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• Motorcyclist Dies in Collision with Dump Truck

  Michael Myers | December 19, 2007 8:06 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Recently, a 44-year-old Seattle man died after a collision with a dump truck. The collision occurred at about 7:40 a.m. at East Lake Sammamish Parkway and 229th Avenue Southeast, just north of Interstate 90. The circumstances of the accident remain under investigation. Left hand turns are one of the biggest threats to motorcyclists. Drivers turn across motorcyclists' lanes of travel and...

• Multivehicle Accidents--Complexity and Opportunity Collide

  Michael Myers | December 18, 2007 10:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  On December 11th three people were taken to Harborview Medical Center after a mulitvehicle accident on Highway 522 near Monroe. The accident happened in the early afternoon. A man driving westbound reportedly lost control while driving around a curve, struck a guardrail and skidded into the eastbound lane. The out-of-control vehicle collided with a truck. A third vehicle, driving behind the...

• Car Drifting Across Four Lanes of Traffic Strikes and Kills Jogger

  Ryan Nute | December 17, 2007 12:03 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A jogger was hit and killed by a motorist Saturday while jogging down Duvall Avenue Northeast in Renton, Washington. The 37-year old jogger was traveling along the northbound lanes when a southbound car drifted across four lanes of traffic and hit the jogger from behind. The car then went down an embankment. The 34-year old driver sustained injuries. I take some personal interest in these...

• Vacation Internationale--Class Action

  Michael Myers | December 16, 2007 2:16 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  We recently met with an owner of points in Vacation Internationale. When upgrading his ownership interest from a term of years to perpetual, representatives of Vacation Internationale advised that it owned the various vacation properties in fee simple. Based on information obtained from a former VI employee, it appears that this was a material misrepresentation and VI does not own many of its...

• Principles

  Michael Myers | December 13, 2007 12:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  I like to write about accidents. They frequently provide good examples of legal principles or issues that we encounter frequently in personal injury cases. But I also write about them with the intent of reaching accident victims or the people who care about them.Recently I received the following link:...

• Breach of Trust and Confidence

  Michael Myers | December 04, 2007 10:05 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A female patient of Dr. Chris Woodja, a dentist who practiced in the Shoreline area, was found heavily drugged and half-naked in his office on October 17th.The patient had come in for treatment of an abscessed tooth. Reportedly, Woodja had contacted the patient's roommates prior to the appointment and requested that the patient bring "the additional four tablets of Triazolam" he had prescribed...

• Evidence of Failure to Wear Seatbelt Allowable in Media, Not in Washington Courts

  Michael Myers | November 30, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  When the media reports on motor-vehicle accidents they often mention whether the involved drivers or passengers were wearing a seatbelt (or if the injured bicyclist or motorcyclist was wearing a helmet). The fact that the media consistently brings this detail to our attention makes it seem significant. However, it is important to remember that, in accordance with the rules of evidence, an...

• Phantom Drivers and UIM Coverage

  Michael Myers | November 29, 2007 8:38 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Unfortunately, a significant number of accidents are caused by drivers that leave the scene of an accident prematurely.This was the case in an accident earlier this month on the Mount Baker Highway. A vehicle pulled out of the Nooksack Casino parking lot directly in front of an eastbound Geo Metro. The Metro crossed the center line to avoid a collision and collided with a westbound Mazda.The...

• Injury Aboard Cruise Lines--Falling Overboard Less Likely than Slip and Fall

  Michael Myers | November 28, 2007 9:11 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A recent press release offered the following warning about Holland America and the other major cruise lines:This Christmas break, unsuspecting college students and their parents may discover dangers on some cruise lines including serious injury and death. Newspapers, television and the Internet are reporting a number of injuries and deaths on cruise ships including disappearances and overboard...

• Sean Heldt's Death Still Considered a "Wrongful Death" Claim

  Michael Myers | November 20, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Sean Heldt had been laying in a coma for almost six months at Harborview Medical Center when he passed away on November 7th, a few weeks shy of his 25th birthday. Heldt's died as a result of a May 25, 2007 accident on Interstate-90 when the car he was driving was hit head-on by a man with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit. The intoxicated driver and his 2-year old...