InjuryBoard Tacoma

On September 25th the parents of a 5-year-old boy who drowned last year at Crofton County Club in Anne Arundel County were awarded more than $4 million in damages. The judge ordered DRD Pool Service Inc., the county club's management company, to pay Thomas Free and Debra Neagle Webber $2,000,076 each. The $76 serves as a symbol of Connor Freed's July 6th birthday. DRD was found negligent for...

Continue article

Read more: Erica Barnett, The StrangerThe recent death of a bicyclist in Seattle is raising questions about the safety of "fixed-gear" bikes (that is, bikes where the cog on the rear wheel is attached directly to the hub rather than spinning freely).http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=322254The problem with these bikes is described in a recent article in The Stranger. Some cyclists...

Continue article

Distraction - in its various forms - is an increasing problem in the United States.On July 1, 2007, Washington became one of several states to ban the use of cell phones while driving, unless the driver is using a hands-free devise. Clearly, the influence of distracted drivers on road safety has become an increasing concern of Washington police (and residents). "Anything you can do at home,...

Continue article

A woman backing out of her driveway was broadsided on the driver's side of her car by another vehicle heading south on 131st Avenue SE in east Snohomish. The woman suffered severe injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center.The southbound car was being driven by a 17-year-old girl. There were two passengers inside the car. All three persons may have suffered minor injuries,...

Continue article

During a high school soccer game at Toppenish Middle School a 5-month old baby girl fell 15 to 20 feet from the bleachers to the ground below. The baby suffered a head injury and was taken by ambulance to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where she was listed to be in critical condition.Police said a relative was baby-sitting the child during a high...

Continue article

On Saturday night the driver of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), K.C. Sanchez, 32, lost control and hit two teenage boys on skateboards.The driver of the ATV was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with a serious head injury; the passenger on the ATV was also injured and was transported to Capital Medical Center. The skateboarders hit by the ATV were transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital...

Continue article

A 17-year old bicyclist was struck by a car late last Wednesday in Skyway, Washington. The car involved in the collision, described as yellow and possibly a Chevrolet El Camino, struck the bicyclist from behind and drove away without stopping. The man driving the vehicle was in his late teens or early twenties. The bicyclist was taken to Harborview Medical Center for non-life threatening...

Continue article

A Pierce Transit bus was leaving a transit center near the Tacoma Mall last Tuesday when its engine revved and the vehicle took off, seemingly of its own volition. A number of passengers reported injuries.The bus driver, employed with Pierce Transit for four years, said that he was fully applying the brakes as the bus careened out of control, clipping three trees, jumping a curb, hitting...

Continue article

A recent story in the news caught my attention. It detailed the facts surrounding Debra Whalawitsa's sentence of 90 days home detention for leaving the scene of the car crash that killed her son. Ms. Whalawitsa explained that she suffered a concussion in the accident and wasn't thinking clearly. Concusions and other closed head injuries are frequently overlooked even by trained ER doctors and...

Continue article

Today, August 22, four more toys have been recalled due to a risk of lead exposure. Exposure to lead has been shown to cause brain and kidney damage, especially in children. Lead poisoning symptoms include, among others, nausea, headaches, constipation, seizures, and coma.The CPSC announced that SpongeBob SquarePants Address Books and Journals, Thomas and Friends and Curious George Spinning...

Continue article