Posts tagged Motor Vehicle Accidents

• You Can Settle Your UIM Claim First

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 12:59 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  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 Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  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 Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  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 Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  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...

• Past Criminal Convictions

  Michael Myers | March 06, 2007 6:19 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  Most criminal convictions won't come into evidence in your personal injury case. Things like DUI and assault are likely irrelevant and excluded by the rules of evidence. You'll probably be asked about your criminal convictions in discovery (either written or at your deposition). The worst thing you can do is lie. While your DUI from 1999 won't come into evidence if you tell the truth about...

• Rising Star at Bastyr Tragically Killed in Collision

  Michael Myers | March 05, 2007 9:13 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  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...

• tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson Act

  Michael Myers | March 05, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  For two years state representative Ruth Kagi has fought for legislation to keep dangerous trucks and drivers off the roads. She moved closer to her goal this week when the state House of Representatives passed the Tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson Act with a vote of 88 to 9.Qamar and Johnson, both leading scientists, were killed October 4, 2005, when a log truck lost its load on Highway 101. The...

• Snowy Roads--Major Accidents

  Michael Myers | March 04, 2007 7:51 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  Snow coated Western Washington roads on Wednesday. The most affected area was Snoqualmie Pass. At least 60 vehicles were involved in an accident near the Pass on I-90. The Interstate was shut down for six hours. The State Patrol reports at least four serious injuries. Even though snow dramatically changes the way a car handles, the same rules of the road applicable to dry pavement and...

• More than Half of Adults Could Not Pay Living Expenses if they Became Disabled--Time to Check UIM Coverage

  Michael Myers | March 03, 2007 7:28 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA Category: Automobile Accidents
  

  I read a recent headline which read: "More Than Half of Adults Could Not Meet Expenses If They Became Disabled". It was based on research by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The Survey made me think of UIM insurance. That's really the only kind of insurance you can readily buy to help insurance against the risks of disability (since the 1980s the coverage offered by...

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

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

  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...