On Monday evening, a massive car crash occurred on State Route 2 in Snohomish County that injured eight people, including five children. In total, five vehicles were involved in the pile-up. The crash was caused by a Dodge Durango rear-ending a slowing Chevy Blazer that then impacted into the Chrysler minivan stopped and attempting to turn left. The Durango then veered left into the oncoming traffic, crashing into a Dodge Caravan. The vehicle behind the Caravan attempted to avoid the collision and ended up in a roadside ditch.
The driver of the offending Durango, Heather Lee, confessed to having smoke “a bowl” of marijuana earlier that day. The driver stated she was distracted primarily due to her two kids fighting and screaming in the back seat. Depending on the exact time in which Ms. Lee smoked, she may have been impaired at the time of the accident. Washington State’s laws for marijuana DUI is noted to be fairly strict so it is very likely Ms. Lee was above the legal limit of intoxication at the time of the crash.
However; Valerie Ballard, a driver involved in the crash who has lived on State Route 2 her entire life, claims that much of the incident was due to the poorly maintained highway. Ms. Ballard believes the state should widen the road to four lanes to reduce the likelihood of similar accidents.
I share a similar opinion. Unfortunately, the costs of road maintenance are very high and there isn't a sufficiently high gas tax in place to improve road conditions in Washington State. In the future I will be writing a more detailed blog post regarding my opinions on the pros and cons of a higher gas tax.
If you or a friend has been injured due to a car accident like the one above, Scott McDonald and Associates has extensive experience handling cases like yours. I encourage you to contact us today for the helping hand you deserve.