Updated on: 11/3/2020
A woman is dead after a Yakima County Sheriff's office vehicle ran her over Saturday night.
The woman was hit around 10 p.m. Saturday evening just 
west of Toppenish where the 36-year-old deputy driving a sheriff's office vehicle struck an unidentified victim.
Washington State Patrol has not released any identifying details of the female victim but stated that she was taken to a local hospital where she was later declared dead.
The deputy behind the wheel that night was not injured but has been placed on administrative leave following the incident as the investigation into what took place continues.
Legal Options For Pedestrian Accident Victims
Updated reporting has indicated that the woman struck in this incident may have been struck by an additional vehicle before being struck by the sheriff's deputy, turning this into a potential hit-and-run accident case.
Initial reports stated that the woman was lying in the middle of the eastbound lane of the road when the officer struck her, potentially creating issues of liability for any pedestrian accident claim.
While it is a common phrase that pedestrians always have the right of way, there are scenarios where a pedestrian can be found at fault for an accident as pedestrians do have their own responsibility to act reasonably while on or around public roads.
If a pedestrian acts in such a way that does not allow a reasonable person the chance to react and avoid a collision, then they may be found to be at fault for the accident.
In some cases, a victim's recovery may come down to negotiations of comparative negligence in which a victim may only get a percentage of their total damages equivalent to the percentage the third party agreed to claim responsibility for.
Accident claims involving comparative negligence are complex and require a skilled and experienced team of car accident attorneys to be handled properly and get the best result possible for accident victims.
Even more challenging than comparative negligence claims are claims against law enforcement.
Law enforcement officers are given special protection from lawsuits for their actions while on duty, making it especially challenging for injured parties to claim a recovery from police-involved accidents.
Between the law enforcement involvement, potential hit-and-run element, and the fatal nature of the collision the family members of the victim in this collision and any in similar accidents should seek the best legal guidance possible from a skilled and experienced team of wrongful death accident attorneys like the team at Davis Law Group.
Davis Law Group has been handling complex accident claims for victims across the state of Washington and offers free case evaluations to help accident victims of all kinds start their claim on the right foot.
To request your free case evaluation from Davis Law Group today call 206-727-4000 or use the chat or contact options on this screen 24 hours a day seven days a week.
