2010 January Archive

A man and a woman sustained serious injuries in a Washington motorcycle accident after they were struck by a vehicle on the Highway 20. According to a news report in the Whidbey News Times Reporter, the man and woman were riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle when the collision occurred. Both were airlifted to a Seattle hospital.

This news report provides very few details about this motorcycle accident. However, the article states that the accident was a collision – it involved another vehicle. So there are several questions here. Who was at fault for this accident? How did the collision occur? Was the driver of the other vehicle distracted, inattentive, driving under the influence or negligent in any other way? In any motorcycle accident, it is critical to determine the exact cause of the accident, which would then lead us to who was at fault.

Just like any vehicular accident, it is critical that accident reconstruction experts get to the scene of the accident right away to gather any available physical evidence. These important bits and pieces of evidence disappear within a few hours. So it is crucial that you get an experienced Seattle personal injury lawyer on your side right away. A knowledgeable and resourceful motorcycle accident law firm will send their own experts to the scene as soon as possible so that vital evidence is not lost. It is also important to preserve the vehicle involved in the accident so it can be thoroughly examined by an expert for evidence of defects, malfunctions or other issues.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident as a result of negligence on the part another individual, please contact the experienced Washington motorcycle accident lawyers at The Bernard Group for a FREE consultation and evaluation of your motorcycle accident case. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/81148292.html

Motorcycles are just tougher to spot than cars because of their smaller profiles. As drivers of cars, trucks, vans or SUVs, we are more conditioned to look out for other cars, not motorcyclists. As a Seattle personal injury attorney, I have directly seen how important it is that we as drivers always be aware of our surroundings. It’s important to remember that you could become involved in a motorcycle accident when you make a left turn in front of a rider or when a motorcyclist is in your blind spot. Sometimes, you could also have an obstructed line of sight. Large vehicles such as big rigs or vans may block motorcyclists from your view.

Here are some tips, which will hopefully help you avoid motorcycle accidents:

1. Be more aware of motorcycles and motorcyclists.
2. Remember that motorcyclists have the same rights and privileges as other drivers. Be aware especially at intersections and on highways.
3. Be ready to anticipate a motorcyclist’s maneuvers. A piece of road debris that poses no threat to a car may be deadly for a motorcyclist. Anticipate evasive moves that a motorcyclist might make.
4. Do not follow motorcycles too closely.
5. When you are at an intersection, watch for motorcyclists in addition to other larger vehicles.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident as a result of a distracted driver, please contact the experienced Seattle motorcycle accident lawyers with The Bernard Law Firm for a free and comprehensive consultation. Contact us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE brochure, which has useful and educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

When it comes to motorcycle accidents, there is no question that helmets save lives. In Washington State, wearing a helmet for motorcycle riders isn’t an option or a choice. Here, it’s the law. The law also requires riders to wear a helmet that has been certified by the manufacturer as meeting the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) safety standards. A helmet meeting these standards set by DOT will have a sticker on the back and inside labeling indicating the name, helmet model, size and other manufacturing information. In addition, a certified helmet has an inner foam lining usually about an inch thick. These certified helmets do not flex as easily as novelty helmets which are made with plastic and offer very little protection in the event of a crash.

It’s important to note that legal helmets are designed to save lives and prevent catastrophic or fatal head injuries which are extremely common in motorcycle accidents. The other helmets are sold only as novelty items and are never intended to be used on the road. During a motorcycle collision, these novelty helmets provide zero protection to the rider. Unfortunately, not many motorcycle riders in Washington State know the difference between DOT-approved helmets and novelty helmets.

If you ride a motorcycle in Washington State, it will be worth your time to research these important facts about your helmet. It could save your life one day. For more information about how to identify these bogus or novelty helmets, please visit the Washington Safety Patrol’s Web site (http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/docs/equipmt/helmet.pdf).

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury lawyers with The Bernard Law Firm for a free and comprehensive consultation. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

A news report in King5 states that there may have been injuries in a Seattle motorcycle accident on the Interstate 5, which also involved a car. According to the report, the accident happened between Mercer Street and the State Route 520 interchange. The cause of the crash is still unknown as is the extent of the injuries.

In any accident involving a car and a motorcycle, it is very likely that a motorcyclist would suffer more serious injuries because motorcycle riders do not have the same level of protection as drivers of other larger vehicles. Motorcyclists are basically exposed to the elements and risk being thrown off their motorcycle. That is why it is extremely important for motorcyclists to be well-protected. If you ride a motorcycle in Seattle or Washington State, the law requires that you wear a helmet. You should be wearing a full-faced helmet to protect yourself from severe, potentially fatal, head injuries.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident as a result of a product defect, dangerous roadway condition or a negligent driver, please contact a skilled Seattle personal injury lawyer with The Bernard Law Firm for a free and comprehensive consultation. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases, which will help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.

Source:http://www.king5.com/news/Accident-blocks-I-5-traffic-in-Seattle-80362922.html

A 64-year-old man suffered serious spinal cord injuries in a Washington motorcycle accident after he struck a vehicle while attempting to make a left turn at an intersection, the Tri City Herald reports. The motorcyclist was riding a Honda ST1300 west on Columbia Drive, in Spokane, and was attempting to turn left onto Washington Street when his motorcycle collided with a 2005 Dodge Caravan minivan. The motorcycle rider was thrown several feet by the impact of the collision. The injured motorcyclist was wearing a helmet. The driver of the minivan suffered bruises when the airbag deployed.

In any such accident that occurs at an intersection, the investigation will usually focus on who had the right-of-way at the intersection. According to the Revised Code of Washington 46.61.185: “The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates motorcyclists are 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled in 2007 and nine times more likely to be injured. In 2008, motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 17 percent of all occupant fatalities and 4 percent of all occupants injured.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident as a result of a distracted driver, please contact the experienced Seattle injury lawyers with The Bernard Law Firm for a free and comprehensive consultation. Contact us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE brochure, which has useful and educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his aggressive legal team today.

Source:http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/839616.html