Unfortunately, when bad weather comes to Seattle, the number of auto accidents goes up. As a Seattle auto accident attorney, I’ve had very busy days at work defending victims of auto accidents after a storm. In fact, the snow storm that passed over Seattle just last week resulted in hundreds of auto accidents. Often times, the most deadly of these car crashes in bad weather result in vehicle rollovers. Only about 3% of all auto accidents are rollovers, but unfortunately they contribute to 30% of all auto accident fatalities.
A Chevy Tahoe was driving eastbound on State Route 24 Friday morning, December 3rd, at 6:30am when it crashed. The car was exceeding the speed limit when the driver, Catarino Balderrama from Yakima, lost control of the vehicle. Due to the excessive speed and bad weather conditions, the Tahoe rolled over on the road. Passenger Gregorio Mejia-Maldonaldo was ejected from the SUV and he was transported to Harborview Medical Center when paramedics arrived. Balderrama, the driver, was wearing a seatbelt and sustained no serious injuries.
While SUVs like this Chevy Tahoe are much more likely to rollover in bad weather conditions, the danger of a vehicle rolling over is a threat to smaller passenger vehicles as well. In order to avoid life threatening situations on the road, it is important for drivers to familiarize themselves with safety precautions that can be taken while sitting behind the wheel. To learn more about driving in bad weather conditions, read our article with tips on driving in the snow.