Davis Law Group, P.S.

Bicyclist hit by drunk driver near Yelm

Story Highlights:
One injured in Yelm bicycle accident
Car vs. bicycle collision caused by DUI
At-fault driver arrested



Date: March 12, 2011, 03/12/2011
Location: Yelm, Thurston County, Washington
Type: Bicycle accident, Motor vehicle collision
Outcome: One injured

A bicyclist was injured early Saturday after he was hit by a truck on 118th Avenue at Fillman Road in Yelm.

Around 2 a.m. 48-year-old Matthew A. Sandelius was injured when 24-year-old Ashley N. Wheeler crossed the center line in her truck and hit him. Sandelius was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital.

Wheeler was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and hit-and-run, according to the report filed by Washington State Patrol.

Yelm Fatal Accident Statistics
Fatal accident count: 3
Vehicles involved in fatal accidents: 3
Fatal accidents caused by drunken drivers: 3
Fatalities: 3
Persons involved in fatal accidents: 4
Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents: 1

Bicycle Injury and Fatal Accident Statistics

• 660 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2002.
• Bicycle accident injuries and/or deaths are most likely to occur in summer.
• Bicycle accident injuries and deaths are most likely to occur on Fridays and Saturdays. 
• Ninety-eight percent of bicyclists killed in 1999 reportedly weren't wearing helmets.
  
• Seventy-one percent of 1999 bicycle deaths were riders 16 years and older. This compares with 32 percent of bicycle deaths in 1975.
• More bicyclists are injured or killed in urban areas than in rural areas.
• Thirty-five percent of bicycle deaths occur at intersections.
• Fifty-seven percent of bicycle deaths in 1999 occurred on major roads, and 37 percent occurred on local roads.
• Fifty-nine percent of bicycle deaths among children younger than 13 and 27 percent of adult bicycle deaths occur on minor roads.
• Adult bicyclists are more likely than children to be killed on major roads (67 percent compared with 38 percent)

Washington State Drunk Driving Law
Washington State law provides that the drivers on the road have the duty to not operate a motor vehicle when under the influence of alcohol. See RCW 46.61.502.

Seattle Bicycle Accident Lawyers
If you or a family member has suffered as the result of a crosswalk or pedestrian accident in Washington state, pedestrian accident attorney Chris Davis and the Davis Law Group, P.S. can help you. We are committed to helping injured pedestrians recover the just and fair compensation they are entitled to receive under the law.