Kootenai Health Van Hits Pedestrian in Downtown Spokane

June 5, 2018

On June 4, 2018, a tragic accident occurred. A pedestrian was hit by a Kootenai Health Van in Downtown Spokane. According to KREM, police were checking for impairment and that the crash was being treated as a traffic violation.

That traffic violation could have been a failure to yield. Motorists should exercise due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians, and vehicles should stop at intersections to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the road. While we’re not completely certain what happened and will not speculate here, we can point out that Washington crosswalk law states that “The operator of an approaching vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicycle to cross the roadway within an unmarked or marked crosswalk when the pedestrian or bicycle is upon or within one lane of the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning.”

Truck and commercial vehicle accidents:

Kootenai Health Transportation Services is operated by Kootenai Health, a great, community involved organization. Still, any truck, van or other commercial vehicle operator owes a duty of care to everyone on the road. Two forms of negligence which injure and kill far more people than drunk drivers are distracted drivers and/or drowsy drivers.

Commercial vehicle accidents are very complex cases as there are frequently multiple negligent parties, and commercial vehicle operators often have sophisticated insurance companies who are known to delay or deny injury claims, and especially wrongful death claims. Unfortunately, in many cases they will try to blame other drivers or pedestrians for their own injuries.

Do I need a lawyer after a crash with a commercial vehicle?

If you were seriously injured by a box truck, van, tractor trailer or shuttle bus, contact us as soon as possible after the accident. Time is of the essence and while you are recovering an insurer could be building their case against you.

In the event a loved one was lost in a crash by a commercial vehicle, it is very important to contact us quickly. There may be no event more devastating than losing your loved one in a fatal auto collision or other type of accident. Our experienced and compassionate lawyers at Crary, Clark, Domanico, & Chuang, P.S., may never truly understand the loss that you suffered from the death of your family member, but we will strive to help you move past this difficult time by pursuing compensation on your behalf via a wrongful death claim.

Call us for a free, confidential consultation. We will only advise you of options which are in your best interest.

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