Seattle Hit-and-Run Driver Found and Arrested on Suspicion of DUI
Posted Friday, June 4, 2021 by Chris Thayer
A serious accident took place earlier this week at the intersection of East Marginal Way South and Diagonal Avenue South in Seattle. The collision occurred around 10:00 p.m. between two sedans. According to witnesses, an Infinity sedan was driving recklessly before it drove over the median and into oncoming traffic, where it hit another sedan head-on. Both vehicles were totaled by the accident, with the second vehicle almost entirely compacted. The 25-year-old driver of that car had to be cut out of his vehicle by emergency crews and transported to a hospital for treatment. When police arrived at the scene, however, the driver of the Infinity sedan was already gone. According to witnesses, a male driver who had been following the Infinity sedan stopped at the scene of the accident, pulled the reckless driver from the car, and put him into his car before quickly driving away. Police were later able to track the missing responsible driver to Harborview Medical Center, where his friend had taken him for treatment of his serious injuries (coincidentally, the same place the victim of the accident was taken as well). Police say the driver’s friend had been following him home when he got in the wreck, and the friend removed him from the scene and eventually took him to receive medical treatment. Police arrested the driver at the hospital on suspicion of DUI. Additional charges have not yet been announced, and the conditions of both men are currently unknown. However, the police investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
*Suing Someone for Reckless Driving * If you have been injured in a car accident in Seattle due to someone else’s negligence, you have options legally to seek compensation for the harm you have suffered. When someone drives drunk or under the influence of drugs (even legal ones) that impair their ability to drive safely, they breach their duty of care to you and all other drivers on the road, and they can be legally held accountable for the harm that they cause as a result of this breach. While the civil process for bringing a personal injury lawsuit is separate from the criminal process of charging someone with DUI or another driving-related offense, these processes are not mutually exclusive. In fact, you can pursue both criminal charges and a personal injury lawsuit. A conviction of DUI or reckless driving can support your civil claim. This is especially true because the criminal court system has a much higher standard of proof than the civil court system. For this reason, if evidence of negligence (such as intoxication, reckless driving, etc.) is found in criminal court, it will almost certainly suffice to meet the lower standard of proof required in civil court. While a lawsuit cannot keep the accident from happening, it can restore you to the position you would have been in financially, had the accident never occurred.
*Consult With a Seattle Personal Injury Attorney * If you have been involved in a Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island, or Issaquah accident and suffered serious injury, contact Pivotal Law Group and schedule a consultation today.