An accident involving a pickup truck claimed one life and sent a second occupant to the hospital, Washington State Patrol officials reported. The crash, which happened near Purdy, only involved one vehicle.
The WSP told reporters that a 39-year-old man from Gig Harbor was behind the wheel of a pickup truck heading east on S.R. 302 early Saturday when the vehicle veered off the roadway to the right, hitting the guardrail before spinning around off the roadway and slamming into several trees.
As officials responded to the scene of the accident at about 5:10 a.m., they learned that the driver had died. The second occupant, a 38-year-old man from Bremerton, was injured and was treated at the scene. Neither of the vehicle occupants was wearing a seat belt.
Officials are still looking into the accident to identify what caused it.
Avoid Serious Accident-Related Injuries By Wearing Your Seat Belt
In the state of Washington, the law requires that anybody older than 8 or taller than 4’9” must wear a seat belt while inside of a car. Children who aren’t 4’9” or 8 yet must be placed in a booster or car safety seat. Unfortunately, many drivers ignore this law, failing to buckle up or allowing passengers to ride along without wearing a seat belt.
As personal injury attorneys, we have seen countless similar accidents involving unbuckled victims. That’s why we hope that this report serves as a reminder to Washington drivers and passengers that ignoring the law can be deadly.
Currently, if you’re pulled over in Washington for failure to wear a seat belt, you will be cited and given a Notice of Infraction. In addition, the infraction will be recorded in your driver history.
In a worst case scenario, however, you might be involved in an accident before an officer has the chance to pull you over, and your improper seat belt use might expose you to serious injury risks.
If you would like to read more about this accident, follow this link for the full report.
