Automobile Accidents

• 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...

• Special and General Damages and Multipliers--The Quick and Dirty on Case Valuation

  Michael Myers | March 03, 2007 4:54 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  There are two basic kinds of damages in any personal case. Special damages and general damages. Special damages describe out of pocket costs such as medical expenses and lost wages. General damages refer to less quantitative and more qualitative damages such as loss of enjoyment of life and pain and suffering. Whether fair or not, both plaintiff's attorneys and insurance adjusters tend to...

• Clearning an Artificial Hurdle

  Michael Myers | March 03, 2007 10:52 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  There is more legislation pending that would help injured persons. SB 5725 is designed to clear an artificial hurdle created by the Courts that--probably unintentionally shifts a lot of expense on plaintiffs and helps defendants avoid paying valid claims. If SB 5725 is passed into law it would create a presumption that medical and billing records submitted in arbitration and at trial reflect...

• Wrongful Death of an Adult Child

  Michael Myers | March 03, 2007 10:45 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  There is a major flaw in Washington's wrongful death statute. Parents of an adult child who is killed cannot recover for their loss unless they are dependent on the child for support. Legislation has been introduced to try to change this gaping hole in the law. It is refered to as SHB 1873 - Wrongful Death of an Adult Child.The House Judiciary passed SBH 1873. It awaits passage from House...

• Recorded Statements--Only One Hard and Fast Rule

  Michael Myers | January 13, 2007 7:31 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  After a motor vehicle accident you'll probably be asked to give a recorded statement. A recorded statement is basically a tape recorded interview by an insurance adjuster. The adjuster may be from your insurance company. Or the adjuster might be from the at-fault driver's company. Some attorneys recommend their clients never give recorded statements. This is not the best advice. Recorded...

• 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...