly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding was the leading cause of death for 9,738 people in 2018. According to crash stats from the NHTSA, speeding has been a factor in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle accident fatalities for more than two decades.

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Bellingham Police Vehicle Totaled in Crash Caused by Suspected Drunk Driver

As reported by skagitbreaking.com, a Bellingham Police Department (BPD) Crime Scene Investigators vehicle was totaled early on December 5, 2020 – around 2 o’clock in the morning at the intersection of Barkley and Orleans Street. The collision was caused by a suspected drunk driver: an 18-year old male who was driving a pick-up truck. The violent crash was immediately preceded by running a red light while driving over the speed limit. Upon impact, the BPD truck was sent spinning 180 degrees from the path it had been travelling. The at-fault driver’s truck was also totaled in the accident.

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Single-Vehicle I-5 Crash Reveals Empty Vodka Bottle inside Abandoned Vehicle

A single-car collision on I-5 near Blaine on Sunday, November 29 damaged about 50 yards of cable barrier after the vehicle struck the median. When State Patrol and Blaine Police arrived at the scene of the accident about 5:30 p.m., they found an abandoned vehicle and an empty bottle of peppermint vodka along with the suspect’s driver’s license through the broken driver’s side window. When police later contacted the suspect, he admitted to crashing his vehicle and walking away from the scene but claimed he had fallen asleep while driving. Questions about the bottle of vodka went unanswered.

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What is a 50/50 Car Accident Claim?

When a car insurance company investigates a car insurance claim against one of their members, they are hoping to find a way to assign at least 50 percent of the blame to the other driver. It is very common for at least some fault to be assigned to each driver. A 50/50 car insurance claim is when an insurance agency determines that liability – or fault – for the accident is shared equally between the drivers. Even a small mistake made by one of the drivers could cause a 50 percent fault determination; particularly if the accident could have been prevented had the mistake not been made. If it is a 50/50 at-fault accident, and both parties agree on their share of the fault, it is called a split liability agreement. In practical terms, this means that any treatment for injuries or property damage costs will be shared equally between the parties and that the claimant will only be able to collect 50 percent of the value of their claim.

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