Davis Law Group, P.S.

Pedestrian seriously injured in I-5 collision

Story Highlights:
Two injured in Seattle accident
Motor vehicle collision caused by pedestrian in freeway
All I-5 northbound lanes blocked for several hours



Date: April 30, 2011, 04/30/2011
Location: Seattle, King County, Washington
Type: Pedestrian accident, Motor vehicle collision
Outcome: Two injured

Two people were injured in a collision on I-5 in Seattle.

Early Saturday morning, around 1:30 a.m., 39-year-old Thau Qual Le attempted to cross the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 near Interstate 90 in Seattle. He was struck by a 1993 Honda Accord driven by 26-year-old Joel Martinez-Jose. The Honda then veered into the path of a semi truck, driven by 50-year-old Marvin Copsey, and was struck.

Qual Le was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition. Martinez-Jose was also taken to Harborview Medical center. His car was totaled but he was able to escape with only minor injuries. Copsey was not injured.

The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were completely shut down until 7 a.m. The accident is still under investigation by Washington State Patrol and the causing factors are unknown and have not been reported.

Crossing at other than crosswalks (See RCW 46.61.240)
(1) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
(2) Where curb ramps exist at or adjacent to intersections or at marked crosswalks in other locations, disabled persons may enter the roadway from the curb ramps and cross the roadway within or as closely as practicable to the crosswalk. All other pedestrian rights and duties as defined elsewhere in this chapter remain applicable.
(3) Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
(4) Between adjacent intersections at which traffic-control signals are in operation pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk.
(5) No pedestrian shall cross a roadway intersection diagonally unless authorized by official traffic-control devices; and, when authorized to cross diagonally, pedestrians shall cross only in accordance with the official traffic-control devices pertaining to such crossing movements. (6) No pedestrian shall cross a roadway at an unmarked crosswalk where an official sign prohibits such crossing.

National Pedestrian Accident Statistics

• Pedestrian Deaths in 1995: 5,584
• Pedestrian Deaths in 2005: 4,881 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts)
• Pedestrian Injuries in 1995: 86,000 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts)
• Pedestrian Injuries in 2005: 64,000 (NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts)
• According to the National SAFEKIDS Campaign, more than 46,000 children are injured each year in pedestrian accidents
• The total cost of pedestrian death and injury among children ages 14 and younger is $5.2 billion per year (Safe Kids Worldwide).
• 70 percent of pedestrian killed in 2005 were males.
•  Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (74 percent).
• The top four states for pedestrian fatalities are California, Florida, Texas, and New York. These four states make up 42 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide while only accounting for 29 percent of the total traffic fatalities across the country.
• Nearly half (48 percent) of pedestrian fatalities occur on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Seattle Car Accident Victim Attorneys
A motor vehicle accident is when a road vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, road debris, or man-made object. These collisions can result in personal injury, property damage, or death. Motor vehicle accidents can involve automobiles, trucks, semi or tractor trailer trucks, delivery vehicles, passenger vans, motorcycles, etc. Contributing factors in traffic accidents can be vehicle design, speed of operation, road design, driver distraction (texting or talking on a cell phone while driving), and driver impairment (drunk driving). If you or a family member has suffered as the result of a car accident in Washington state, Seattle motor vehicle accident attorney Chris Davis and the Davis Law Group, P.S. can help you. We are committed to helping car accident, trucking accident, DUI accident, and motorcycle accident victims recover the just and fair compensation they are entitled to receive under the law.