Miscellaneous

• Missing Snowboarder Found Dead in Canada

  Michael Myers | January 25, 2006 9:07 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Rescue teams recently discovered the body of Danny Epp, a snowboarder who had been missing for two days. Searchers located Mr. Epp in an area called Tony Baker Gully next to Cypress Mountain. The mountain is located in British Columbia approximately 30 minutes outside of Vancouver.Accidents that occur outside of the United States present interesting, and sometimes difficult, conflict of laws...

• Publisher Offers Interesting Pair of Witnesses to Back Frey

  Michael Myers | January 24, 2006 4:04 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The New York Times offered an interesting story recently about attempts by Mr. Frey's publishers to stop the bleeding. However, based on the New York Times article, the Publishers may have done more harm than good.According to the Times, the two men, including a state judge from Louisiana who in June was convicted of mail fraud, were identified by Mr. Frey's publishers to confirm the...

• Skier Dies at Stevens Pass

  Michael Myers | January 20, 2006 4:41 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A Kenmore man died Tuesday when he crashed into a tree in an out-of-bounds area while skiing at Stevens Pass. A friend dug the man out but he had stopped breathing. Emergency personnel briefly revived the skier but he died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. This is the third fatal skiing accident in Washington during this year's ski season. The other two occurred at Mount...

• Concussions: A Delicate and Difficult Injury

  Michael Myers | January 20, 2006 4:24 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  As Seahawks fans prepare for this Sunday's NFC Championship game, the question on everyone's mind is what effect running back Shaun Alexander's recent concussion will have on the team. Alexander sustained a concussion in the first quarter of last week's game against the Redskins and did not return. Doctors have cleared him to play Sunday but remain cautious. Concussions are also a frequently...

• Snowboarder Dies of Suffocation on Mount Baker

  Michael Myers | January 16, 2006 12:36 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Matthew Aaron Chase, a 31-year old Bellingham man, died while snowboarding last Monday at the Mount Baker Ski Area. Mr. Chase, an expert snowboarder, was riding with a friend on an advanced-level run known as The Chute when he lost contact around 12:00 p.m. Mount Baker patrollers ultimately located Mr. Chase’s body at the base of a 15 foot rock wall seven hours later. He was upside down and...

• Rental Car Liability

  Michael Myers | January 05, 2006 5:44 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A New York Appellate Court recently upheld a jury’s $21 million verdict to a 25-year old man who was rendered a paraplegic when he was struck by a vehicle while walking. The vehicle that struck the plaintiff was a rental car provided by Budget Rent-a-Car. New York has a unique law which allows plaintiffs recover against rental car companies for the negligence of their drivers. This legal...

• State Pays $6.5 Million Settlement

  Michael Myers | January 05, 2006 1:13 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  In December, the State of Washington agreed to pay $6.5 million to the family of Paula Joyce to settle a lawsuit that asserted the state was at-fault in causing Mrs. Joyce's death. Mrs. Joyce was killed in 1997 when a felon hit her while he was high on drugs and driving a stolen car. The felon, Vernon Valdez, was supposed to be under state supervision following convictions for assault and...

• Diocese Bankruptcy To Include Advertising Component

  Michael Myers | December 27, 2005 1:00 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  As part of its bankruptcy case the Catholic Diocese of Spokane will dedicate $160,000.00 to advertisements aimed at abuse victims who have not yet come forward to file a complaint. A Church spokesman stated that the advertisements will help to determine the total number of abuse victims in the Spokane area. The advertisments will appear in Washington State newspapers, the USA Today and the...

• Mormon Church Found Liable in Sex Abuse Case

  Michael Myers | December 27, 2005 12:03 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A King County Superior Court jury recently awarded $4.2 million to two sisters who were abused for years by a priest in the Mormon Church. The jury found the Church liable for intentional misconduct and negligence based on its failure to prevent or stop the abuse despite the sisters' repeated complaints to the church hierarchy. This verdict powerfully illustrates the damage of sexual abuse,...

• Wear Your Helmet!

  Michael Myers | December 27, 2005 11:59 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Head injuries constitute only 5-15% of all injuries from ski and snowboard accidents, yet are the primary cause of serious disabling injuries and death. There are approximately 10 fatalities per year in Colorado from accidents on the ski slopes, and among the fatally injured that we have studied head injury was the cause of death in 87.5%; none were wearing helmets. Wearing a helmet should be a...