One of the most important elements in dealing with a car accident in Seattle is determining fault. Establishing liability must be done before accident expenses can be properly addressed.

Oftentimes deciding who was liable can be difficult and requires the intervention of law enforcement officials along with the assistance of witnesses to an accident (even then, there can still be disputes over what was seen and/or perceived). Then, of course, there are cases where fault is seemingly apparent.

Traveling north in southbound lanes

This would seem to be the case in a collision that recently occurred near Olympia. Interstate 5 was shut down for several hours after a fatal crash between two cars and semi-truck. Reports say that a vehicle has been traveling north in the southbound lanes before colliding with the semi-truck (and then apparently striking another vehicle. Neither the driver of the semi-truck nor the driver of the car going southbound were injured. Both the driver of the wrong-way vehicle and her passenger were killed in the collision. No report was made as to how long the wrong-way vehicle was driving in the wrong direction.

Can liability be assigned to a deceased driver?

Some might view this case and question where accident liability might come into play (given the fact that the responsible driver was killed). Yet there are repairs to the other vehicles involved that need to be attended to, as well as the emotional and financial void left by the loss of her passenger. In cases such as this, accident victims can indeed hold drivers responsible even if those drivers are killed; compensation would simply bee collected from their estates. Those looking to do this may first want to consult with an experienced attorney.