In September 2005 S.B. was on her way to work traveling westbound on State Route 202 in King County, Washington. As traffic slowed and became congested, S.B. slowed her vehicle to a stop accordingly. While stopped in traffic she was unexpectedly rear-ended by C.V., who had failed to notice the stopped traffic. The impact pushed S.B.’s vehicle into the stopped car in front of her which then collided with another car in front of them, setting off a chain reaction that involved 4 vehicles in total. S.B. was the first vehicle to be struck, thus sustaining the strongest impact. A second impact was incurred when her car was pushed into and struck the car ahead. Washington State Patrol responded to the scene and upon investigation cited C.V. for “speed too fast”. 

Massive damage was done to the front and back S.B.’s 1997 Honda. The hood was folded in half; the rear bumper pushed into the trunk compartment/back seat.

Upon impact, S.B.’s body was forcefully jolted and tossed around the inside of the vehicle. Her head was violently whipped forward and then snapped backwards in a whip-like motion, bluntly striking against the headrest. In addition, S.B.’s body was slammed against the restraint of her seat belt.

C.V. was negligent when he failed to maintain a safe traveling speed for the conditions and watch out for traffic ahead. As a direct result, S.B. sustained injuries to her neck, shoulder, back, and associated body structures. A summary of her injuries and treatment are outlined below.

• Cervical strain/sprain and spinal subluxations with tenderness, pain, muscle spasms, and limited range of motion. Whiplash injury resulting in acceleration of spinal disc disease and ligamentous instability.
• Back strain/sprain and spinal subluxations with tenderness, pain, muscle spasms, and limited range of motion (thoracic regions). Resultant acceleration of spinal disc disease and ligamentous instability.
• Shoulder contusion with pain, tenderness, muscle spasm, and limited range of motion.
• Chest pain and contusion with tenderness and discomfort (from hitting steering wheel)
• Wrist (left) sprain with pain, tenderness and limited range of motion
• Leg contusion (right) with pain and tenderness
• Headaches
• Sleep disturbances/fatigue

S.B. hired Seattle accident attorney Chris Davis the Davis Law Group to manage the insurance claim, settlement negotiations with SAFECO Insurance, etc.

*Initials rather than names are used to protect the identity of the parties.