Any person who holds a driver’s licence knows that driving requires a person’s full attention as well as quick reaction time should anything unexpected happen. A driver whose attention wanders, whose reflexes are not as sharp as they need to be and/or who makes an error in judgment can cause a great deal of damage. These types of dangerous situations may result from distractions such as cellphone use, unexpected health conditions or simply weak driving skills. Certainly, any one of these things may have caused a head-on crash that resulted in serious personal injury for a Washington woman.
The collision happened at approximately 5 p.m. on a recent Thursday in Rochester. According to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, a pickup truck traveling northwest on Old Highway 9 crossed the center line and struck a southeast-bound minivan head-on. The crash sent the minivan into an embankment.
The woman driving the minivan was airlifted to a Seattle hospital with serious injuries. The pickup driver and four children in the minivan all suffered minor injuries, none requiring hospitalization. Reportedly, the 22-year-old pickup driver was issued a citation for driving without insurance. He may also be charged with driving with a suspended licence in the second-degree.
Likely, many Washington drivers have experienced a time or two when their eyes have left the road momentarily or they drove while they were distracted or tired, and consequently, they found themselves drifting into the opposite lane. Fortunately, most often, drivers reach their destination safely, despite such errors. Sadly, sometimes tragedy ensues, and one or more people involved suffer injuries that may permanently impact their lifestyle or even lead to their death, and this could be the case here. Often, following these types of incidents, injured parties choose to pursue the matter in civil court. Washington attorneys experienced in personal injury law are available to review individual case details and advise victims of their legal options.