This week, a former traffic reporter shared his experiences about his own "two terrifying car accidents." In the first, he struck a pedestrian on the highway; in the second, he swerved to avoid a merging vehicle and struck an oncoming truck. Neither collision was fatal, but the second crash left him with two broken [...]
Trial lawyers talk too much. We want to be persuasive, impressive and beloved in the courtroom. The judge should think us brilliant. The jurors should be on the edge of their seats, waiting on our every word. These are good goals, but to reach them, we have to break bad habits. In law school, [...]
Estimated speed was 85 mph at the time of the crash. Witnesses say the driver was holding a phone. A semi-truck was blocking the bike lane. Construction had closed the sidewalk. Driving too fast for conditions. Pedestrians in crosswalk. DUI suspect. Did not stop. Not An Accident. Any car crash that involved the circumstances described [...]
On the third Sunday of November, people around the world find ways to honor crash victims in the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The CDC estimates that 1.35 million people are killed in traffic violence each year. Millions of crash victims sustain serious injuries. These are unthinkable numbers. I know that, [...]
On Thursday, March 12, before President Trump declared a national emergency, I walked to the King County Courthouse for a scheduled hearing. In retrospect, it was probably the last journey to court for this trial lawyer, for the foreseeable future. Here's what it was like to be in court in Seattle. The case The hearing had [...]
The weekend around Thanksgiving unfortunately sees lots of fatal and serious-injury crashes. The uptick can probably be attributed to several factors, including increased traffic, bad driving weather, and time of travel - along with the usual suspects of speeding, distracted driving, and impaired or drunk driving. This year, AAA predicts that Thanksgiving weekend will see [...]
The Washington Trucking Associations, Inc. has petitioned for a ruling to preempt our state's longstanding employment law as it pertains to meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Petition for Determination of Preemption: Washington Meal and Rest Break Rules for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers The purpose behind the rule is to protect [...]
Dear Seattle drivers, I want to have an honest talk with you. It was recently reported in the Seattle Times Traffic Lab that 101 people were seriously injured or killed in 98 collisions on Seattle streets in the first 6 months of the year. That is the highest number in the first six months of [...]
Garrett was 15 years old when he was killed by a distracted semi-truck driver at 60 mph on a Washington State highway. Before he died, Garrett wrote that “a legacy is something you leave behind.” Garrett knew that his own legacy was still unknown, but wrote that he “planned to change the whole world.” He was interested in [...]
By 11:59 on December 31st, somewhere around 40,000 people will have died in car accidents crashes in the U.S. this year. That should be a shocking number. If even 10% of those people had been killed in plane crashes, the country would be outraged. There would be investigations into airline safety, and memorials built to remember the [...]
