Girl Dies After Accident in Whatcom County l Seattle Child Accident & Wrongful Death Lawyer

Date:  January 27, 2009
Location:  Nooksack River Bridge near Polinder Road, Whatcom County, WA
Type:  Van/Truck Accident
Outcome:  One Dead

A 7-year-old girl from Whatcom County died when a van and a pickup truck crashed on the Nooksack River Bridge near Polinder Road.

The accident blocked Hannegan Road for several hours. The Mercury Villager van, traveling northbound lost control on the icy bridge and spun out. A Chevrolet Silverado pickup pulling a flat-bed trailer was headed southbound and unable to stop in time and hit the van in the rear passenger sliding door, said Trooper Keith Leary.

The 7-year-old girl, Rachel Vekved, was in a booster seat in the van and was unresponsive at the scene. She later died at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.

Rachel's 6-year-old sister, Annie Vekved, was taken to the hospital, with minor injuries. She was treated and released. The girls' mother also suffered minor injuries and was treated at St. Joseph and released.

Dean Lenssen, the driver of the truck, was not injured.

The road reportedly had only a fine layer of snow, Leary said, but it was extremely slick due to freezing temperatures. Neither of the vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit, and alcohol use was not a factor.