Share Your Story
On July 17th, 2003 at 1 a.m. while working a vehicle accident, I was struck by a drunk driver. I lost
everything I had. My wife left, as 1 year of watching me have seizures and not get better was too much
for her. More
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that U.S.
fatalities due to drunk driving fell to a record low number in 2009,
declining by 7.4% from 2008, with a 19% decrease since 2000.
This represents the lowest number since 1950.
More
Drug courts were developed in the 1980's in an effort to stop the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, and to reduce the criminal activity that typically accompanies these behaviors.
More
Hold Drunk Drivers Responsible
A police officer has a duty to exercise reasonable care once he has taken a
drunk driver into custody. On arrest of a drunk driver, the officer should place the drunk in jail, release him to a sober responsible adult, impound his car, or release the car to a sober responsible adult. Where the officer releases the still intoxicated driver without effectively separating him from his vehicle, the officer is responsible for the
injuries and damages caused by a subsequent
drunk driving accident.
We recently recovered a multi-million dollar verdict against the Washington State Patrol where the officer drove an intoxicated woman home, gave her back her keys, and warned her not to drive again “until you sober up.” The drunk waited 9 minutes, called a cab, returned to her car, and then drove over the centerline, smashing head on into our client.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an alcohol or drug-related traffic accident in
Seattle, Tacoma,
Everett or
Bellingham, call the experienced
attorneys at Brett & Coats today. We want responsible parties including police
officers to pay for the injuries and devastation that they cause by allowing
intoxicated drivers to continue driving on our highways. Only by making police accountable for their actions will future victims be spared.
Call the attorneys at Brett & Coats PLLC today at 1-800-925-1875, 360-714-0900, or contact us via our website at online form. Brett & Coats represents drunk driving victims throughout the state of Washington, including the cities of
Seattle, Tacoma,
Everett and
Bellingham, WA.
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This website is dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Robinson. I first met
Jimmy back in 1977 when I was still a young lawyer. I had been appointed
by the local superior court to defend his mother, who was charged with first
degree murder for shooting his stepfather. She had entered a plea of self defense.
Jan had been a single mother of three boys when she met Virgil Hornbuckle.
Although they shared a love of camping and the outdoors, Virgil's alcoholism
gradually got the best of him. He was a big man, and when he got drunk he got
angry, and when he got angry he used Jan as his punching bag. One night when
Virgil came home drunk and stoned he was particularly belligerent.
They lived in a double wide with the master bedroom at one end and two small
bedrooms at the other. That night when Virgil started beating her, Jan ran from
the master bedroom through the trailer to Jimmy's room. She threw open the door
and saw him sitting on his bed, holding a shotgun, trying to decide whether he
should use it to protect his mom. The image drove home what the violence was
putting Jimmy through, and she grabbed the shotgun, ran back to the master bedroom,
and shot Virgil in the groin. The buck shot severed the main artery pumping blood
down his leg, and Virgil bled to death before the ambulance could arrive.
At trial I called a series of witnesses, well-known locals who could testify about
Jan's good character and reputation for honesty. And sandwiched between each character
witnesses I called an owner of one of the local taverns to testify that Virgil had a
reputation for violence when intoxicated and that they had each barred him from their
establishments because of his belligerence.
The surprise witness was Mrs. Ada Hornbuckle. The big doors in the back of the
courtroom opened gingerly and a little white haired lady slowly made her way down
the aisle. When she settled down into witness chair, I began by asking her, "I can't
help but notice that your name is the same as Jan's, are you related?" "Yes," she
replied, "I'm her mother-in-law, Virgil's mother." "And why are you here?"
"Well, I have always known that Virgil got violent when he
drank, and I knew that eventually someone was going to kill him
in self defense. I'm sorry it had to be Jan."
But calling the victim's mother to testify on Jan's behalf was not the highlight of
the trial. The best witness was Jimmy Robinson, who was 16 at the time. The jury
loved him. He took the stand in his letterman's jacket. He was every mother's
dream -- good looking, polite, an honor student, student body president, and an all
state wrestler. He was the reason Jan had not left Virgil. She wanted to make sure
that Jimmy had the opportunity to graduate from high school before they went on the
run, because she knew Virgil would follow them.
The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
I work hard for my clients, and I throw my heart into their cases, but I'm no hero.
Jimmy Robinson thought I was a hero. He thought I'd saved his mother's life. And he
decided to become a lawyer -- just like me.
Jimmy graduated the next summer, and for a graduation present, Jan let Jimmy and a
friend travel to Reno, for the Nevada State Fair. They were standing in a crowd when
a drunk driver lost control and crashed through the crowd, killing the boy who wanted
to grow up to be just like me.
I don't get to be a hero very often. This website is dedicated to the memory of
Jimmy Robinson.
Dean Brett
