If traffic patterns on a Washington highway suddenly change, drivers and their passengers may be at risk for an accident if the drivers are not paying close attention. Distracted driving is a common factor in many collisions. A crash that occurred on a Sunday at approximately 12 p.m. sent several people to a nearby hospital with injuries.
Preliminary investigations indicate that a man in a pickup truck was westbound on the highway. At some point, traffic in front of his vehicle came to a stop. Investigators say the vehicle swerved suddenly as the man slammed on his brakes.
Moments later, the pickup truck hit an oncoming car in the eastbound lane. A woman and a man were in the vehicle that was struck. Rescue workers transported them both to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. The driver who had veered out of his lane was also injured.
In Washington collisions like this one, it is common for investigators to look for evidence of distracted or impaired driving. For instance, if a driver was looking down at a cellphone or was adjusting radio knobs just before a crash occurred, he or she may not have noticed that traffic patterns had changed, which may have resulted in him or her not being able to react swiftly enough to avoid the collision. Many such cases lead to litigation when a recovering victim seeks compensation for damages that were a direct result of another driver’s negligence.