Bellevue, Washington – Pickup Truck Hits Several Cars, Driver Suspected of Impairment

Bellevue, Washington (May 23, 2019) – The erratic driving of a man in a pickup truck was cause for a few struck cars on Thursday evening. Despite hitting multiple cars, no one was reported to be injured in the incident.

The sightings of the erratic driver appeared to have started in he 300 block of 105th Avenue Southeast. At one point, the pickup truck headed towards the freeway, hitting cars in the process. The truck was later found on the Interstate 90 at 118th Avenue Southeast, with its driver passed out behind the wheel. He was arrested by Washington State Patrol Troopers on suspicion of impairment. Investigation of the incident is ongoing.

About Vehicle Accidents

In 2017, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)  have reported a total of 120, 993 car accidents. Of those accidents, 525 were fatal ad 34, 311 were possible or suspected of injuries. On the other hand, the state of Washington’s  2015 Annual Collision Data Summary reported that 6,091 commercial vehicle or heavy trucks were involved in collisions in 2015. These crashes included 38 fatal collisions, 85 serious injury collisions, 1,352 minor injury collisions, 4,565 property damage collisions, and 51 unknown injury collisions.

Give the size and build difference between cars and trucks, collisions between the two often result in dangerous situations. Specifically, trucks can weigh 20-30 times more than passenger cars, and their height and greater ground clearance can cause smaller vehicles to be more easily toppled in car-truck accidents. Consequently, studies have proven that most deaths in large truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants, who are more vulnerable in case of collision. However, in a 2013 study, most car-truck accidents are often caused by car drivers, with relation to driver errors. Regardless of which vehicle you are driving, one must always exercise caution on the road. With both cars and trucks, drivers must be responsible for making sure their vehicle is in a good condition and not prone to vehicle failure, and to always consider the road and weather conditions. If you have been a victim of an accident involving these types of vehicles, we extend our sympathy and compassion.

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