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• If There Isn't Enough Insurance Consider a Product Defect Claim

  Michael Myers | October 08, 2007 8:25 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  In previous posts we've written about the challenges with our private insurance system and inadequate coverage. Drivers in Washington only have to carry $25,000 in liability coverage. That just isn't enough (and why you should carry as much UIM insurance as you can afford). As a result, there are lots of accidents where there isn't enough insurance to compensate the injured person. When that...

• Rider Family's Frustration Highlights "Duty to Rescue" Doctrine in Washington

  Michael Myers | October 04, 2007 3:24 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  In what was a front-page story, Tanya Rider was rescued after spending more than a week trapped inside her wrecked car that had fallen down a ravine off Highway 169. Despite this unexpected happy ending, Tanya Rider's husband, Tom Rider, has expressed his anger and frustration at the King County Sheriff's Office for not conducting a more extensive search for his wife. Rider, 39, said that he...

• Tensions Between Cars & Bicyclists Remain in the Forefront of Public Concern

  Chelsea Gilbert | October 03, 2007 1:32 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The recent fatality of 19-year-old bicyclist, Bryce Lewis, was clearly on the minds of those participating in Seattle's monthly gathering of cyclists' at Westlake Center, called Critical Mass.Critical Mass happens on the last Friday of every month and is an unstructured event that is a sort of peaceful protest. The event promotes the benefits of commuting on a bicycle, rather than in a car, and...

• Sailor Dies in Kitsap County Car Crash

  Michael Myers | October 01, 2007 2:57 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Two young servicemen were involved in a fatal car crash in the early hours of the morning on September 29th. The passenger in the car, a 20-year old sailor who had severed on the Bremerton-based USS John C. Stennis, died after the car he was riding in hit a utility pole and two large trees. The driver, a 19-year old male who was assigned to the same aircraft carrier, was transported to...

• 207 Cruise Ship Incidents Reported to FBI in Last 6 Months

  Michael Myers | October 01, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  In April cruise lines adopted a new method of reporting crimes that happen at sea in an effort to establish a more definitive and standardized picture of crimes that happen at sea. Since April, cruise lines have reported 207 incidents to the FBI. Of those, 72 were considered to be potentially serious crimes by the FBI. 18 investigations were opened, 13 of those for rape. Cruise lines like...

• Teen Driver Violated Intermediate Licensing Statute, May Face Criminal Charges

  Michael Myers | September 29, 2007 8:15 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Less than a week after receiving his driver's license, a teen driver who remains unidentified will likely have charges of vehicular assault brought against him. The teen driver (with four other passengers, all teenagers) was reportedly speeding, driving about 70-mph in a 35-mph zone. The speeding driver failed to stop at a stop sign and swerved abruptly when he saw an oncoming car, sending his...

• Motorcycle Passenger Killed in Crash in Des Moines, Washington

  Michael Myers | September 28, 2007 12:11 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  On September 25th a Des Moines woman was killed in a motorcycle crash on Pacific Highway South and South 226th Street. The 49-year-old woman was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by a 50-year-old man. Both the woman and man were thrown at least 75 feet after their motorcycle collided with a car that was making a left hand turn in front of the motorcycle. The woman was killed and the man was...

• New Plan Proposes Paramedics on Motorcycles

  Michael Myers | September 28, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A new plan was unveiled by city officials on Wednesday that would entail Seattle Fire Department paramedics riding motorcycles to navigate through Seattle traffic and reached injured persons in a more timely manner. Similar programs are used in other cities and have resulted in significantly reduced response time to accidents. "All you have to do is look at Fourth Avenue during rush hour, when...

• Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Filed Against Carnival Cruise Line

  Michael Myers | September 27, 2007 4:11 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A recently filed lawsuit in the Federal Court in Miami alleges that the medical staff aboard the Carnival Legend, a ship that is part of the Carnival Cruise Line, committed medical malpractice. On September 6, 2006 cruise passenger, Helen Kerr, 73, was reportedly misdiagnosed and mistreated while suffering from a fluid buildup in her lungs.According to the complaint, Ms. Kerr went to the...

• Pharmacist Malpractice on the Rise

  Michael Myers | September 23, 2007 9:11 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  With our aging population more and more people are filling prescriptions. That's one of the reasons that incidents of pharmacy malpractice are on the rise. A recent decision in Florida, in a case involving pharmacy malpractice, is notable:It took just three hours of deliberation for a Florida jury to award $28.5 million to the family of a woman who suffered a suffered a massive cerebral...