Everett Rules of The Road: Following Too Closely
Washington Rules of The Road: 46.61.145. Following too closely
In this chapter of the rules of the road, the laws for how much space should be allowed between different types of vehicles and in different situations are identified. Oftentimes, violation of these laws causes injury to the back and neck.
(1) The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway.
(2) The driver of any motor truck or motor vehicle drawing another vehicle when traveling upon a roadway outside of a business or residence district and which is following another motor truck or motor vehicle drawing another vehicle shall, whenever conditions permit, leave sufficient space so that an overtaking vehicle may enter and occupy such space without danger, except that this shall not prevent a motor truck or motor vehicle drawing another vehicle from overtaking and passing any like vehicle or other vehicle.
(3) Motor vehicles being driven upon any roadway outside of a business or residence district in a caravan or motorcade whether or not towing other vehicles shall be so operated as to allow sufficient space between each such vehicle or combination of vehicles so as to enable any other vehicle to enter and occupy such space without danger. This provision shall not apply to funeral processions.
If you’ve been injured in an Everett car accident, either because another driver was following you too closely or otherwise, it’s important that you talk with a personal injury attorney about being compensated. For a free consultation with an Everett car accident lawyer at our firm, call 800-282-4878 to schedule today. We’ve had great success getting our clients compensated after they’ve been injured in a car accident.
Everett Car Accident Lawyer on Whether You Should See a Doctor
Q. If I feel fine after an automobile accident, should I still go to see a doctor?
A. Anyone who was in the car during an accident should consider seeing a doctor to make sure that there aren’t any hidden injuries. Often you won’t feel the effects of an injury until the next day or two. Scheduling a doctor’s visit the day of an accident is a wise precaution. When you do see the doctor, make sure to mention any complaint you may have, no matter how minor. Don’t play medical expert and evaluate the importance of a symptom. Let the doctor do his/her job.
If you’ve been injured in an Everett car accident and feel you deserve to be financially compensated, it’s very important that you quickly contact an Everett car accident lawyer to assess the situation. Call 800-282-4878 today to schedule your free and confidential consultation with an attorney at our firm
Q. Should I stay in my car after an accident or get out?
Q. Should I stay in my car after an accident or get out?
A. Remain in the car if you feel dizzy or feel any pain. Do you best to remain calm and avoid changing positions. It is far better to wait for ambulance or EMT than to end up crippled for life. No insurance claim is going to give your mobility back. If your airbag deployed, there may be some haze in the car, but there is no need to get out of the car hastily unless you see fire or smell smoke. If the car isn’t a safe place to be, get out of the car, and get as far away from any traffic as possible.
Contact an Everett Car accident attorney.
Q. Is there any information I should get to support my claim?
A. Yes. You should take pictures of the accident scene if you can. This should be done as soon as possible, as evidence is often swept away within hours. Also, take pictures of yourself and any passengers immediately after the accident. Follow up with pictures a few days later, when bruises, etc. become apparent.
Read more FAQ or feel free to contact an Everett car accident lawyer at our firm for a free consultation.
Spinal Cord injury to Quadriplegic Patient: A quadriplegic passenger strapped and secured in his van suffered a cervical strain-whiplash injury in a car accident. The 72-year-old retired Boeing engineer suffered a partial loss in the use of his neck caused by a chronic cervical strain and muscle spasms. This gentleman’s loss was significant to him as his neck was his sole remaining source of independence. Our client uses a wand, held between his teeth in his mouth, to operate his wheel chair by manipulating the wand between his teeth to operate touch controls on his wheel chair, to operate his computer, and to operate other aids in daily life. His wife was also hurt in the car accident and the UIM insurer, State Farm, offered only$35,000 the week before UIM arbitration. The parties elected to arbitrate her UIM claim. The UIM arbitrator awarded $101,000 plus taxable costs for the wife’s loss of her husband’s consortium and for his wife’s soft tissue injuries suffered in the same MVA. Total award: $850,000+
Spinal Cord injury to Quadriplegic Patient: A quadriplegic passenger strapped and secured in his van suffered a cervical strain-whiplash injury in a car accident. The 72-year-old retired Boeing engineer suffered a partial loss in the use of his neck caused by a chronic cervical strain and muscle spasms. This gentleman’s loss was significant to him as his neck was his sole remaining source of independence. Our client uses a wand, held between his teeth in his mouth, to operate his wheel chair by manipulating the wand between his teeth to operate touch controls on his wheel chair, to operate his computer, and to operate other aids in daily life. His wife was also hurt in the car accident and the UIM insurer, State Farm, offered only$35,000 the week before UIM arbitration. The parties elected to arbitrate her UIM claim. The UIM arbitrator awarded $101,000 plus taxable costs for the wife’s loss of her husband’s consortium and for his wife’s soft tissue injuries suffered in the same MVA.
Total award: $850,000+
Think you have a claim? Contact an Everett personal injury lawyer at our firm today for your free consultation.
Our Firm in the News!
Allstate Insurance Co. will reimburse thousands of Washington drivers for out-of-pocket medical expenses under a tentative settlement of a class-action lawsuit.
Pamela Coffell of Snohomish County sued Allstate in 2005, alleging that the company arbitrarily limited payouts of reasonable medical expenses resulting from a car accident.
Rather than cover the full cost of her medical bills, the company used a billing software program that arbitrarily determined the average pay rate for a procedure in the geographical area and then paid out only 85 percent of the rate, said David Breskin, an attorney for plaintiffs.
Coffell had personal-injury protection on her car insurance and paid premiums on the policy, believing that Allstate would cover the full cost of reasonable expenses regardless of who was at fault, said Robert Kornfeld, another attorney for the plaintiffs.
After she was involved in a car accident in July 2004 and submitted her medical expenses, Allstate often didn’t cover the full costs, leaving her to make up the difference, Kornfeld said. The company never explained why, he added.
The amount may have been small each time, but it added up to hundreds of dollars that Coffell had to pay out of her own pocket to cover the gap, Kornfeld said. “They should be forced to disclose that. It’s not fair,” he added.
Ryan Priest, a spokesman for Allstate, said the company has entered a tentative settlement. “However, we deny wrongdoing in connection with the litigation,” he said. “We believe our medical bill review practices are in full compliance with Washington state law.”
A hearing to complete the settlement is scheduled for Nov. 19 before King County Superior Court Judge William Downing.
The lawsuit, which was certified as a class action, may affect 30,000 to 40,000 insured in this state, Breskin said.
The tentative settlement covers anyone who was injured in an accident covered by an Allstate car insurance policy and filed claims under personal-injury protection or Medpay coverage and whose claims were adjusted using “the ADP or Mitchell Medical bill review system,” according to the settlement.
Those covered by the lawsuit will receive $45 and a percentage of their out-of-pocket expenses based on their coverage, according to the settlement.
“Adjusters do use medical review databases to assist in making fair and accurate claim payment determinations, and that is a common practice in the insurance industry,” Priest said. “Without proper medical bill review, auto insurance could quickly become a blank check for inflated charges and potential fraud.”
But attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that Allstate didn’t make a determination that such expenses were unreasonable before deciding not to pay them in full. Consumers might want to consider that before buying the policy, they said.
Personal-injury protection “covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses for injuries sustained in an automobile accident, up to three years from the date of the accident and up to $10,000,” according to the state Insurance Commissioner’s Office. It also allows for income replacement, funeral expenses and loss of services.
Washington has a mandatory insurance law, but it doesn’t require drivers to have personal-injury protection. Insurers, however, are required to offer the coverage.
If you have suffered injures in Everett or elsewhere in WA we may be able to help you, financially speaking. We as Everett personal injury lawyers know how to pursue a claim against the big insurance companies. To learn more contact a Everett personal injury attorney at our firm for a free consultation today.
Recent Car Accident Injury Settlement
Here is a recent injury settlement achieved by the Everett personal injury law firm Kornfeld Law. The client had been injured in King County in an automobile accident.
Free Consultation: 800-282-4878
Jane Doe v. John Doe driver: King County Superior Court No. 02-2-26432-8 Seattle woman involved in a motor vehicle accident suffered spinal injuries to her neck and low back, radiculopathy, and a worsening of her pre-existing fibromyalgia. A Microsoft employee with a stellar record, she was forced to miss about one year of work over 4 years. According to her rheumatologists, she could not return to her high-stress job as the extra hours and demands of being bent over a computer for most of the day made her injuries worse and caused her to lose sleep. The treating doctors told her to find a 30-40 hour a week job rather than her 50-60 hour position. Given that she was a large wage earner, the insurer agreed to pay its half million dollar policy limit to settle the case.
Total Settlement: $500,000
Now, there is no guarantee your car accident claim could yield a settlement near this ammount or a settlement at all. To find out if you have a claim contact our Seattle personal injury lawyers for a free consultation.
Man killed in car-tanker collision on US 2
EVERETT, Wash. — A 38-year-old motorist is dead after his car collided head-on with a tanker truck.
The crash Saturday afternoon on U.S. 2 near Monroe shut down the roadway for several hours.
Washington State Patrol trooper Mark Francis says the car driven by a Bothell man crossed the center line and struck an oncoming tanker truck.
The motorist was killed. The 50-year-old tanker driver wasn’t hurt. No names were released.
Francis says two other cars were hit by debris from the accident, but nobody else was injured.
If you have been injured in an Everett car accident financial compensation may or may not be an option. To find out contact our Car Accident Attorney’s for a free consultation.
2 accidents cause backups on I-5, leave 2 injured
Two wrecks involving South Sound residents tied up Interstate 5 over the weekend.
Southbound I5 at South 72nd Street was closed early Sunday by construction and a four-car accident.
It happened just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday. According to the Washington State Patrol, three vehicles were traveling in one lane, and the first two vehicles stopped for traffic in the construction zone. The third vehicle – an Isuzu Rodeo driven by a 22-year-old Lakewood man – did not stop, striking the second vehicle and pushing it into the lead car. That car was forced over a lane, striking a truck.
A 51-year-old Tacoma woman who was driving the first vehicle struck was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma with minor injuries.
No one else was injured, the patrol said.
The driver of the Isuzu Rodeo is suspected of drunken driving and speeding. He faces a vehicular assault charge, the patrol reported.
In the second accident, a 49-year-old Puyallup man was taken to Harborview Medical Center after his motorcycle struck a guardrail on I-5 in Seattle.
The Washington State Patrol said he was merging from Michigan Street onto northbound I-5 just before 11 a.m. Saturday when he struck a concrete barrier. The man was thrown over the guardrail and landed in the HOV lane of southbound I-5.
He was wearing a helmet. The extent of his injuries is unknown. Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be involved.
Everett Injury Lawyer
Seattle Women Killed in Hit and Run Crash
TUKWILA, Wash. – The first car didn’t stop, and neither did the second.
Police say both drivers left a woman to die in the street after she was hit while crossing East Marginal Way South late Friday night.
Investigators say the 24-year-old woman, identified by family members as Clashana Grayson of Seattle, had just gotten off a bus and was headed to a tavern called The Annex just after 11 p.m.
A witness standing in the bar’s parking lot says she saw a Cadillac speeding north on East Marginal just as the woman started walking.
The witness says the Cadillac hit Grayson, who flew up over the hood and may have struck the windshield. The driver stopped momentarily, then fled the scene, said Don Dart of the Tukwila police.
Moments later, a second car ran over Grayson as she lay bleeding in the street.
Police say that driver also left the scene. Detectives say it’s unclear if there’s any connection between the two drivers.
Grayson’s cousin, Kimiko Holmes, says she can’t believe two motorists would just keep driving after running over someone.
“I couldn’t fathom hitting anyone and keep on going. What a coward. What a coward,” she says.
Emergency crews rushed Grayson to Harborview Medical Center, where she later died.
Investigators believe the Cadillac has extensive front-end damage and possibly a cracked windshield. It’s likely a 1990s-to-2000 model with a red, maroon or burgundy paint job.
The second car is a silver import, possibly an older model Honda Civic, and it also may have sustained front-end damage, Dart said.
Police found pieces of at least one car that broke off in the collision, and are now analyzing that evidence.
Grayson has a 7-year-old daughter. Family members says they’re not sure what she was doing in the Tukwila area at that hour, and don’t know why she would be headed to The Annex – if she was at all.
Police are actively looking for the hit-and-run drivers. Anyone with information can call 206-433-1808.
If you have sustained personal injuries in Everett feel free to contact Everett personal injury lawyer Rob Kornfeld.
