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Andrew Kim Law Firm, PLLC | Washington Legal News

We believe that is important to keep informed of current events, legal news, and recent Washington accidents and injuries. In the Andrew Kim Law Firm legal news section, we provide our readers with the most recent happenings across Seattle and Washington State, from standout personal injury legal cases to recent Washington State accidents.

News Category: All CategoriesCar AccidentsTruck and Bus AccidentsMotorcyle AccidentsBicycle and Pedestrian AccidentsBoat and Watercraft AccidentsKids Safety, Children Injuries and AccidentsDog BitesSlip and FallInsurance Coverage Disputes & Bad Faith ClaimsGeneral

Car Accidents

• Seattle Musician Killed In Crash, Rain And Driver Inexperience To Blam
  Aug 11, 2010

  A well-known and respected fixture of the Seattle classical music scene was killed in a head-on accident last week on Highway 20. Washington Police say that a heavy rainstorm and an inexperienced teen driver were both factors in the deadly car accident.
  
  According to KOMO-TV, 59-year-old George Shangrow was killed in a head-on accident on Highway 20 in Windthrop when a 16-year-old driver crossed over the centerline of the highway and struck the man’s vehicle. Seattle Police say that drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash, but that rather a new driver in a heavy thunder, lighting, and rainstorm led to the accident.
  
  The teen suffered a broken collarbone and broken ankle. Shangrow was pronounced dead at the scene of the car accident. The car accident took place just before 6 PM on Saturday, July 31. Highway 20 east of Winthrop was closed for a number of hours as investigators collected evidence from the traffic accident scene and as emergency workers cleared the road.
  
  Shangrow, who was on his way to give a lecture about American classical music, was founder of the Seattle Chamber Singers and Orchestra and the long-time host of the Seattle radio show, “Live, By George.” In addition, he was the conductor for the Pacific Chamber Opera and gust conducted for a number of orchestras and operas in the Northwest.
  
  A celebration of life concert and memorial for Seattle conductor George Shangrow will be held 2-5 p.m. Aug. 22 at University Christian Church located at 4731 15th Ave. N.E. in Seattle.
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• Tacoma Couple Killed On 1-90 After Driver Falls Asleep
  Jul 07, 2010

  A Tacoma husband and wife were killed on I-90 near North Bend, Washington, when the man fell asleep while at the wheel, Washington State Patrol and the Seattle Times Reported.
  
  News sources say that the couple, 29-year-old Sean Mitchell and his 26-year-old wife, Lindsey, were driving back from a camping trip in Eastern Washington with their 4-year-old-child, a 20-year-old friend, and a 15-year-old boy. At around 6:45 in the morning, the man fell asleep while driving and the car drifted left into a bridge railing. The car passed over rumble strips before striking the guardrail and barrier and the car did not appear to slow down before impact. Mitchell and his wife, who was sitting directly behind him, both died in the Washington I-90 car accident.
  
  The child, who was secured in a car safety seat, suffered minor injuries, while the 15-year-old boy suffered serious injuries to his legs and internal organs. The 20-year-old, who was in the passenger seat, suffered minor injuries. The survivors of the North Bend car crash were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
  
  Car safety experts urge drivers to pull over, take short naps, and drink at least two cups of coffee if they feel drowsy at the wheel. They also advise not driving between two and six in the morning or driving more than two hours or 100 miles without taking a break. Finally, they suggest having a passenger awake in the front seat to keep an eye on the driver and ensure that he is alert at the wheel.
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• Man Charged With DUI After Killing Two Tukwila Teens In Car Crash
  Jun 20, 2010

  A Seattle man has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide after a late-night Washington car crash that killed two teens earlier this month. If found guilty, the Washington man could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.
  
  According to the Seattle Times, A King County judge set 50-year-old Alexander Peder’s bail at one million dollars after vodka was found in the vehicle he was driving at the time of the fatal Seattle car accident.
  
  The Washington State car accident took place on I-5 near Seattle on Wednesday night, June 9, in the town of Tukwila. According to Washington State Police, Decatur High School students Nicholas Hodgins, Derek King, Anthony Beaver, all 18-year-old students from Federal Way, stalled out on Interstate five. Peder slammed into the back of their car, killing Hodgins and King and injuring Beaver. Seattle Police say that Peder’s eyes were watery, his speech was slurred, and a half-bottle of vodka was found in his car after the crash took place.
  
  While Peder’s blood was drawn for testing at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, the results of the blood alcohol test have not been released to the public. Peder has been arrested for DUI twice in the recent past, but pleaded to lesser charges in both instances. Peder denied that the WA car accident was his fault.
  
  The young men would have graduated with their class on Saturday.
  - 3 - 10

• Seattle Woman Writes Book About I-405 Unsecured Load Accident
  Jun 18, 2010

  Some people think that unsecured load car crashes are “freak accidents,” but they are not. In reality, they are the result of someone’s negligence to properly tie down their load. Perhaps no one knows this better than Seattle author and car accident survivor Maria Federici, who survived a horrific unsecured load accident and lived to write about her tale and to change Washington law.
  
  In 2002, Federici was driving home from work on I-405 when a six-foot board flew off of a truck and into her windshield. Doctors told her family she would never survive her WA car accident injuries, but six years later, Federici has recovered and is now an advocate of properly tied loads and road debris safety. Now, a new book called “Out of Nowhere,” written by Federici’s mother, chronicles both Federici’s struggle to recover from the physical injuries of her accident, to reclaim her old life, and to change state laws regarding unsecured loads.
  
  Also after the Washington car accident, Federici filed a car accident injury lawsuit against U-Haul in King County. The jury awarded her $15.5 million in damages, and Federici was left with enough money for her ongoing medical care by her mother, Robin Abel.
  
  "Maria's Law," is now on the books in Washington State, a law that makes unsecured loads that cause injury a gross misdemeanor that can result in $5,000 in fines and time in jail. In addition, those who are seriously injured in an unsecured load car accident are now eligible for Washington State Crime Victims Compensation funds. - 4 - 10

• Tacoma Woman Injured In Drunk Driving Crash On Route 3
  Jun 11, 2010

  According to the News Tribune and the Washington State Patrol, a Tacoma woman was driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, and driving recklessly when she crashed her car on Route 3 in Kitsap County this weekend.
  
  Washington authorities say that the 38-year-old Tacoma woman was driving her car in the early hours of Saturday morning, June 5, when she crashed into a pickup truck. The woman, who had been drinking earlier that night, was driving southbound of State Route 3 from State Route 308 when she ran her car into a ditch and then back on to the road into an oncoming Toyota Tacoma.
  
  The woman, who will soon be facing charges for speeding and DUI, was rushed by EMS to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, where she is being treated for broken bones, internal injuries, and a head injury. The driver of the pickup truck, a 23-year-old man who lives out of state, suffered only minor injuries in the crash and was able to drive his truck from the scene of the Washington car accident. The drunk driver’s car was totaled in the late-night Tacoma collision. While the young man was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the WA car accident, it is not known if the drunk driver was buckled up when she ran off of the road.
  
  The Tacoma car crash is still under investigation, but police say that speed and alcohol were almost certainly factors in the two-car collision.
  - 5 - 10

• Puyallup Man Charged After Killing 2 In Washington Accident
  May 11, 2010

  After concluding their car accident investigation, the Washington State Patrol has charged a Puyallup man of reckless driving. The charge is in regards to an I-5 car accident that took place on October 30, 2009 at around 6 PM near the 320th Street exit.
  
  According to police records, 52-year-old Garry Ward of Puyallup was driving on Interstate 5 on October 5 when he lost control of his car, drove over the interstate median, and struck four cars traveling southbound near Federal Way, Washington. Two passengers in separate cars, 55-year-old Robert Galaviz of Federal Way, and 61-year-old Georgina Steele, of Seattle, died at the scene of the WA car accident, while three other people were seriously injured in the car crash. Ward also suffered injuries and was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
  
  WA Police at first thought that Ward had been driving and driving before the crash and should be charged with vehicular homicide, but further tests showed that he had been smoking marijuana and had probably fainted while behind the wheel. The man has a history of losing consciousness and was diagnosed with a fainting medical condition in 2008. However, it is also known that marijuana use can cause lightheadedness and fainting, especially in those who are prone to losing consciousness.
  
  It is not clear whether the families of those who died in the Federal Way car accident will file wrongful death lawsuits regarding the accident or whether those injured will file Washington personal injury lawsuits. - 6 - 10

• Washington Police Target Speeding Vehicles In Statewide Program
  Apr 23, 2010

  Washington car accident statistics say it all: speed kills. Especially in King County, officials say that a significant number of lives can be saved if only drivers would obey the speed limit and adjust their speed appropriately in poor weather or road conditions. Specifically, authorities say that 246 people were killed in King County car accidents due to speeding and that 1,166 people were killed in speeding-related vehicle accidents across Washington State.
  
  All in all, about 40 percent of all Washington car accident fatalities involve speed and 21 percent of all speeding deaths in the state take place in King County.
  
  In order to help reduce these numbers and raise awareness about speeding, Washington Police and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission are teaming up to implement the “Slow Down or Pay Up” program this spring. In April and May, Police departments in King County and across the state will be specifically patrolling for speeding vehicles and targeting areas where speed has been an issue in the past. WA State officials say that rural areas and low-traffic areas are often places where drivers’ speed will creep up past safe limits.
  
  Police are emphasizing that the campaign against speeding is not simply an excuse to write more tickets, but rather a way to raise awareness about speeding throughout the state, especially among teens – who are often the victims of speed-related car accidents.
  
  The Washington Traffic Safety Committee has funded the $450,000 in extra patrols in order to reduce the number of speeding drivers and speed-related deaths. The Slow Down or Pay Up Program is part of a larger campaign called “Strategic Highway Safety Plan — Target Zero” in which Washington Police hope to lower the number of car accident deaths due to speeding to none in 2030. - 7 - 10

• Van Seriously Injures Girl After Smashing Into 7-11 In Aberdeen, WA
  Mar 31, 2010

  A small toddler in Aberdeen, Washington, was critically injured after a van slammed into the 7-11 market where the girl was shopping with her mother. The driver of the van had been cited for negligent driving multiple times in the past.
  
  The Aberdeen fire department reported that the Aberdeen car accident occurred 20 minutes before 4 pm on Friday, March 5, at the store located at 411 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen, Washington. The van smashed through the front window of the store, went through several racks of merchandise, and then hit the back wall of the store.
  
  The two-year-old girl was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical internal injuries as well as a fractured femur. She remains in serious condition. The girl’s mother and the driver of the van were transported to Grays Harbor Community Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
  
  It is unclear why the driver of the van slammed into the store, though Washington Police records show that a similar incident occurred in April of last year involving the same driver. In that incident, the 57-year-old Hoquiam man was charged with negligent driving after crashing into a different building in Aberdeen at 4 in the morning. The van driver remains in satisfactory condition in the hospital, while the mother of the injured girl has been treated and released.
  
  The Washington van crash remains under investigation – the police have taken a blood sample from the van driver in an attempt to discover if the man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the Aberdeen vehicle accident.
  - 8 - 10

• Cab Driver Denies He Caused I-5 Accident Near Seattle-Tacoma Airport
  Mar 29, 2010

  A Seattle taxi driver involved in a last-second lane change on Interstate 5 has been charged with vehicular homicide regarding the fatal Washington car accident that occurred in November 2009. The cab driver, 36-year-old Waleligne Afele, plead not guilty to the charges and awaits a case setting hearing in the King County Jail with a $100,000 bail.
  
  According to the Washington State Patrol, Afele was taking two women to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when he realized he was about to miss the Highway 518 exit ramp. He crossed over multiple lanes on I-5 in order to make the turn, cutting off a Land Cruiser driven by 43-year-old David Doerr. The two women say that the taxi driver hit the curb at the Highway 518 exit and then hit the Land Cruiser, causing it to roll several times and land on its side. A third vehicle that was unable to stop then slammed into the Land Cruiser, hitting the driver’s side door. Doerr died at the scene of the accident while the third driver received minor injuries. Afele was not injured.
  
  Washington Police estimate that Afele was traveling an estimated 55 or 60 miles per hour at the time of the fatal Seattle car accident. They said that they have found evidence that supports the story that the Taxi struck the SUV. They also said that drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash, though reckless driving was.
  
  Afele, who works for Stita Taxi, claims that the driver of the Land Cruiser suddenly changed lanes and caused the accident.
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• Serious I-5 Accident In SeaTac Involved Driving And Cell Phone Use
  Mar 29, 2010

  Recent studies have shown that talking on your cell phone while driving can be just as dangerous as drinking and driving. However, the most dangerous combination of all may be drinking, driving, and talking on your cell phone.
  
  On Sunday afternoon in SeaTac, Washington, a man was seriously injured on the shoulder of I-5 after a distracted driver drifted out of his lane and struck the man and his disabled vehicle.
  
  Washington Police say that a 24-year-old Auburn man had been drinking and was talking on his cell phone while traveling south on Interstate 5 near the 200th Street exit on Sunday at around 2 pm. The man, who was under the influence and distracted, left the right lane he was traveling in and hit a man who was filling his pickup truck with gas.
  
  The 40-year-old Bellevue, Washington, man was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he continues to be treated for his injuries. The Auburn man who struck the car as well as a passenger inside the pickup were not seriously injured. The man who caused the accident was transferred to King County Kail, where he will likely be charged with vehicular assault as police continue investigating his blood alcohol level and whether or not he was using his cell phone at the time of the WA car accident.
  
  The Auburn Reporter identified the man who caused the accident as Mugiraneza Vianne and the accident victim as Patrick Franklin.
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