Kent Washington Personal Injury Law Blog

While there are many ways in which people are injured during motor vehicle crashes, every accident is unique, and some involve less common injuries. For example, someone may be burned in a motor vehicle collision, which could shatter their life in all sorts of ways. For a burn victim, life may unravel in many ways, whether they are upset by permanent scarring as a result of the burn or they have to take time off of work due to their injury. Sadly, many lives have been ruined due to burns and other injuries, all because a reckless driver caused a crash.

People are burned in various ways when it comes to auto collisions. From vehicle explosions to exposure to hot accident debris, steam, toxic chemicals, an electrical current or even gasoline that catches on fire, there are many ways in which people may sustain a burn during a crash and immediately following a collision. We know how painful and emotionally difficult burns and other auto accident injuries can be, and we believe that the victims of these crashes deserve justice.

The idea of a car that drives itself was once a thing only found in science fiction, but it is now a reality. Self-driving cars seem to pop up a lot in the news in Washington. However, many of those stories focus on accidents involving these cars. You may wonder if they are really safe or if they pose a risk to everyone on the road and even to pedestrians.

According to CNN, self-driving cars are safe. Studies have even indicated they may be safer than human drivers. Part of the reason is a self-driving car does not have the flaws of a human. It cannot get distracted. It does not have blind spots because it can scan all around the car. It also is programmed to adjust to traffic and road conditions. A self-driving car also has the ability to detect objects in the roadway or obstacles at a speed much higher than a human. This means it can react more quickly.

Keeping awake and alert is a top priority for truckers who spend many hours on a nighttime Washington road. Truck drivers will try a number of ways to maintain their energy and stamina while driving. Some drivers may think keeping the radio on is the right call since constant noise should keep people from falling asleep. But the truth is that a blaring radio in your truck might not be a good idea.

Knight Transportation warns that a continuing stream of noise from the radio can actually exhaust your brain. While you are listening to the radio, you are receiving a stream of input that your mind has to process. However, the more you listen to audio content, the more your brain has to think about what it is processing. This applies no matter if you listen to music, a radio talk show, or a book on tape.

When people are required to work around or with individual pieces of machinery or equipment, they are often required to undergo training designed to educate them on how to safely and adequately do their job. Such protocols help guarantee the safety of all of the workers who need to use it. Unfortunately, there are times when despite the efforts of employers in Washington, malfunctions, carelessness and even design flaws can compromise the safety of workers. 

This is precisely what one family is claiming in a wrongful death lawsuit after their family member was pulled underneath and dragged by a piece of equipment they claim was poorly designed. The incident occurred when the woman was working to position a cargo loader to unload a 777F aircraft. The person operating the cargo loader did not notice that the woman was still in the path of the deck and started moving it forward. The auxiliary deck then struck the woman and pulled her underneath where she was then dragged nearly 80 feet before anyone realized she was missing.