A fatal Oak Harbor auto accident left three dead and three more injured. The auto accident occurred around 9 p.m. on Friday, September 3^rd near Oak Harbor on Highway 20. Jordyn Weichert, a 21-year-old from Oak Harbor, was driving north on Highway 20 when his 1994 Chevrolet Blazer crossed the center line. When the car crossed the center into oncoming traffic the Blazer hit a Subaru Outback in a head-on collision killing three people.

The driver of the outback, Brian Wood, a 33-year-old from Vancouver B.C. was pronounced dead on the scene along with Jacob Quistork (25) and Frances Malloy (26) who were passengers in the Blazer. Erin Wood, Brian woods 31-year-old wife and passenger in the Outback was transported to Harborview Medical Center along with Samantha Bowling, 22 who was the front-street passenger in the Blazer.

Jordyn Weichert, driver of the Chevrolet Blazer, was taken to Whidbey General Hospital for his injuries.

Investigation into the accident is ongoing and it is believed the driver and passengers in the Blazer were on drugs at the time of the accident. Reportedly, Weichert passed the steering wheel to her passenger Bowling in order to take off her sweater at the time of the accident. Both Weichert and Bowling may face vehicular homicide charges.

Erin Wood is 7 months pregnant and expecting her first child in November. A memorial fund has been set up in Brian Wood’s name with proceeds to go to his wife and unborn child. Contributions can be made to the fund at any North Shore Credit Union or online through paypal.

It is always difficult to learn of lives lost in auto accidents. The last thing you want to worry about in these situations is legal issues. In an attempt to provide you with much deserved help and assistance, I have co-authored a book with attorney Patrick J. Kang which is a guide for families of Washington wrongful death victims.  The book is called, In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death, and is available at no charge to Washington residents by clicking on the preceding link.

Sunday September 6^th a fatal car accident occurred near the entrance to highway 167. The fatal car accident occurred when a gray Ford F350 crossed the center line at Thornton Avenue and Stewart Road at 2:30 in the morning.

The truck then slammed into a Toyota Echo head on ripping open the roof of the Echo. The driver of the Echo, a 24-year-old Pierce County man was pronounced dead on the scene.

The F-350 driver was rushed to Harborview Medical Center for serious injuries attained in the fatal car accident. When released the man could face vehicular homicide charges.

The crash is being investigated by the State Patrol. It was not raining at the time of the accident and there is an investigation going to figure out whether speed, drugs or alcohol played a role in the fatal car accident.

I send my thoughts out to the family and friends of the young man killed in this car accident. Dealing with a fatal car accident such as this is never easy and to help anyone in a similar situation take the next steps after a Washington wrongful death I have co-authored a book along with colleague Patrick J. Kang titled: In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death. This book is made to not only help you decide if you need a lawyer, but also help you prepare yourself for the journey ahead. This book is free to Washington state residents at the link above.

On Sunday September 6^th, rescue crews were sent to the 14500 block of Admiralty Way just after 7 p.m. When help arrived they found a 5-year-old girl had a severe fall out of a second story window and landed on the compacted dirty 15 feet below.

September 6^th around 7 p.m. medics were sent to the 14500 block of Admiralty Way when a young girl reportedly fell from a window. The 5-year-old girl was leaning against a window screen in the second story of the building when the screen gave out sending the girl to the hard dirt 15 feet below. Upon investigation it was found that the screen was still intact, the girl had fallen out of a bottom corner that had popped out of the window.

The girl was quickly rushed to Harborview Medical Center where she is being treated for serious injuries from the severe fall.

Window screens are not built to support any type of weight- even that of a young child. Shockingly this is the third incident this summer that the Lynwood fire district has dealt with- a rather high number for something most parents wouldn’t consider a hazard.

Here are some tips to help prevent your child from falling victim to a severe fall.

1. Supervision- supervising your child is crucial to preventing accidents
2. Keep furniture that your child can climb on away from windows
3. Lock windows when children are in the room
4. Don’t rely on window screens to protect your child- they are flimsy and not built to withstand any type of weight
5. Considering installing window guards if you have young children. These are available at a variety of places- you may view some different types by clicking on the preceding link.

This morning, Friday, September 03, a fatal motorcycle accident occurred at the 2700 block of Westlake Avenue North in Seattle. A man riding a Kawaskai Motorcycle flew from his bike at roughly 1:30 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a turn properly- sending him into the guardrail. After he was ejected from the bike his bike continued to flip several times until it came to a rest along the side of the road.

Aid quickly came to the scene of the motorcycle accident and sent the man to Harborview Medical Center where the rider later died.

Seattle Motorcycle Accident Claims Man's Life

My thought go out to the family of the victim in this horrible accident.

The summer sees a dramatic increase in these fatal motorcycle accidents as more riders take to the road to enjoy the mild weather. Sadly, it is improperly trained riders that make up most of these fatal motorcycle accidents. 93% of motorcycle accidents involved a rider who had not been formally trained. Because of these horrible statistics and the lack of information available to motorists I have written a book, “The Truth About Washington Motorcycle Accidents” which covers a motorcycle accident from the point of contact to the final phase in a court room. This book will also help you know when it is necessary to talk to an aggressive motorcycle accident lawyer regarding your claim. This book is free to Washington residents by clicking on the preceding link.

September 1^st, Seattle drivers were stuck in an extensive traffic jam as police pursued a 23-year-old male with a warrant for his arrest.

The suspect, identified as Joseph Ohms, was followed in a high speed chase down Route 526 and he opened fire on the police officer, sticking the patrol car. The pursuit continued onto southbound I-5 from Everett when Ohms struck a van triggering a Seattle car accident that not only knocked the van on its side but sent it sliding down the freeway for a considerable distance. The driver of the van, Tammy Fietkau, had her window open at the time of the collision and her arm was torn up when the van slid down the road. Fietkau, a 49-year-old woman was sent to Providence Medical Center and then to Harborview Medical Center with significant injuries from the Seattle car accident.

The Ohms’ car then spun out and crashed into a guard rail- sending him out on foot to evade police. Joseph Ohms was then pursued with the aid of search dogs and later arrested due to the helpful tips of local witnesses at the 7100 block of Olympic.

The suspect was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.

The fugitives car was thought to be stolen initially, but it has been discovered that the car was not stolen and simply had canceled license plates.

I wish Tammy Fietkau, an innocent bystander injured in this high speed chase requires fully from her injuries.



August 29^th, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a 13 year old Vancouver Washington boy was killed in a motorcycle accident. Peter Lenz was doing a practice lap around the course when he crashed his bike. He appeared fine after the fall and raised his hands up to make himself visible, but was struck and run over by another rider who didn’t have enough time to react.

Medics quickly placed Lenz in a neck brace and proceeded to perform CPR while rushing him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead just three hours after the motorcycle accident due to multiple traumas to his body and head.

Lenz is the youngest individual to die at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 101 years since it was built. In spite of this fact, safety regulations are currently being put on the chopping block in order to hopefully find a way to prevent this sort of horrible motorcycle accident from happening again. Currently this type of motorcycle racing has regulations such as age restrictions and experience requirements. A minimum of 2 years of experience and an age of 12 or older are required in order to participate in these events.

Lenz was an accomplished rider and had a minor motorcycle accident that turned deadly. This accident proves that there are always risks involved in riding motorcycles or ATV’s especially while racing and driving at high speeds. If you are considering allowing your child to take the plunge and ride a motorcycle or ATV please read this article on ATV Safety it will provide you with some useful tips to help protect your child from a horrible motorcycle accident.

My condolences go out to the Lenz family- I know this type of tragedy is difficult to deal with and I hope no other family has to go through this.

For the more experienced generation (I know the teens out there are rolling their eyes and declaring us old) teenagers are seen as reckless drivers. Giving a 3000 lb vehicle that can travel at high speeds to a 16 year old is a recipe for disaster. Reflecting back to my maturity and responsibility level at 16 and 17 years old I realize that I had no business behind the wheel. Reckless driving, speeding and distracted driving were very real factors and I am surprised I was never involved in a serious auto accident.

Thousands of people every year are not as fortunate as me in evading catastrophe and I think waiting til young adults are more mature and can handle to responsibility will see a significant drop in fatal auto accidents just as increasing the drinking age was met with a dramatic decrease in the number of drunk driving related fatalities.

European countries have driving ages of 18 and suffer fewer car accidents than the United States. There are only 336,000 car accidents in German, for example, while there are over 6 million in the United States every year.

This idea is most likely going to be met with some controversy- but I believe it is an easy way to increase road safety and give teens a chance to develop more maturity wise before getting behind the wheel. In the mean time the only way to help increase your teens safety is through knowledge and awareness and helping them make better and safer choices. Our parent resources section contains information on teaching your teen to drive, preparing your teen for the road, and how to talk to your teen about alcohol.

In Long Beach California on Sunday, August 22^nd a fatal car accident occurred just after midnight. A Ford Taurus and Mustang were racing eastbound on Ocean Boulevard at speeds over 100 mph when the two cars collided. The collision spun the Mustang off the road where it was crushed into a concrete sign along the median.

Three of the Mustangs four passengers flew out of the vehicle. An unidentified female along with a 32 year old woman and the 18 year old driver, Jesse Heredia, were pronounced dead when rescue crews arrived.  The other passenger, a 19-year-old male was rushed to the hospital where he died the following Tuesday from his injuries.

Ford Mustang Crashed Into a Cement Sign

The Damage from the Taurus and Mustang Colliding

The Taurus was beat up from the collision with the Mustang, but the occupants suffered little injury and attempted to flee the scene on foot. When caught by police the driver was found to not have a license and the vehicle was stolen.

The 17-year-old boy driving the Taurus has been placed in police custody and now faces charges for four deaths.

It is horrible incidents such as these that make the car accident fatality rate for teens so high. As a parent this can be disconcerting and stressful- but there are steps you can take to help make your teen a better and safer driver the article: Top Teen Driving Tips is a useful tool for parents in teaching their child the ways of the road and preventing accidents like this through proactive measures.

It is irresponsible behavior such as this that leads to teens fatal car accidents. For parents this can make it difficult for you to hand over your keys to your teenage driver- but there are things you can do to take control and make your teen a safer driver. In our parent resource section of our website we have a variety of articles giving parents tips on teaching your teen to drive, teaching teens highway safety and talking to your teen about drunk driving.

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.

The dangers of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s) has been known since the 1970’s when three-wheelers were banned due to their nature to easily flip.

A Puyallup teen was recently killed while using an All-Terrain Vehicle near Forest Grove Oregon. The 16 year-old, Louie Hertel, was visiting family in Oregon and helping with farm work when his ATV flipped trapping him underneath. Hertel was able to call 911 from a cell phone and told operators he was “injured all over”. By the time help arrived Hertel had passed away and was pronounced dead at the scene. After an investigation into the incident the Sheriff’s office determined that the ATV flipped when it hit large ruts hidden in the tall grass.

Sadly this is just one of hundreds of fatal ATV accidents that happen every year. Thousands of people visit emergency rooms with injuries related to ATV accidents which is why regulations have been placed on ATV use. It is illegal to operate an ATV after dark without the use of both a headlight and backlight, and these vehicles are not allowed on highways unless marked for their use. In spite of these regulations, accidents continue to plague the United States particularly in the summer months. In order to help you protect your teens and children from a fatal ATV accident I have written an article outlining different safety precautions and steps you can take to protect your children from such a grave outcome. The article: ATV Accident Prevention Tips can be viewed through the preceding link.