Police Chase Leads to Lakewood Car Crash | Tacoma Auto Crash Lawyer

After spending several years working with Kent personal injury cases as an auto accident attorney I have witnessed the mangled mess of metal a severe auto crash can make of a car. A car crashing into a tree, building, or other obstacle at high speeds can rip a car apart as a recent car hijacker who evaded police found out in a Lakewood car crash.

A Tacoma resident reported that their 1993 Honda sedan had been hijacked at knife point shortly before 11 am Tuesday, December 28^th. After receiving the report a police officer located the vehicle being driven by Mark A. Mertz in Lakewood, Washington. The police officer attempted to make a routine traffic stop and pull the stolen vehicle over, but Mertz refused to pull over and instead attempted to elude the police officer.

During the chase Mertz hit a curb which sent the Honda flying through the air and smashing into a tree in a Lakewood car crash. The impact from the accident was so great the Honda actually split in half. The accident occurred shortly before 11 am at 3900 100^th St. SW in Lakewood, Washington. The driver of the stolen vehicle did not suffer life threatening injuries; he was taken to the hospital, treated and then taken into custody for armed robbery and eluding a police officer.

The driver in this accident was very lucky not to have sustained serious and life-altering injuries, but most drivers are not so lucky. Auto accidents lead to a variety of injuries; whiplash, head or brain trauma, pelvic injuries and pregnancy complications to name a few, but there are some things you can do to help protect yourself from serious injury in an auto accident.

1.       Always wear your seatbelt: 60% of auto accident fatalities occur because the victim was not wearing a seat belt.

2.       Watch your speed: speeding contributes to an overwhelming number of serious auto accidents, and injuries in a high-speed accident are far more severe than those in a lower speed incident.

3.       Beware of adverse conditions: drive safely for the conditions on the road- slow down on slick, wet or icy roads.