Miscellaneous

• Principles

  Michael Myers | December 13, 2007 12:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  I like to write about accidents. They frequently provide good examples of legal principles or issues that we encounter frequently in personal injury cases. But I also write about them with the intent of reaching accident victims or the people who care about them.Recently I received the following link:...

• Four Deaths Linked to Powerful Pain-Killer, Fentora

  Chelsea Gilbert | September 19, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  On Thursday, September 13, Cephalon Inc. announced that four deaths have been linked to the powerful cancer pain drug, Fentora, which they manufacture. Fentora was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last September for use by specific cancer patients. The Fentora fatalities allegedly all involved patients using the drug improperly. Two of the patients who died were reportedly using...

• 19-year-old Fatally Injured in Collision with Dump Truck in Seattle

  Chelsea Gilbert | September 10, 2007 7:15 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Last Friday afternoon, September 7, two bicyclists were hit by a dump truck near the intersection of Eastlake Avenue and Fuhrman Avenue East in Seattle. 19-year-old Bryce Lewis died on the scene, crushed under the front wheels of the dump truck. The other bicyclist, a friend of Lewis', was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The biking collision occurred on a...

• Attorney General Cautions Use of Chinese Tires

  Mark McLean | August 16, 2007 3:01 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is one of 24 attorneys general throughout the country warning consumers to be wary of defective tires sold by Hangzhou Zhongce, or "HGR" , a Chinese tire manufacturer. Apparently, defective HGR tires have been suspected in causing a litany of car accidents in recent months. A recall is expected soon. Even though HGR is a foreign corporation, it is still...

• Study Reveals Seattle Bicycle Helmet Laws Reduce Injuries

  Mark McLean | July 25, 2007 5:07 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Studies have shown that Seattle's bicycle helmet laws have reduced injuries, especially inuries to children.According to Beterem and the road safety organization Or Yarok, hospitalization due to cycling accidents in New York, New Jersey, Canada, Seatle and California were down by dozens of percentage points - especially among children - after helmet laws were passed.Bicycles are a great form of...

• Holland America--Passengers, Injuries, Infirmaries and Insurance

  Michael Myers | March 08, 2007 8:14 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A University of Texas study showed that four in 100 passengers visited shipboard infirmaries. Eighteen percent of those who visited infirmaries had been inured. In a recent interview, Sally van Boheemen, RN and Director of Holland America Line's Fleet Medical Operations, explained that injuries ranged from sprained ankles to broken hips. In addition, passengers often need to leave a ship for...

• Big Mountain Backdrop for Ski Accident Litigation

  Michael Myers | March 03, 2007 11:19 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Assumption of risk is a huge issue in ski accident cases. The doctrine--which implicates the reasonable care of ski resorts and the personal responsiblity of skiers and riders--was a central issue in a recent case tried in front of the U.S. District Court in Helena, Montana. A six-year-old was seriously injured in 2005. The accident took place in a highly congested area. According to an...

• Forum Selection Clauses

  Michael Myers | January 03, 2007 9:15 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A "forum selection clause" is a portion of a contract that specifies where a particular dispute will be litigated. Sometimes these clauses are enforceable. Other times they are not. The Holland America forum selection clause--which makes Seattle the exclusive place to litigate Holland America passenger injury claims--is enforceable. If suit is filed outside the Western District of Washington...

• Logging Truck Drivers--Menace to Society?

  Michael Myers | December 19, 2006 10:56 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  "It's just unbelievable that he's on the road." That's what the families of two scientists who were killed in a logging truck accident said when they found out the logging truck driver was still on the road...and has been involved in another accident. Logging trucks are large, dangerous and need to be more closely regulated--both by the State and by the companies that hire them to haul logs to...

• Trooper Hits Car on I-5 Ramp

  Michael Myers | October 24, 2006 10:53 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A Seattle man and a Washington State Patrol trooper were injured Monday when the trooper's patrol car rear-ended the man's vehicle on an I-5 on-ramp. Leonard Whitfield's Mazda Miata was hit by the patrol car. Whitfield was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center on Monday afternoon. Whitfield's Miata was crushed when the patrol car pushed it into the back of a pickup...