Having focused my career on Seattle auto accidents and Washington wrongful death I have seen some incredibly irresponsible people cause chaos on the roads leading to fatal King County auto accidents. Driver inattention intoxicated driving and reckless driving such as speeding or ignoring road rules are what people commonly attribute to accidents. Medications and medical conditions, however, I have also seen to cause havoc on the roads.

In 2009 there was an Everett auto accident that lead to the death of a 63-year-old man. John Spudich was stopped at a red light when his minivan was struck by a truck traveling at 70 miles per hour- crushing Spudich’s vehicle into the vehicle in front of him. Spudich did not survive the accident.

The at-fault party a 69-year-old Edmonds man, Ben Garnet Holt was traveling over twice the 30 mile per hour speed limit at the time of the accident. Upon further investigation it was provent hat Holt failed to apply the break at all before the auto accident and blood tests reveiled a significant amount of anti-convulsant drugs in his system meant to control epileptic seizures.

After investigating Holt’s history it has been determined that Holt’s medical condition has contributed to quite a few auto accidents over the years. In 2000, Holt blacked out while driving hitting a vehicle in front of him three times. Two years later he took out a mailbox and speed limit sign before crashing his car into a tree. Later, in 2005 and2006 Holt was involved in auto accidents which endangered and lead to the injuries of other drivers on the road.

According to Washington state law, individuals with severe epilepsy are not legally able to drive without clearance from a physician. There is, however, no law requiring the police or physicians to report epileptic individuals to the department of licensing- which puts the burden of revoking a license on the patient often times. If a doctor or police officer doesn’t report the incident there is a chance these dangerous drivers will remain on the road.

Although many people fail to see the importance of wrongful death lawyers, it is incidents such as these that make them indispensable in our society. Because of an aggressive personal injury attorney John Spudich’s family has a chance to receive justice for John Spudich’s untimely death. Individuals simply don’t have the resources to investigate a drivers history etc. as extensively as a lawyer can- and a lawyer removes the burden from the family so they may focus on recovery.

If you have been affected by a situation such as this I encourage you to contact a wrongful death lawyer. I also suggest you take a look at a book which I co-authored with attorney Patrick J. Kang titled: In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death. This book is free to Washington state residents and can help you understand your case better and help you figure out the right course of action for you and your family to take. You may get your free copy by clicking on the link above.

Tags: , , , , ,