Davis Law Group, P.S.

La Center man dies in speeding collision

Story Highlights:
One dead in Cougar car accident
One-car collision caused by speeding



Date: April 2, 2011, 04/02/2011
Location: Cougar, Cowlitz County, Washington
Type: Car accident, Motor vehicle collision
Outcome: One dead

A man from La Center was killed in a one-car collision near Cougar on Saturday night.

While driving westbound on Highway 503 around 9 p.m., 63-year-old Neil M. Crocker's vehicle ran off the road onto an embankment before hitting a utility pole and coming to rest in a ditch. Crocker and his one passenger, 25-year-old William J. Quigley, were both ejected from the vehicle.

Crocker was pronounced dead at the scene while his passenger was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center for treatment of head lacerations and other injuries.

The vehicle was totaled and Washington State Patrol reported that the accident was caused by speeding.

Washington State Speed-related Accident Statistics

• Speeding-related fatalities have been increasing over the past ten years. The number of speed-related deaths from 1997 to 2001 was 237.8, while the average from 2002 to 2006 was 244, a 2.6% increase.
• In 2006, Washington experienced the second highest number of speed-related fatalities since 1997, with 253, second only to 2002’s number of 260.
• The speed-related fatality rate per 100 million vehicle-miles-traveled has decreased slightly, from .47 in 1997 to .45 in 2006, a 4.3% decrease. 59.6% of all speed-related deaths occurred on rural roads- for vehicle-occupants alone the percentage was 62.3%. However, a larger majority of motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian deaths occurred on urban roads, with 57.5%.
• On average, from 1997 to 2006, the speed-related fatality rate per vehicle-miles-traveled on rural roads was 2-4 times higher than the respective urban road rate.
•  Rural county roads experienced the largest percentage of speed-related deaths, with 30.7%, followed by rural highways, with 20%, and urban city streets, with 19.6%.
• County roads have the highest speed-related fatality rate, with 1.04 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles-traveled. This is almost six times higher than the interstate rate of .18, and almost three times higher than the city street rate of .36.
• Males represent the largest majority of speed-related deaths, on average, 75.1% from 1997 to 2006.

Washington State's Basic rule and maximum speed limits
No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing. In every event speed shall be so controlled as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle or other conveyance on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care. Except when a special hazard exists that requires lower speed, the limits specified in this section or established as hereinafter authorized shall be maximum lawful speeds, and no person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed in excess of such maximum limits.
(a) Twenty-five miles per hour on city and town streets;
(b) Fifty miles per hour on county roads;
(c) Sixty miles per hour on state highways.

Seattle Car Accident Victim Attorneys
Chris Davis and everyone at the Davis Law Group sends out their heartfelt condolences for the family and friends of Laurel E. Crittenden and hope they can find a knowledgeable wrongful death lawyer that will help settle their case and get them the compensation they deserve for suffering such a tragic loss. If you or a family member has suffered as the result of a car accident, Seattle car accident attorney Chris Davis and the Davis Law Group, P.S. can help you. We understand the devastation that can occur as a result of being in a serious auto accident. We are committed to helping car accident, trucking accident, and motorcycle accident victims recover the just and fair compensation they are entitled to receive under the law.