Automobile Accidents

• Depositions--Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

  Michael Myers | December 15, 2006 9:02 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Depositions 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...

• Smokers...Follow Your Doctor's Orders!

  Michael Myers | December 15, 2006 9:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Some 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...

• Will My Case Settle or Go to Trial?

  Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:59 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Clients 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...

• Fit is Everything When It Comes to Hiring An Attorney

  Michael Myers | December 14, 2006 8:52 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  It'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...

• Wrongful death suit filed over ATV crash

  Michael Myers | December 09, 2006 2:10 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The 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...

• Medical Bills Add Salt to the Wounds

  Michael Myers | November 19, 2006 1:21 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Chauncy Gilmore was hurt in a hit-and-run driver. He suffered four cracked vertebrae, bruised lungs and lacerations to his liver, kidneys and spleen. Now he's having to deal with daunting medical expenses. The first line of recovery is PIP (personal injury protection insurance). If you've exhausted your PIP coverage the next payor is health insurance. If you don't have health insurance it's...

• Marysville School District Pays $800,000--Was It Enough?

  Michael Myers | November 19, 2006 10:55 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The Marysville School District has agreed to pay $800,000 to a boy who suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a school bus. The accident happened in 2005. Even though $800,000 is a lot of money, the attorney representing the injured boy and his family filed what is known as a "tort claim form" demanding $25,000,000 from the School District. Accepting approximately three percent (3%) of...

• Vanessa Taylor Dies in One Car Accident

  Michael Myers | October 29, 2006 5:00 PM | 4 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 21-year-old Oregon woman died at the scene of an early morning car crash Saturday in the 3800 block of Seabeck Highway near Calamity Lane Northwest. Vanessa Taylor, of Milwaukie, Ore., was riding in the passenger seat of a 1989 BMW 325 just after 2 a.m. when the driver, 21-year-old Joshua Demers of Silverdale, failed to make the curve near Camp Wesley Harris and drove off the edge of the road,...

• Anna Vinokurova Improving

  Michael Myers | October 29, 2006 4:48 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 19-year-old woman who was struck by a car outside Edmonds Community College remains hospitalized in Seattle on Saturday. Anna Vinokurova of Lynnwood has been upgraded from critical to serious condition at Harborview Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.Ms. Vinokurova has claims both under the driver's PIP (personal injury protection) policy and also a personal injury claim that can be...

• Grayland Woman Kills Son in Accident

  Michael Myers | October 29, 2006 4:19 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A Grayland woman who was driving when her car crashed into a power pole last year, killing her son, had methamphetamine in her system at the time, according to charging documents filed in Grays Harbor Superior Court. Julie Ann Fenwick, 47, made her first appearance in court at Montesano Monday after being charged with vehicular homicide for the July 29, 2005, accident that killed her...