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• Key Advice for Personal Injury Victims

  Michael Myers | December 21, 2007 8:49 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Lists are popular at the end of the year. Sometimes lists celebrate accomplishments. Other times they record dubious achievements. This one itemizes key advice for personal injury victims: 1. Politely refuse to give recorded statements to adjusters before retaining counsel.2. Take photographs of visible injuries before they heal.3. Take photographs of property damage before...

• Injured Pedestrians' Claims Not Reduced by Dark Clothing, Time of Day

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

  On November 27th, a Seattle woman in her 50's was hit while crossing at a crosswalk at the intersection of Aurora Avenue North and North 90th Street. The accident occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. The woman was hit by a pickup and dragged underneath it. The driver of the pickup left the scene. He was stopped several blocks away by police. The woman suffered head and pelvis injuries and...

• 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...