Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Behind ‘Hailey’s Law’ Looks Forward to Safer Roads as DUI Drivers’ Cars Are Impounded

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) August 18, 2011

Dean Brett, the Seattle personal injury lawyer who brought a lawsuit that resulted in a new state law requiring police to impound the vehicles of DUI suspects, today applauded the activation of Hailey’s Law and said he looks forward to safer highways because of it.

The new law requires law enforcement officials to impound the car of a person arrested for impaired driving – in most cases for at least 12 hours. The law, which went into effect July 22, is named for Hailey French, a Whatcom County woman who was severely injured in a head-on collision with a car driven by a person who had been arrested for DUI and released two hours earlier. (French v. Parker, et al., Skagit County, No. 08-2-00530-8).

“We are pleased and proud that our pursuit of justice for Hailey French has grown into a cause and then legislation that will make the highways safer for everyone in the state of Washington through Hailey’s Law,” said Brett of the Seattle personal injury and wrongful death law firm, Brett Murphy – Washington’s Injury Lawyers.

“We all know to take away the keys of a person who is drunk. This law, finally, does that,” Brett continued. “We’re glad to have had a role in such a beneficial change that addresses the serious danger of drunk driving in our state.”

Brett and his firm brought a lawsuit on Hailey French’s behalf against the drunk driver, the Washington State Patrol and a local probation department, alleging that officials had failed to install a court-ordered ignition interlock device in the driver’s car after a previous arrest.

The resulting $5.5 million verdict in the drunk driving crash was the largest in Skagit County history.

The personal injury and wrongful death attorneys of Brett Murphy – Washington’s Injury Lawyers have helped people throughout Seattle and surrounding communities to recover monetary damages from the insurance companies of at-fault parties in car crashes involving drunken driving, negligence, recklessness and other actionable causes.

Brett said his firm’s lawyers coordinate all aspects of personal injury cases to create a clear picture of the harm that has befallen their clients and what’s necessary to deliver a just settlement to them.

“For Hailey French’s lawsuit, like we have done for many other deserving clients, we investigated and presented to the court several law enforcement experts who supported her, multiple medical experts who explained the extent of her injuries and recovery prospects, and economists who were able to break down for the jury the compounded losses she suffered,” said Brett, a Washington native with nearly 40 years of experience as a personal injury attorney.

“All cases have complications, however, and the experience, expertise and dedication of the legal team involved is what makes the difference.”

About Brett Murphy – Washington’s Injury Lawyers

Brett Murphy – Washington’s Injury Lawyers is a Washington personal injury law firm with offices in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Bellingham, Mt. Vernon and Vancouver, Washington. The firm represents car accident victims, including those injured in DUI/DWI accidents, and other personal injury victims throughout the state of Washington. The firm’s practice areas also include motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, boating accidents, construction accidents, railroad collisions and aviation crashes. For more information, call the firm at (800) 925-1875 or use its online contact form.

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