Automobile Accidents

• PIP versus Health Insurance.

  Michael Myers | March 08, 2007 9:09 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  This seems to be an ongoing question among injured persons and health care providers. Which insurance policy should pay for the injured person's treatment? PIP is always primary to health insurance - except when it is exhausted. This means that your health care providers need to bill your PIP carrier until there is no more coverage. When coverage runs out under the PIP policy your health...

• Accident with Canadian Driver in Washington or BC--Enter ICBC

  Michael Myers | March 07, 2007 1:11 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  I like Canadians. My parents moved to Canada in 1985. I spend most weekends at Whistler. And, last but not least, I like Canadians because they all have insurance...good insurnace. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is a provincial Crown corporation established in 1973 to provide universal auto insurance to B.C. motorists. It covers drivers from BC when they get into...

• Head Injuries Often Overlooked by Doctors

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 4:14 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  I've written about this before. But it deserves emphasis--even if it comes through repetition. Head injuries are overlooked by doctors all the time. Even when the warning signs are there. Doctors are frequently too busy setting broken arms or prescribing pain killers to look at and assess what may be the most serious injury associated with car accidents. If you've been in a car accident...

• You Can Settle Your UIM Claim First

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 12:59 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A lot of people think that their UIM (Under Insured Motorist) coverage comes into play only after they've settled with the at-fault driver. Not the case. You can and should open a UIM claim as soon as you find out that the at-fault driver may not have enough insurance to cover your injuries. And you can settle your UIM claim before you settle the underlying case. And you don't need to tell...

• Teens Distracting Teens

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 9:01 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Under Washington's Intermediate Licensing Statute new drivers are not supposed to have other teens in the car. One of the big reasons is that teens tend to distract other teens. Not only has this been recognized by the legislature, it has also been documented in studies regarding teen accidents. The issue takes on additional significance when a teen is distracted, causes an accident and...

• School Bus Safety

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 8:08 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  For some time there's been a debate whether safety belts are necessary, and should be required, on school buses. But this isn't the only school bus safety issue in the news. House Bill 2373 would require the Department of Licensing to automatically notify school districts if their bus drivers' licenses are suspended or revoked. This makes common sense. Kudos to the legislators who introduced...

• Woman Airlifted to Harborview Following Highway 532 Wreck

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 6:29 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A high speed car accident on Camano Island took the life of one man this weekend. KOMO News reported the following:A Stanwood man died Sunday morning after slamming into an SUV on Highway 532 on Sunday morning. Trooper said the man was traveling westbound when he tried to pass another car and smashed into the oncoming SUV. The passing driver died on the scene. The woman driving the SUV was...

• Past Criminal Convictions

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 6:19 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Most criminal convictions won't come into evidence in your personal injury case. Things like DUI and assault are likely irrelevant and excluded by the rules of evidence. You'll probably be asked about your criminal convictions in discovery (either written or at your deposition). The worst thing you can do is lie. While your DUI from 1999 won't come into evidence if you tell the truth about...

• Rising Star at Bastyr Tragically Killed in Collision

  Michael Myers | March 05, 2007 9:13 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The Seattle Time summed it up as follows:From her apartment on Locust Way north of Kenmore to Bastyr University is barely five miles, and Autumn Sansom had made the ride on her bicycle nearly every day since she enrolled at the school in 2005. On Friday, the ride turned to tragedy, when Sansom, 28, was fatally injured in a collision with a pickup in the 15000 block of Juanita Drive Northeast at...

• tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson Act

  Michael Myers | March 05, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  For two years state representative Ruth Kagi has fought for legislation to keep dangerous trucks and drivers off the roads. She moved closer to her goal this week when the state House of Representatives passed the Tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson Act with a vote of 88 to 9.Qamar and Johnson, both leading scientists, were killed October 4, 2005, when a log truck lost its load on Highway 101. The...