This week, a motorcycle accident involving a Seattle police officer made the news everywhere. While we’re glad no serious injuries were reported, we want to highlight just how important it is for drivers to watch out for motorcycle riders while on the road.
Officials say that the accident happened just south of the Snohomish border with King County.
The motorcycle rider, an officer, was not involved in a single-vehicle accident. Officials say that the collision involving a second vehicle happened on Interstate 5, and it caused two lanes of the southbound road to be blocked.
The officer was injured and taken to the hospital but was in stable condition, the Washington State Patrol reported. Due to the accident happening on Thursday morning, commuters experienced long backups.
While we’re not sure how this accident came about and what exactly happened, we do know that many similar accidents involve drivers who are simply oblivious of other vehicles when changing lanes.
Drivers must never make a lane change if they are not certain that it’s safe to do so. To do that, they must check their mirrors and look beyond them, because oftentimes, motorcycle riders will be in their blind spot.
Motorcyclists, on the other hand, must keep in mind that riding defensively will help them avoid accidents. And not staying in the driver’s blind spot is part of that.
We, as Seattle motorcycle accident lawyers and concerned Washingtonians, hope that the officer who was injured in this motorcycle accident is being able to recover in full. We also hope that officials are investigating this accident so more details are available to the public.
We can learn a lot from these accident reports. And it’s because of that that we like to share these stories with our readers and clients.
If you’re a motorcycle rider in Washington, remember to freshen up on your skills by taking defensive riding classes. Same goes to drivers, who are often to blame in these accidents.
Riders do not have the same protection that drivers have. As such, drivers must be focused and attentive. They also must beware that they when they are in an accident with a motorcycle rider, the odds are that the rider will be hurt precisely because they are more vulnerable. Being attentive and not letting distraction get in the way will help the driver to avoid collisions.
For more on this accident, follow this link.
