When someone is injured in an accident in Washington, it is important to gather information about what happens next.
Being injured in a serious accident is always a shocking and scary experience, and dealing with the aftermath is exhausting and stressful. Accident victims are forced to deal with hospitalization, medical treatments, missed work, and lost income, often while trying to manage pain and disability from their injuries. And then the insurance adjusters start circling. Find out more about accidents and what issues an injured person needs to be aware of by going to this link.
Target Zero - Washington State Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2013
Washington State Strategic Highway Safety Plan's goal - of zero deaths and serious injuries in 2030 - is about the "one"...the individual. It's about the Washington State Trooper struck by a truck. It's about the child who went through the front window of a car because she wasn't buckled in. It's about the recent high school graduate who left the road and hit a tree. It's about our colleagues, friends and family. How many of them are we okay with being killed or seriously injured in a crash? The answer is obvious: zero. So our goal, for every citizen the state of Washington, is zero.
The Snohomish County Office of Public Defense (OPD) is responsible for the administration of the assigned counsel program that provides legal defense services for indigent persons in those criminal and civil cases in which a jail sentence is a potential sanction. It is also responsible for administration of a system for providing the court with information pertaining to the setting of bail and release of offenders pending trial.
The Prosecuting Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting all adult and juvenile felony cases referred by county law enforcement agencies, and all misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases referred by the county sheriff, the State Patrol, all state agencies, and some cities who have contracted with the county for misdemeanor prosecution services.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) provides referral information for families who have a family member in jail or prison. Information on how to receive assistance from DSHS and other agencies is contained on the DSHS website and also provided in the DSHS publication "Beyond the Walls: A Guide to Services for Families Affected by Incarceration." You can find your court date by going to the Washington Courts website. This site will let you find court dates to any district or municipal court in the state (except Seattle Municipal) as well as Snohomish County Superior Court. You can also confirm trials and motions in Snohomish County Superior Court through their website.
Records are made available to the public in accordance with the Public Records Act. Requests for Sheriffs Public Records can be submitted via mail, in person, online, email, or fax (425-388-3939).
The Public Works Department provides many services to the residents of Skamania County. The department manages County Road, Equipment Rental and the Solid Waste Division’s. County Road is the largest of these departments. Road maintenance is funded by gas and property taxes together with state and federal funding that allows for the maintenance and construction on your streets and bridges, provides for street lighting and signage to provide the user with the best possible transportation system. The Equipment Rental Division owns and maintains about 90% of the County’s vehicles on the road today.
District Court serves as the trial court for civil lawsuits involving amounts up to $75,000, criminal misdemeanors, traffic infractions and small claims. There is a high volume of cases filed in District Court every year.
County Superior Court is a general jurisdiction trial court with responsibility for civil matters involving more than $300, unlawful detainers, and injunctions; felony criminal cases; misdemeanor criminal cases not otherwise provided for by law; family law, including dissolutions, child support, adoptions, parentage, and domestic-violence protection matters; probate and guardianship matters; juvenile offender matters; juvenile dependencies, including abused and neglected children, children in need of services, at-risk youth, and truancies; mental illness and involuntary commitment matters.
The Prosecuting Attorney also acts as the County Coroner. All attorneys in the office are both Deputy Prosecutors as well as Deputy Coroners. In small counties, the Office of County Coroner is combined with the Prosecuting Attorney. The Coroner is responsible for investigating and certifying the cause of death in those cases where death is sudden, unexpected or the result of an accident or unlawful means. This work is accomplished by coordinating with the Sheriff, local doctors and medical staff, hospice workers, pathologists, regional medical examiners, investigators, family members and next of kin.
