Despite being one of the most populous cities in the country, Seattle, Washington, has fairly safe streets and highways. According to Allstate, the city has the third-best drivers in the country as measured by its rates of hard braking, speeding, and phone handling. These behaviors translate into relatively low crash numbers in Seattle car accident statistics.
However, Seattle drivers still get into car accidents. They can suffer life-altering injuries and significant financial expenses from these collisions. At Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer, our Seattle car accident lawyers help crash victims pursue fair compensation for their injury-related losses.
Contact us today at (253) 948-0250 to schedule a free consultation.
How Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help After a Car Accident in Seattle, WA
Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer has successfully recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for accident victims in Seattle, Washington. Our founding attorney, Darrell Cochran, has decades of experience and earned the prestigious AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Our Seattle personal injury lawyers provide the following services:
- Talking to you about your injuries and the options you have for compensation
- Gathering documents and records, and filing an insurance claim
- Fighting the insurer for a fair resolution of your claim
- Taking your case to court if the insurer fails to resolve it
A car accident injury can produce temporary or permanent disabilities that impact your earning capacity and quality of life. Contact Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer for a free consultation with a Seattle car accident attorney to learn how we can help you with your injury case.
Traffic Accidents in Seattle
Seattle’s current and historical traffic crash statistics are available using the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Crash Data Portal. In a recent year, Seattle had 7,904 total traffic accidents. Bear in mind that this number includes only those inside the city limits and excludes the crashes in Tacoma and the suburbs across the Puget Sound region.
These collisions included the following:
- 391 pedestrian accidents
- 281 bicycle accidents
- 493 truck accidents
- 135 motorcycle accidents
- 19 collisions with trains
The remaining crashes included both single-vehicle accidents and multi-vehicle collisions. Single-vehicle accidents happen when drivers lose control of their vehicles and collide with a fixed object, run off the road, or roll over. Multi-vehicle crashes happen when two or more automobiles collide.
Outcomes of Car Accidents
Seattle’s crashes in a recent year included 2,698 accidents that resulted in at least one injury or fatality.
WSDOT breaks these crashes down as follows:
- 38 fatal accidents
- 250 serious injury accidents that incapacitated at least one victim
- 1,231 minor injury accidents that caused at least one visible, non-incapacitating injury
- 1,179 possible injury crashes that caused pain but no visible injuries
These severity ratings are based on the most serious injury caused by the accident. Thus, a crash in which a driver suffers chest bruises and a pedestrian suffers a broken leg will be classified as a serious injury accident even though it caused one serious injury and one minor injury.
Moreover, these ratings are assigned by the investigating officers at the accident scene. If someone has delayed symptoms, they might be classified as uninjured despite requiring medical attention at a later time. For example, concussions often have delayed symptoms that appear hours or days after an accident.
Focusing on the fatal and serious injury crashes, 41 people died in Seattle accidents, and 285 people suffered an injury severe enough that they could not drive away from the accident scene. These numbers include 105 pedestrians and 35 bicyclists who were either killed or seriously injured.
Common Causes of Seattle Crashes
The cause of an accident often determines the injury compensation you can recover. According to the Crash Data Portal, some of the leading causes of crashes that resulted in serious injuries or deaths included the following:
Inattentive or Distracted Drivers
Inattention happens when your mind is preoccupied while driving. A common cause of inattentive driving is talking on the phone. Inattention can also result from fatigue, daydreaming, or upset emotions.
Distracted driving happens when you try to multitask while driving. Texting, eating, and adjusting the vehicle’s settings are common distractions.
All of these behaviors can prevent a driver from seeing hazards or reacting to avoid them. In a recent year, the police blamed 60 fatal or serious injury crashes on distracted or inattentive drivers.
Speeding
Speed-related crashes often produce more serious injuries because crash energy increases with velocity. Moreover, speeding increases the risk of causing a crash because the driver’s ability to control their vehicle may be compromised. Speed was identified as a contributing factor in 48 fatal or serious injury crashes.
Drug and Alcohol Use
Drugs or alcohol can impair a driver’s physical and mental fitness. Recently, police identified 58 fatal or serious injury crashes that resulted from drug or alcohol impairment.
Contact Our Seattle Car Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
A car accident can turn your life upside down and leave you facing medical bills without a way to pay them. We’re ready to fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer for a free consultation to discuss your injuries and the strategies we can use to pursue fair compensation for them.