Automobile Accidents

• Pain Diaries? No Way!

  Michael Myers | May 09, 2007 4:33 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Personal injury clients are oftentimes asked whether they keep journals, diaries or calendars related to their symptoms. Some attorneys advise that clients maintain diaries so that their pain is "documented". I have a different view. Keeping a pain diary is somewhat unnatural and causes there to be a particular focus on the discomfort. The more time and attention that is spent thinking about...

• Help Increase Insurance Executives' Bonuses--Don't Make Claims When Injured by a Family Member

  Michael Myers | April 03, 2007 7:45 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  An 82-year-old Ocean Shores man died following in car accident on Friday. The man was riding with his 79 year old wife. The wife struck a telephone pole. In caes like this the family can recover under both the liability and UIM policies purchased from the auto insurer. No doubt policy payments were made to the insurance comapny for years. Failing to make a claim only adds to the insurance...

• Washington State Law Offers Virtually No Deterrence

  Michael Myers | March 08, 2007 1:07 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Washington law offers very few remedies for the families of unmarried adults. And, as a result, does very little to deter negligent and reckless behavior on either an individual or corporate level. Not only does Washington law fail to provide for punitive damages, it fails to impose any real consequences on those who--through their negligence or recklessness--cause the death of an unmarried...

• 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...