February 14th, 2013
Posted in 
Spokane, WA- While fleeing from police a convict ran a stop sign in a Spokane neighborhood killing a local father and graphic artist.
Early Sunday afternoon, convict Brian Storms, 38, was speeding in his black Honda through a residential area when he ran a stop sign at Empire Ave. and Helena St., the Spokesman reported. Storms, traveling northbound, was allegedly high on methamphetamine when he sped through the stop going an estimated 50 mph.
When Storms ran through the sign, he slammed into a Ford truck driven by Kevin Smith who had gone to the store to get his wife some eggs, KXLY reported. Storms’ Honda broadsided Smith’s truck.
The impact at that high a rate of speed caused debris from both vehicles scattered about the road. Smith’s truck slammed into telephone pole which snapped in fell into a nearby yard.
The Spokesman reported that a patrol car saw Storms speeding through the neighborhood and was about to initiate a pursuit.
Spokane Police Capt. said, “The accident happened before the officer even had a chance to get behind him.”
After the crash Storms took off on foot, but were chased by an officer and a witness ran him down. Storms and his passenger were injured but they are expected to recover from their injuries.
Police will charge Storms with vehicular manslaughter. According to reports, Storms has multiple convictions for eluding police, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.
Speaking to the Spokesman, Smith’s wife Renee, with her two sons by her side said, “It kills me. I just can’t. I mean it’s so selfish, very selfish and it should have been him…not my husband.” It pains her to know she lost her husband by someone just trying to save themselves from spending more time behind bars.
The NHTSA estimates close to one-third of all fatal accidents are caused by speeding drivers, and injuries from these high-speed collisions can lead to serious injuries. It can take the length of a football field for a driver traveling at 55 mph to come to a stop.
And what makes this accident worse is that Storms was speeding through a traffic stop. Drivers who run stop signs of red lights, especially when they are traveling at a very high rate of speed, can cause fatal or severe injuries to themselves and other drivers. Storms cause a T-bone accident which is notorious for being one of the most harmful and injurious accidents a person can be involved in.
Often these accidents can lead to fatal or debilitating injuries, costing the victims and their families a great deal of money and causing intense emotional distress. Emotional and physical pain is only exacerbated by the many medical bills that these personal injury victims are faced with. Although, the negligent driver may be charged with a criminal offense or a traffic violation, this does not help the victims pay their bills. In order to recover these costs accident victims need to seek out an accomplished attorney and file a civil suit.
Tags: Broadsided, Convict, Empire Ave, Fatal Accidents, Ford Truck, Graphic Artist, Kevin Smith, Methamphetamine, Nhtsa, Patrol Car, Police Capt, Possession Of A Controlled Substance, Possession Of Stolen Property, Residential Area, Speed Collisions, Spokane Police, Stop Sign, Telephone Pole, Vehicular Manslaughter, Wife Renee
These drivers that break the law then flee to avoid getting a ticket really need wake up. If they are not concerned with their own life, I would hope they would take into account the innocent victims and their families that are hurt because of their actions as in this story above. As a personal injury lawyer, I hear and see a lot about how someones selfish moves in a car can negatively impact and change someone whole life.
My condolences go out to the family of the person whom died. Red light cameras in my opinion help deter people from running through red lights and would help eliminate some of these unfortunate accidents.
Too many accidents happen from people trying to beat red lights and running stop signs. The victim of this accident is an innocent driver who lost his life from someone being reckless. I am sure there will be some type of wrongful death case brought into action by the family personal injury lawyer.