Opinion ID: 2514056
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whitmer

Text: On August 8, 1996, a Ford Taurus driven by petitioner Chin Yuk and owned by petitioner Chang Choi turned from 75th Street West onto Custer Road in Lakewood and collided with a Volkswagen being driven by respondent Denel Whitmer along Custer Road. The intersection was designed with a stop sign on 75th Street, but none on Custer Road for through traffic. Both Denel and her sister Shana Whitmer, a minor, were knocked unconscious and later diagnosed as having sustained brain injuries. The Whitmer family filed a tort claim against, inter alia, the City of Lakewood and Pierce County for negligent operation of the intersection. In response to interrogatories requesting copies of publicly held materials relating to that intersection's traffic and accident history, the petitioners claimed such materials were privileged under 23 U.S.C. § 409. The Whitmers moved to compel discovery. On August 27, 1998, the trial court denied the Whitmers' motion, ruling that local governments had standing to invoke § 409 and that the privilege covered all of the disputed materials. However, on February 11, 2000, the court reversed its ruling, based on the Guillen decision, concluding that none of the following documents was covered by the § 409 privilege: [Section 409 Privilege] Claimed by Pierce County : 1. Multi-file Inventory Listing Detail: Computer Print out of accident information that would be retained in computer file. 2. Accident ReportsDated: 9/24/90, 7/21/93, 1/6/96, 6/11/90, 6/9/93, 3/28/90, 5/14/93, 11/13/91, 12/17/94, 9/25/92, 10/11/94, 4/24/92, 9/20/94, 7/31/90, 8/31/94, 4/2/91, 4/29/94, 12/11/92, 2/17/94, 9/25/92, 1/21/94, 9/3/92, 12/9/95, 7/27/92, 12/1/95, 4/24/92, 9/19/95, 3/13/92, 8/22/95, 2/25/92, 3/20/95, 9/24/93, 2/12/95, 4/2/93, 3/11/93, 4/7/93, 10/4/95, 10/6/95, 1/29/93, 4/20/92, 6/2/93, 11/23/94, 12/10/94, 1/27/90, 2/5/90, 4/7/93, 4/30/92, 5/7/92, 5/22/90, 8/4/92, 8/30/90, 11/1/91, 11/15/90, 11/21/91. 3. Computer Printout Pages 1990-1996; from 8/8/97 and 7/16/97; containing summary information on dates of accidents. 4. Response to citizen complaint letter: original letter from Margaret Smith to Thomas Ballard; response letter, date 2/8/91 from Thomas Ballard to Margaret Smith concerning light and fixing cost of light at approximately $125,000. 5. Table 124Vehicular Traffic Evaluations and Traffic Signal Warrant Evaluation. 6. Pierce County Public Works Signal Warrant Form. 7. Vehicle Volume SummariesDated: 12/11/90, 8/1/88, 11/7/95, 11/8/95, 9/30/93, 7/18/89, 9/21/95, 9/20/95, 6/7/94, 10/14/93, 7/14/92, 10/25/90, 7/18/91, 7/20/89, 7/25/9 [sic], 11/28/95, 7/14/92. 8. State of Washington Urban Arterial Board Project Prospectus, revised 1/6/69. 9. Pierce County Six Year Plans1990-1996. [Section 409 Privilege] Claimed by City of Lakewood : 1. Memo; 5/14/96; from Rory Grindley, Associate Traffic Engineer; to Bill Larkin, Engineering Manager, City of Lakewood; regarding Pierce County Public Works and Utilities Transportation Service Traffic Division Review of McDonald's Restaurant Traffic Impact Analysis. 2. Private Traffic Impact Analysis for Chevron at 74th Street West and Lakewood Drive; 2/13/96. 3. 75th Street W. and Custer Road (Lakewood Drive) Intersection Evaluation (augmenting Private Traffic Impact Analysis, supra # 2); 4/10/96. 4. Private Traffic Impact Analysis for McDonald's at 75th Street W. and Lakewood Drive; 4/30/96. 5. Handwritten extract of accident data for 75th Street W. and Custer Road and for the Curve between 74th Street West and 75th Street West for the years of 1994, 95, and 96. 6. Fax cover sheet; 2/12/97; from Grindley; to Larkin; transmitting Pierce County Level of Service calculations for 74th Street West and Lakewood Drive plus assumed signal timing info used. 7. Handwritten notes and diagram of Custer Road at Lakewood Drive to 75th Street W. showing ADT COUNTS PM Peak. 1 page. 8. City of Lakewood Six Year Comprehensive Transportation Program: Amended 1997 & 1998-2003. 9. Documents associated with the Urban Arterial Trust Account (UATA)  Urban Program Application: including Transportation Improvement Board Funding Application Arterial Inventory Sheet (two types: representing before and after the project).  Attachment AAccident Reduction & Annual Benefit pert[ai]ning to intersection of 75th Street W. and Lakewood Drive.  Attachment BAnnual Benefit Summary Sheet.  Transportation Improvement Board controlled Intersection Data Continuation Sheet: (two types: one pertaining to the intersection of 75th Street W. and Custer Road and one pertaining to both that intersection and the intersection of Lakewood Drive and Custer Road). CP at 440-41. The trial court also ruled that the § 409 privilege did not cover other requested materials identified as photographs, notes, letters, memoranda, bid sheets, traffic signal priority array summaries, and cross reference sheets. CP at 443-45. [3] We granted direct review in Whitmer, consolidated it with Guillen, and requested supplemental briefing from all parties on issues relating to § 409's constitutionality.