Multi-Vehicle Crash in Ferndale, WA Sends Motorcyclist to Hospital
As reported by Whatcom-News.com, a multi-vehicle crash on northbound I-5 at the Nooksack River bridge in Ferndale on Saturday, October 30, 2021, closed the right lane while first responders prepared a motorcyclist for transportation to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. The motorcyclist suffered serious injuries to the back and wrist after being ejected from their motorcycle in the crash.
Multi-Vehicle Crash in Ferndale, WA Sends Motorcyclist to Hospital
Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers’ initial investigation of the multi-vehicle injury crash involving five vehicles indicates that a vehicle had slowed or come to a stop in the right lane north of the Nooksack bridge; this slowdown caused a Toyota Corolla to slow down or stop. A motorcycle then crashed into the rear of the Toyota, causing the motorcyclist to fly off their bike and land in front of the Toyota in the right lane. A Dodge Dakota pickup stopped behind the accident, only to be rear-ended by a Chevrolet van. The investigation also determined that both the motorcycle and the Chevrolet were driving too fast. The accident is under ongoing investigation.
Read MoreChild Safety Seats Save Lives
A couple of generations ago, young children were barely restrained in child safety seats past their first birthday – if that. There were no clear safety standards in place for car seat manufacturers and no real laws requiring that parents use child safety seats. As a result, most parents didn’t use them or used unsafe seats. Things began to change as safety commissions like the CDC released research that indicated how likely small children were to become injured in a car accident without appropriate restraint. States implemented child safety seat laws and parents were forced to put their young children in car seats until much older ages. There is some variation of these laws in every state: infants and toddlers must be in car seats and older children must be in booster seats until they reach a minimum age and/or height and weight requirement.
Child safety seats reduce risk of serious injuries
Read MorePrevent a Travel Trailer Accident with these Towing Tips
Summer time means a big increase in camping and road trips; many people choose a travel trailer as their mode of transportation and their home away from home. Towing mistakes can increase your risk of a travel trailer accident; follow the trailer towing tips below to help prevent an accident.
Use these trailer towing tips to prevent a travel trailer accident
Read MoreIntersections are Biggest Risk for Bike Accidents
Cyclists are most likely to be involved in bike accidents involving a car at intersections. While only 11 percent of bike accidents involve a car, 45 percent of them take place at intersections.
Some common causes for bike accidents involving cars:
- Motorists often underestimate the speed of a bike,
- fail to watch out for bikes or
- don’t see them because they are smaller and they blend into the busy background.
Top Barbecue Food Safety Tips
Cooking on the barbeque has always been popular in the summer but in recent years more than half of Americans say they are cooking outdoors year round. It is just as important to follow food safety guidelines to prevent foodborne illness while using the barbeque as using other cooking methods.
Top Barbecue Food Safety Tips
Read MoreHome Playground Safety Checklist
There is little that children enjoy more than a home playground. Sadly though, in the time that it takes you to read this blog post, a child will be severely injured and admitted to an emergency room as a result of a playground-related accident. Every year there are over 200,000 injuries and approximately 15 child deaths due to accidents on play equipment.
An interview with Phi Viet Le, a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI), produces a worthwhile discussion about his safety concerns for home playgrounds:
Read MoreMay is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
In theory – and by law – motorcyclists have all the same rights and privileges as any motor vehicle driver on the roadway but the reality is that motorcyclists bear more accidents and injuries than other motor vehicle drivers. May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month; drivers of all other vehicles and all road users are reminded to safely “share the road” with motorcyclists and to be extra alert to help keep motorcyclists safe.
Motorcycle Accident Statistics
Read MoreRecreational Drone Laws Created After Slew of Drone Accidents
A slew of drone accidents increased pressure on regulators to implement laws for unmanned aircraft. The use of recreational drones or sUAS is the operation of an unmanned aircraft for personal interests and enjoyment. For example, flying a drone to take pictures for your own personal use is classified as recreational; using the same device to take photographs or videos for compensation or sale to another individual is classified as a commercial operation.
If you or a loved one was injured as a result of another’s drone, contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as you are able. He or she can assess your accident and injuries and discuss your legal rights.
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Read MoreDistracted Flying
Pilots and air traffic controllers are just as susceptible to distractions while flying or directing flight traffic as people are when driving vehicles. But distractions on a plane or the control tower can create consequences even more dramatic than those on the road. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported many instances of cell phone usage causing distracted flying accidents including a “… bantering personal phone call about a dead cat while directing traffic.” The NTSB report noted that during the time the controller was on the phone, he made several errors. For example, after he made the handoff of the Piper to Newark tower for flight following, he failed to provide the pilot the new frequency for two minutes. When he finally did call with the new frequency, he spoke very quickly; the pilot then read back an incorrect frequency to the controller, but the controller did not notice the error. Because the pilot was on the wrong frequency, no one could warn him about the approaching collision.
Read MoreShould I Worry About Distracted Boating?
There is a long history of boaters not taking distracted boating on the water as seriously as they take distracted driving. There are distressing indications that boat drivers are increasingly using cell phones and other electronic devices while operating their vessels, creating distracted boating situations that are leading to an increase in boating accidents and injuries.
Why is it that we don’t hear as much about distracted boating as we do distracted driving? The facts about distracted boating need to be shared with the public.
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