Automobile Accidents

• Icy Roads--A Catalyst for Accidents and Injuries

  Michael Myers | January 13, 2007 6:08 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A young woman was seriously hurt when an SUV lost control on an icy road. Sixteen-year-old Victoria Zimmerman lost her lower left leg in the accident. This extremely unfortnate accident brings several points to mind:1. Pedestrians struck by automobiles are entitled to benefits under the at-fault driver's PIP policies. 2. Icy roads are no excuse--drivers are responsible for the injuries they...

• Popular Misconceptions: If I make an insurance claim my rates will go up

  Michael Myers | January 03, 2007 8:34 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Many people suffer from a special form of cognitive dissonance related to insurance. They are more than willing to pay monthly, quarterly or annual premiums for their homeowners and auto insurance but, when it comes time to enjoy the benefits of that insurance coverage, they are reluctant to make claims. The most common objection is that they believe their rates will go up. The second most...

• Popular Misconceptions: If I have an attorney help me with my claim I will net a lot less mone

  Michael Myers | January 03, 2007 8:29 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Many people choose to handle their personal injury claims on their own. They do so not because they have any particular expertise but because they think that by retaining an attorney they will end up with a lot less money than if they handled the claim themselves. Studies show that represented persons recover over three times as much as unrepresented persons. That means, even after a...

• Christmas Parties and Umbrella Policies

  Michael Myers | December 24, 2006 1:03 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  You 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...

• Falling Trees Kill Two Motorists in Pierce County

  Michael Myers | December 24, 2006 12:45 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Falling 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...

• Greenlake Accident Leads to Three Injuries

  Michael Myers | December 22, 2006 11:20 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Three 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...

• Parkland Man Killed on I-5--UIM Benefits if Insured Outside of Car?

  Michael Myers | December 22, 2006 8:25 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 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...

• Allstate Hammered with $20 Million Dollar Judgment--But Where Are Our Punitives?

  Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 5:11 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 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...

• New Website Chronicals Insurance Complaints

  Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 1:55 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Consumers 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...

• Bad Faith Claim Against Insurance Carrier

  Michael Myers | December 21, 2006 1:45 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Earlier 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...