While my kids love to see the snow as it means school cancellations and snowball fights, as an Auburn personal injury attorney and Kent wrongful death lawyer I tense up when I think about all the serious and fatal auto accidents that accompany each big snowstorm.

The snow and ice that has been thrashing Washington this week may have contributed to the fatal car crash involving a Kent police officer. Kent police officer Robin McCuistion who was with the Kent Police Department for 13 years died at the age of 53 when his car left the roadway and smashed into a tree. On Thursday, February 24th Officer McCuistion was driving home on Kersey Way Southeast in Auburn while Jim Radford, followed. Officer McCuistion proceeded up a hill while Radford remained behind at a red light- the hill was blocked off by police before Radford could drive up it and McCuistion drove back down to provide an alternate route when he crashed.

McCuistion’s vehicle left the road and rolled down an embankment before it crashed into a tree around 12:20 Thursday morning. McCuistion died at the scene of the crash. Investigation into the accident is ongoing, but the snow and ice could have played a significant role in this fatal car crash.

Our thoughts go out to the McCuistion family as well as all of the colleagues and friends of Robin McCuistion as they deal with this sudden loss. Memorial arrangements have not yet been set up, for updated information on the ceremony visit The Seattle Times. Every winter thousands of people are injured in weather related auto accidents- and while our state has made significant progress in preparing for these harsh conditions, those dangerous ice patches always remain a possibility on the roads. Even for experienced drivers such as Officer McCuistion these weather conditions can prove to be too much to handle.  The best way to avoid an accident such as this is to avoid driving in the snow if possible, but if you must hit the roads be sure to check your snow plow routes and go at a time after the plows and sand trucks have had a chance to make the road safer.

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