- Michael Myers | December 24, 2006 1:03 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsYou serve alcohol at your party. Your guests have a great time. But one partygoer has too much to drink. That guest crashes into another car. The next thing you know you're involved in a lawsuit -- all because of your intoxicated guest.It's possible. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 16,885 people died in alcohol-related crashes last year. It's even more likely that you...
- Michael Myers | December 24, 2006 12:45 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsFalling trees have killed two motorists and badly injured a third this evening in eastern Pierce County.One accident occurred about 5 p.m. on the Mountain Highway near Roy when a man swerved to avoid a blown-down tree but hit another and was killed.The other occurred on Harts Lake Valley Road when a car stopped for fallen trees and was hit by another tree coming down. A woman in the car was...
- Michael Myers | December 22, 2006 11:20 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThree people were hurt, two critically, when their car smashed into a tree in the Green Lake area early Thursday. The accident happened during a rain squall just before 9:00 a.m.Three young men were in a Toyota Corolla in the 6700 block of Aurora Avenue North when they suddenly veered off the road, went over an embankment and into a tree on the west side of Green Lake. Seattle firefighters were...
- Michael Myers | December 22, 2006 8:25 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Parkland man died Tuesday after a pickup truck hit him as he changed a flat tire on northbound Interstate 5 in Tacoma. The man, 48, was changing the tire on the road's right shoulder just south of the South 84th Street exit about 2:10 p.m. when a 44-year-old Gig Harbor man driving a pickup drifted into him. Medics took the injured man to Madigan Army Medical Center, where he died a short time...
- Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 5:11 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsA Lake County, Ind., jury awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and $18 million in punitive damages to a man who sued Allstate Insurance Co. The injured man proved to the jury that Allstate acted in bad faith in settling a 1995 car accident.Unfortunately a similar result would be impossible in Washington. Washington--for a variety of reasons--prides itself on not allowing punitive...
- Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 1:55 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsConsumers shopping for health, auto or homeowners insurance have a new tool to compare insurance firms before they buy policies.There is a tremendous difference not only in premiums, but also how insurance companies adjust (pay) claims. It makes sense to shop for both price and the level of service and customer care given to policy holders. This is true not only of property claims but also PIP...
- Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 1:54 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeThe headline is dramatic. But part of what makes it dramatic is how unusual it is for there to be any publicity regarding disciplinary action taken against dental or health care providers. In this particular instance the State reported that it took action because Joel Diven committed one of the worst acts of dental malpractice they've ever seen--in fact, Dr. Diven almost killed his patient...
- Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 1:45 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsEarlier this year a jury awarded a motorist $1.25 million in lawsuit against insurance company. The award was based on the carrier's failure to provide coverage as provided by law. In Washington, motor vehicle insurance carriers must provide PIP and UIM coverage to their insureds unless their insureds sign a written form specifically declines the coverage. PIP and UIM coverage are relatively...
- Michael Myers | December 20, 2006 1:51 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsMediations are hard work. But nothing like going to trial. Or the commitment of time, energy and expense that goes into preparing for trial.A signficant amount of effort is required to successfully mediate a case. But the effort expended at mediation pales in comparison to the work necessary to take a case to trial. If your case can't be settled then you have to be prepared to do the...
- Michael Myers | December 20, 2006 1:07 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsNew national data show school bus-related accidents send 17,000 U.S. children to emergency rooms each year, more than double the number in previous estimates that only included crashes.Safety belts, or "safe belts" as they are called by Kanye West, are needed on school buses to help reduce these numbers. Fortunately some Washington legislators support a new law that would require safety belts.
- Michael Myers | December 20, 2006 12:07 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeA Seattle physician's medical license has been suspended over allegations that he performed spinal surgeries on three patients who didn't need them, permanently injuring them.Dr. Solomon Kamson is an anesthesiologist who practices at the Spine Institute Northwest in Bothell. Did not inform the patients that he "did not have the same training, experience and knowledge as a surgeon," nor did he...
- Michael Myers | December 19, 2006 12:36 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)At least 100 people, including one man who died, suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after they dragged generators and charcoal grills inside to stay warm following widespread power outages in Western Washington. A 26-year-old Kirkland man was found dead in his home yesterday with a generator running in the living room. Other victims as young as 11 months were treated at Seattle-area hospitals...
- Michael Myers | December 19, 2006 10:56 AM |
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Miscellaneous"It's just unbelievable that he's on the road." That's what the families of two scientists who were killed in a logging truck accident said when they found out the logging truck driver was still on the road...and has been involved in another accident. Logging trucks are large, dangerous and need to be more closely regulated--both by the State and by the companies that hire them to haul logs to...
- Michael Myers | December 18, 2006 7:46 PM |
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Motorcycle AccidentsRenee Norman was listed in critical condition Sunday after being struck from behind then run over by a following vehicle. Ms. Norman was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for pelvic fractures and possible internal injuries. Ms. Norman was a passenger on a motorcycle riden by Hank Deaton of Yakima. Mr. Deaton was taken to Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center for treatment...
- Michael Myers | December 18, 2006 7:25 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsAfter a bad accident families in Medina rallied behind Ethan Zilz. Ethan was struck by a Puget Sound Energy utility truck on September 29, 2006. His injuries resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.We have represented a number of people who have suffered amputations. Their progress seems to directly linked to the support they receive from family and friends. We applaude...
- Michael Myers | December 18, 2006 7:18 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsWashington State Patrol related that 20-year-old Alexander Moore was going west on Pullman Airport Roadwhen he drifted right, overcorrected and crashed into a ditch on the opposite side of the road.Two of the four people in the car were thrown from the vehicle. One of the passengers, 19-year-old Angelica Messenger, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Two others, Patrick Kelley...
- Michael Myers | December 18, 2006 1:42 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe Department of Labor and Industries investigates accidents that happen at work. (It also investigates accidents involving elevators.)In November of this year the Department announced it has fined a catering company a total of $4,500 for safety violations related to Yen Nguyen's fatal fall from a food-delivery van along the West Seattle Bridge.The Department's reports and their findings are...
- Michael Myers | December 18, 2006 1:17 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsMore and more investigations by the police are including data from the Event Data Recorder. Event Data Recorders are also known as EDRs or little black boxes. EDRs are installed on most newer cars and record information regarding speed and braking prior to an accident. This data becomes part of the accident investigations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants...
- Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 9:10 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsWashington state troopers say a drunk driver is to blame for a high speed crash that injured 6-7 people and shut down the eastbound lanes of the 520 floating bridge early this morning. The four-car crash happened as crews were doing a monthly inspection of the bridge ahead of the massive wind storm. Under most if not all auto insurance policies, coverage is provided for accidents even if the...
- Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 8:35 PM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)A 24-year-old man was seriously injured Thursday when his arm was caught in a meat grinder at a Bellevue meat market. The man was working at Golden Steer Choice Meats when his left hand got caught in the grinder. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration and Labor and Industries. While Washington law prevents the man from suing his employer,...
- Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 12:01 PM |
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Workplace InjuriesA series of crane accidents in the Seattle area has highlighted the national decision to review the rules for crane erection and operation. Crane accidents have killed an injured construction workers and bystanders around the nation in recent months. These accidents have lead to safety reviews. The reviews have resulted in fines and illustrated the safety risks posed by cranes that do not...
- Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 11:24 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsThere is a 1996 federal law that prohibits lawyers from contacting relatives within 30 days of a plane crash. The law was designed to prevent the undignified solicitation that previously occurred following a major air disaster. The federal government believed that the family members should be given 30 days to put their affairs in order before they were contacted by personal injury attorneys. ...
- Michael Myers | December 16, 2006 9:06 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsSometimes the terms "mediation" and "arbitration" are confused. They sound similar and are both forms of "alternative dispute resolution" (sometimes referred to as "ADR"). But they are really quite different.Arbitration is like a private trial. An arbitrator (usually a retired judge or very seasoned attorney) serves in a role like a judge. Though arbitration is typically less formal than...
- Michael Myers | December 15, 2006 9:05 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsSometimes the terms "mediation" and "arbitration" are confused. They sound similar and are both forms of "alternative dispute resolution" (sometimes referred to as "ADR"). But they are really quite different.Mediation is a facilitated settlement negotiation. The parties gather in separate conference rooms and a neutral third party (usually a retired judge or very seasoned attorney) shuttles...
- Michael Myers | December 15, 2006 9:02 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsDepositions are the typically the first "face to face" interaction between defense counsel and the injured person. Depositions are set by defense attorneys to obtain information about the case and to bolster their defense theories. Depositions provide an opportunity for the defense to elicit testimony that undermines the injured person's case. There is oftentimes a strong temptation for...
- Michael Myers | December 15, 2006 9:01 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsSome people think smoking is just an individual preference. But it's a very big deal in serious personal injury cases. Surgeons instruct their patients that they should not smoke while healing from surgery. However, many patients don't follow their doctors' advice. This can significantly reduce the value of their personal injury cases. When injured persons smoke following a surgery not only...
- Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:59 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsClients want to know if their cases are going to trial. Statistically, the answer is easy: it's highly unlikely that specific personal injury cases will be decided by a jury.In both state and federal courts in Washington approximately 97 percent of personal injury cases settle before trial. But even though only a small percentage of cases go to trial, we prepare each case so that we're ready...
- Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:57 PM |
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MiscellaneousHolland America has a number of vessels. They include the following:ms Amsterdam ms Maasdam ms Noordam ms Oosterdam ms Prinsendam ms Rotterdam ms Ryndam ms Statendam ms Veendam ms Volendam ms Westerdam ms Zaandam ms ZuiderdamInjuries on any and all of these ships must be reported in writing to Holland America within six months of the injury or else there will be no recovery. Suit for any...
- Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:54 PM |
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MiscellaneousWe're having terrific early season snowfall. That means lots of skiers and snowboarders are on the hill. When a lot of people are skiing and riding on the same runs there are bound to be accidents. The skiers and snowboarders code has actually been made into law by the Washington legislature. The Code in part makes the uphill skier or rider responsible for avoiding the downhill skier or...
- Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:52 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsIt's important to make sure you find the right "fit" when hiring a personal injury firm. A firm that is too small may not have the resources to successfully handle your case. A firm that is too big may not value you as a client. You should find a firm that shares your general philosophy and primarily handles cases like yours. Once you find a firm like this it's important to provide your...
- Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 6:38 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesRecent inspections have disclosed cracks, loose welds and sheared bolts in cranes at construction sites in Bellevue and Redmond. Experts say needed maintenance and inspections have been neglected. Specifically, contractors aren't having their cranes inspected while they are on the ground in pieces. That may be due to a shortage of cranes, crane operators and crane erectors caused by a...
- Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 6:17 AM |
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Motorcycle AccidentsJim Rogerson was hit from behind on his motorcycle by a suspected drunk driver late Thursday in Poulsbo. Mr. Rogerson, a resident of Port Ludlow, was struck by a pickup truck after 11 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Highway 305 and Lincoln Road. He suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Police said the man driving the pickup, Alan R....
- Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 6:06 AM |
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Workplace InjuriesA large beam struck and killed a 26-year-old construction worker Tuesday at Spokane's wastewater treatment plant. The victim, Tizoc Gayton, lived in Post Falls, Idaho and worked for Garco Construction Inc.Mr. Gayton was removing shoring when a horizontal beam that was being removed fell on him.Constructions has been stopped while the accident is investigated by the state Department of Labor &...
- Michael Myers | December 13, 2006 5:56 AM |
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Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)Just about all of the victims of sexual abuse by priests in Western Oregon have entered into a settlement with the Roman Catholic church. The victims will receive about $50,000,000 from the Church's insurance companies and an undisclosed amount from the Church itself. Based on earlier payouts the total received by victims will be approximately $1,000,000 each. These victims have shown just...
- Michael Myers | December 09, 2006 2:10 PM |
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Automobile AccidentsThe mother of an Auburn woman killed in an off-road vehicle accident filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Grays Harbor Superior Court against the volunteer Cosmopolis firefighter who was driving the quad. An interesting and potentially unfair issue arises under Washington law when a child dies. If the child is under 18 the parents can recover for their loss of consortium. If the child is over 18...