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A 78-year-old woman, who was crossing at a Seattle street intersection, sustained fatal injuries after being hit by a semi-truck. According to a news report on KOMO News, the elderly woman was walking at the intersection of Rainier Avenue South and South Andover Street when the truck hit her. She died at the scene, Seattle police officials said. The truck driver apparently told police that he was trying to make a right turn from Andover to the northbound lanes of Rainier when he hit the pedestrian. Officials are still investigating the cause of this fatal pedestrian collision, but they don’t believe alcohol or drugs played a part.

Washington law requires motorists to yield right-of-way to pedestrians who are walking in an unmarked or marked crosswalk at a street intersection. In this case, it appears that the woman was walking at a street intersection. Officials are probably looking into why the driver, who was making the turn, did not see the woman.

According to the Revised Code of Washington Section 46.61.235 (1): “The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicycle to cross the roadway within an unmarked or marked crosswalk when the pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning. For purposes of this section “half of the roadway” means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of travel, and includes the entire width of a one-way roadway.”

If your loved one has been seriously injured in a Seattle pedestrian accident, please contact a Seattle personal injury attorney right away. In any vehicular accident it is crucial to get to the scene of the crash before it is cleared. Eyewitnesses are also critical to pedestrian accident cases. People who saw the accident can help answer important questions such as: Who had the green light? Was the pedestrian in the crosswalk? Was the driver going too fast? The answers to these questions will usually help determine whether or not there was negligence involved on the part of the driver.

If you need to schedule a consultation about your Seattle pedestrian accident case, please call The Bernard Law Group today. Kirk Bernard and his dedicated legal team will provide a free consultation and will get to work on your case immediately. You can also call us to get a free copy of a brochure that will give you comprehensive information about pedestrian accidents in Washington.

Source:http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78292817.html

As a Washington truck accident lawyers, Kirk Bernard has seen first-hand, the serious personal injuries caused by truck accidents. A number of these accidents are caused by truck drivers. But Washington State Patrol authorities say that a number of these catastrophic big rig accidents can be prevented if drivers of passenger vehicles took more precautions and preventive steps to avoid them. Here are seven tips that I can offer, based on my experience representing injured truck accident victims:

1. Do not drive in a trucker’s blind spots. It’s always a bad idea to linger alongside a truck. For such a large vehicle, understand that there are larger blind spots. The truck driver may not be able to see you if you hang around in a blind spot. The best thing to do is to pass trucks quickly or let them pass.
2. Do not tailgate a large truck. If you follow too closely, you’re asking for trouble. Leave plenty of distance between you and the truck.
3. Be very cautious in bad weather situations or at night time when visibility is lower.
4. Maintain your vehicle properly. Make sure that if you need to make a sudden stop to avoid an accident, your brakes are working properly.
5. Report a trucker who is driving or behaving dangerously. If you observe a truck driver that is operating the truck erratically or without proper equipment, please note the registration numbers on the vehicle. Who knows? You may have helped save someone else’s life by taking a dangerous truck driver off the road.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Seattle tractor trailer accident or you wish to discuss your truck accident claim, please contact one of the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group for a free and comprehensive consultation and case evaluation.