Kirk Bernard – Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

A number of serious auto accidents in Washington State and elsewhere in the country are caused by sleepy and tired drivers. Whether these accidents involve commercial truck drivers or drivers of regular passenger vehicles, fatigued driving is extremely dangerous. Such negligent driving practices can result in serious injuries or even fatalities, thus affecting not only the tired driver, but also others on the roadway.

According to a recent KHQ news report, the driver of an RV fell asleep at the wheel. His camper drifted off the roadway into a ditch, causing it to rollover onto its side. The crash occurred on Highway 2 just north of East Westmoreland Road in Deer Park, Washington. The driver in this accident was extremely lucky not to have sustained injury or have seriously injured another person.

As a skilled Seattle personal injury attorney, Kirk Bernard has seen first-hand how serious of a problem fatigued driving is; yet, it is often dismissed by motorists and seems to receive the least attention from drivers. In fact, many drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel 10 or more times in a year. Several studies show that driving fatigued can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety, the effect of being awake for 17 hours causes a performance on psychomotor coordination tests equivalent to that of someone who has a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent. If they stayed awake a full 24 hours, their test performance compared with that of a person who had a blood alcohol level of 0.10. Some states consider you intoxicated at 0.08. Know your limits. If you are tired or sleepy, rest up and do not get behind the wheel.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington auto accident, please contact the experienced Seattle car accident attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful, educational information about Washington auto accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.khq.com/global/story.asp?s=11944700

A woman sustained critical injuries in a Seattle pedestrian accident after she was struck while walking near the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Andover Street. According to a news report in the Seattle Times, a man was driving north on Rainier in a Toyota Corolla when he drove up on to the sidewalk at Andover hitting the pedestrian. The driver then fled the scene of the accident. He was stopped a short distance away. Officials are investigating this as a drunk driving and vehicular assault case. The woman was taken to a Seattle hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Both driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and leaving the scene of an accident are serious crimes in Washington State. Drunk drivers whose actions result in serious injury or death face not only, criminal charges, but can also be held civilly liable for causing serious personal injuries or wrongful death. Victims in such cases may seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost wages, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, physical therapy and even long-term care, if the injuries are catastrophic.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a drunk driver, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at The Bernard Law Firm. Call 1-800-418-8282 or send an email to info@bernardlawgroup.com to schedule a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation that we will provide at no cost to you. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure that has useful and educational information that will help you in understanding your legal rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010413964_webpedestrianaccident03m.html?syndication=rss