Washington tops United States for seatbelt use at 97.5 percent
October 15, 2012
NEW — 4 p.m. Oct. 15, 2012
Washington topped the United States for seatbelt use last year, according to a recent federal report.
The report said 97.5 percent of Washingtonians buckled up in 2011. The release marked the seventh consecutive year the state’s seatbelt use rate exceeded 95 percent.
The national average for seatbelt use last year reached 84 percent.
“News like this makes me proud to be living in Washington,” Darrin Grondel, Washington Traffic Safety Commission director, said in a statement. “Safe roadways are a team effort that includes everybody using their seat belts because they know that seat belts save lives.”
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center estimates wearing lap-and-shoulder restraints reduces a vehicle passenger’s risk of dying in a crash by 61 percent.
Officers bust 1,603 motorists for DUI during crackdown
October 2, 2012
Officers from the Issaquah Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in the state arrested 1,603 motorists for driving under the influence during the Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign from Aug. 17 to Sept. 3.
In King County, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 364 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In the same period last year, King County officers arrested 452 people for DUI. Statewide, officers arrested 1,824 motorists during the 2011 patrols.
Besides the Issaquah Police Department, the campaign included officers from the Bellevue, Newcastle, North Bend, Sammamish, Snoqualmie and Renton police departments, in addition to the Washington State Patrol.
The funding for extra patrols originated as a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
Driver dies in fiery tractor-trailer crash on Tiger Mountain
September 25, 2012
Flames engulfed a tractor-trailer early Sept. 21, as a crash near the Tiger Mountain summit along state Route 18 left the 60-year-old driver dead.
Washington State Patrol investigators identified the driver as a 60-year-old Pacific man but did not release his name, pending notification of family members.
Police said the accident occurred as the FedEx rig, a tractor hauling a pair of trailers, veered off the westbound lanes about six miles southeast of downtown Issaquah at about 6 a.m. Sept. 21.
The truck struck a tree about 20 feet from the road shoulder and then burst into flames. Fire engulfed the cab and spread to surrounding brush and trees.
Police capture offenders after Echo Glen Children’s Center assault, escape
September 25, 2012
Police captured six teenage offenders early Sept. 23 after the boys assaulted a guard and escaped from the Echo Glen Children’s Center, a juvenile detention facility in Snoqualmie.
The boys, ages 14 and 15, assaulted a female staff member and knocked her unconscious at about 11:30 p.m. Sept. 22. The boys then stole her keys and radio, locked her in a room and fled from the medium/maximum security facility.
Echo Glen is not fenced and is surrounded by forest and wetlands.
(Though the facility is administered by the state Department of Social and Health Services, the facility is in the Issaquah School District.)
Police capture teen offenders after escape from Echo Glen Children’s Center
September 23, 2012
NEW — 2:15 p.m. Sept. 23, 2012
Police captured six teenage offenders early Sunday morning after the boys assaulted a guard and escaped from the Echo Glen Children’s Center, a juvenile detention facility in Snoqualmie.
The boys, ages 14 and 15, assaulted a female staff member and knocked her unconscious at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The boys then stole her keys and radio, locked her in a room and fled from the medium/maximum security facility.
Echo Glen is not fenced and is surrounded by forest and wetlands.
(Though the facility is administered by the state Department of Social and Health Services, Echo Glen is in the Issaquah School District.)
Troopers launch crackdown against aggressive motorists
September 23, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. Sept. 21, 2012
State troopers plan to crack down on aggressive motorists starting Monday, in a regional effort to change drivers’ behavior around commercial vehicles.
Officials said collision data shows cars cause the majority of crashes involving cars and commercial vehicles. Washington State Patrol troopers received a grant to conduct a weeklong Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, emphasis in King County.
In King County, most collisions involving commercial vehicles happen on interstates and state highways. Troopers plan to patrol Interstate 90 from Seattle to North Bend, plus stretches of Interstate 5, state Route 18 and more from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. — the time most collisions occur.
Driver dies in fiery tractor-trailer crash on Tiger Mountain
September 21, 2012
NEW — 9:45 a.m. Sept. 21, 2012
Westbound state Route 18 near Issaquah closed to traffic for more than 90 minutes early Friday after a fiery crash on Tiger Mountain left a tractor-trailer driver dead.
The vehicle, a FedEx rig hauling a pair of trailers, veered off the roadway just after 6 a.m. The truck struck a tree and then burst into flames along the westbound lanes. Flames engulfed the cab and spread to surrounding brush and trees.
The driver died in the incident, although investigators could not determine if he fell asleep or suffered a medical problem before the accident occurred. The driver’s name, age and city of residence have not yet been released.
Officers bust 1,603 motorists for DUI during Drive Hammered, Get Nailed
September 17, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Sept. 17, 2012
Officers from the Issaquah Police Department and other law enforcement agencies in the state arrested 1,603 motorists for driving under the influence during the Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign from Aug. 17 to Sept. 3.
In King County, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 364 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In the same period last year, King County officers arrested 452 people for DUI. Statewide, officers arrested 1,824 motorists during the 2011 patrols.
Besides the Issaquah Police Department, the campaign included officers from the Bellevue, Newcastle, North Bend, Sammamish, Snoqualmie and Renton police departments, in addition to the Washington State Patrol.
Washington State Patrol answers online safety questions via Twitter
September 12, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Sept. 12, 2012
Washington State Patrol detectives experienced in investigations of computer crimes against children plan to answer questions Wednesday about online safety.
Twitter users can use the hashtag #askWSP to ask the detectives questions during the 90-minute Q&A session. The only off-limits topic is anything related to active cases. The event runs from 2:30-4 p.m.
Sgt. Carlos Rodriguez is the commander of Washington’s Missing and Exploited Children’s Task Force and recently involved in the much-publicized arrests of Internet predators in Elma and Spanaway.
Sgt. Jesse Regalado commands the agency’s High-Tech Crimes Unit and is a recognized expert at recovering information off hard drives of missing persons and suspects.
Issaquah man injured in Pierce County crash
September 11, 2012
Pierce County firefighters rescued a 76-year-old Issaquah man Sept. 6, after his Chevrolet Suburban plunged into a ravine about eight miles north of Mount Rainier National Park.
Washington State Patrol troopers said motorist Charles Huffaker attempted to turn around near the Fairfax Bridge on state Route 165 at about 1 p.m. He then mistook the gas pedal for the brake and the Suburban slid off the road and about 20 feet down a steep embankment toward the Carbon River. He then attempted to climb back to the road, but lost his footing and fell about 100 feet down the ravine.
Off-duty law enforcement officers noticed the vehicle and stopped to investigate at about 4 p.m.
East Pierce Fire & Rescue crews later freed Huffaker, and medics airlifted him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with nonlife-threatening injuries.
