Two Fatal Accidents in 12-hour Window Leave Bellingham Reeling
Fatal motor vehicle accidents have been up dramatically since changes to our driving habits started at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even in Whatcom County, it doesn’t take that many days before another fatal accident is being reported in the news. Sadly, in the last 24 hours, Bellingham has experienced two fatal accidents: a pedestrian and a motorcycle driver.
If you lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident, you may be able to recover your losses through a wrongful death claim. Contact an experienced, local wrongful death lawyer who can discuss your legal rights and the value of a potential claim. The sooner you contact an injury attorney, the sooner they can help you through the personal injury claims process. Personal injury lawyers generally provide a free consultation and offer their services on a contingency-fee basis, which means no money is collected up-front.
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What to Know About Car Accident Backing Out of Driveway
Many backing out of driveway accidents happen every day as drivers back out of both residential and commercial driveways. This type of accident can be very serious, often causing a T-Bone accident where the oncoming vehicle in the roadway doesn’t see the vehicle backing out of the driveway and crashes into the side of the vehicle.
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Why DUI Crashes Increase in the Summer
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each day about 28 Americans die in DUI crashes. Drunk driving typically increases in the summertime when people are more likely to take vacations and want to cool down with a “cold one.” According to moneygeek.com, summer has the highest rate of DUI fatalities, with 28% of the year’s DUI-related deaths projected to happen in the summer of 2022.
According to drunkdrivinprevention.com, approximately 1.5 million people are arrested every year for driving under the influence of alcohol. We know that drunk driving is a serious threat to traffic safety, not to mention a public health concern. These arrests occur despite the fact that all states have restrictions on driving with a (BAC) level of 0.08 or higher (Utah’s is 0.05). BAC stands for blood alcohol content and represents the amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream. The more alcohol present, the more chance that a person’s motor skills and judgement will be impaired.
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Will my Pre-Existing Condition Affect my Car Accident Settlement?
Insurance companies will go out of their way to deny a car accident claim for a pre-existing injury or medical condition. Most of the time, they request the claimant’s medical records in an attempt to find a pre-existing injury or medical condition that they can point to and dismiss the claim. However, if a crash causes a pre-existing injury or condition to get worse or flare up, you are entitled to pursue damages for the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, etc. caused by the flare-up.
The at-fault driver’s insurance company will fight tooth and nail against paying anything to the injured party in this situation, so it’s important to seek the help of an experienced local car accident lawyer who knows how to fight back. A good injury lawyer will negotiate and take a case to trial, if necessary, to ensure their client gets a full and fair settlement for their losses and injuries.
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How Do Drivers Crash into Buildings?
We’ve all heard news reports of drivers crashing into buildings and shaken our heads about how it’s possible. There are factors, including age and negligent driving behaviors, that contribute to these types of crashes. Unfortunately, there have always been issues with drivers crashing into. How Do Drivers Crash into Buildings? This type of crash happens most often when a driver is entering or leaving a parking space perpendicular to the building. Even though drivers are usually driving at relatively low speeds in these scenarios, a vehicle crashing into a building can still result in serious injury or death and some serious property damage.
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Common Traffic Violations that Lead to Car Accidents
Traffic violations occur when drivers break traffic laws that regulate the operation of vehicles on streets and highways. There is a long list of traffic violations that drivers must avoid to prevent traffic tickets and potential car accidents. When a driver breaks a traffic law such as running a red light, they endanger themselves, other drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians who are sharing the road with them.
There are many reasons that drivers violate traffic laws and receive traffic tickets. When a car accident happens as a result of one driver violating a traffic law, the responding officer will generally issue a traffic ticket and explain the traffic violation in their collision report. Insurance companies review the collision report and will often assign liability for injuries to the driver who violated the traffic law.
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What to Know about a Herniated Disc Personal Injury Claim
Car accidents are responsible for thousands of injuries every year. A herniated disc may occur during a car accident when the force of the crash causes a vertebra to push into the spinal canal. This can put pressure on or irritate the spinal cord, causing pain to radiate throughout the body. If you or a loved one experienced a herniated disc after a car accident that is disrupting your life, you deserve to be made whole. Contact a local herniated disc lawyer as soon as possible to discuss whether a herniated disc personal injury claim is the right option for you.
What is a herniated disc?
Spinal discs are circles of tissue that sit in between the vertebrae of the spinal column for the purpose of holding the vertebrae together, acting as shock absorbers, and assisting with motion.
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Why you Need a Car Accident Police Report
You’ve probably heard that if you’re in a car accident, you should call 9-1-1 so a police officer can come and make a police report about the accident. The car accident police report will contain details about the crash, statements from anyone directly involved in the accident, and other important information such as road conditions and whether a traffic law was violated.
Insurance adjusters lean heavily on police reports for car accident settlements and lawsuits, especially if the officer’s report shows that their client may not have been mostly or completely at-fault for the crash.
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How to Get a Car Accident Police Report in Washington State
If you’ve been in a car accident or were one of the direct witnesses of an injury car accident, you should call 9-1-1. Ideally, emergency responders will arrive, including police officers who can conduct a brief investigation and write up a Police Traffic Collision Report. While not admissible in court, accident reports are used by insurance companies to help determine fault in motor vehicle accidents.
Am I required to call the police for a minor accident in Washington State?
In Washington State it is not required by law to call the police for minor accidents (though insurance information must be exchanged before parties can legally leave the scene of the crash). It is usually a good idea to call the police anyway, even when injuries and property damage are minor. Having an accident report can help you get a full and fair settlement for your injuries and losses.
What is the Average Settlement for Whiplash and Concussion?
There are an average of 17,000 car accidents every day in the U.S., causing thousands of whiplash and concussion injuries. While these injuries are not typically life threatening, they can cause debilitating symptoms including neck pain, dizziness, difficulty focusing, headaches, and disorientation.
What is a whiplash injury?
A whiplash injury is an injury that affects the neck. It is caused by the force of the collision that pushes the neck backward and then forward, most commonly in a rear-end or T-bone accident. This violent motion injures the muscles and nerves and/or the tendons and discs in the neck. A whiplash injury car accident lawyer can discuss your legal rights.
What is a concussion?
Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions are fairly common in collisions. These injuries may occur when the head smacks into the steering wheel or from the sheer force of the brain being violently thrown forward, causing the brain to slam into the skull. A concussion can cause disorientation, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and more. A traumatic brain injury car accident lawyer can discuss your legal rights.
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