All Topics

• Serving Alcohol at the Holiday Party? Beware.

  Ryan Nute | December 18, 2006 9:43 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  It's the time of year when businesses and individuals throw parties to celebrate the holidays. But if they're not careful, they could face claims for personal injuries caused by intoxicated guests.Businesses serving alcohol to obviously intoxicated persons are liable when, for example, the drunk patron causes a car crash. "Social hosts" can also face similar claims.If you or a loved one is...

• Settlement Reached in Negligent Highway Design Case

  Ryan Nute | December 13, 2006 12:09 PM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Eighteen-year old Megan Holschen died in a horrific crossover crash that occurred on I-5 on December 15, 2004. Her family members were also seriously injured. The accident occurred when a large SUV crashed through a cable barrier.The Holschens contended that the State negligently placed cable barriers in the freeway median. The State is also defending against other pending claims relating to...

• Contingency Fees and Costs

  Michael Myers | May 02, 2006 10:14 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Imagine this:You were just injured in an automobile accident. Your medical bills are mounting. To make matters worse, you can't work. Then, the insurance company calls and offers you $500.00 to settle your claim. You need advice, but what do you do, you can't afford a lawyer at a time like this! That's where the contingency fee agreement comes in.The contingency fee agreement allows people...

• Unsecured Tarp Causes Death

  Michael Myers | April 05, 2006 9:37 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Komo 1000 News reported today that the family of a man who was killed in Tacoma will be suing a California Trucking Company. The family believes that it was an unsecured tarp that caused a chain reaction of accidents, ultimately killing their son. "I think it's kind of an unfortunate chain of events sparked by a truck driver who improperly secured his load, or didn't take time to put the tarp...

• Construction Scaffolding Fails, Kills Three

  Michael Myers | April 04, 2006 9:46 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  According to the Tacoma News Tribune,A 10-ton construction platform collapsed and crashed 13 stories onto a busy downtown street Monday, killing three people and crushing cars stopped in midday traffic. Witnesses described hearing a rumble, then the crash of scaffolding that kicked up metal, dust and boards on Boylston Street, which runs along the south side of Boston Common.Construction...

• Construction Accidents Up In Arizona

  Michael Myers | March 21, 2006 12:34 PM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Andrew Defusco in Phoenix has a great post about the state of Arizona surpassing their previous record for construction site deaths in 2005. Andrew offers an astute observation about the state's rise in construction accidents:We are still in a boom market for the construction industry, with everything from residential, commercial and industrial construction projects on the rise. With increased...

• I Got Doored!

  Ryan Nute | January 02, 2008 9:37 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  It's one of the commuting cyclist's perils. You're riding on the shoulder past parked cars when all of a sudden someone opens their car door, leaving you the choice of (a) crashing into said door or (b) veering left into traffic. Quite the "Hobson's Choice" (that is, no choice at all).Did you ever wonder whether drivers have a legal duty to look before opening their doors? Well, they do. And...

• Opportunity Cost Key Factor in Assessing Personal Injury Damages

  Michael Myers | December 21, 2007 10:47 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Personal injury cases are typically valued--by insurance adjusters, personal injury attorneys and juries--based on medical expenses. Oftentimes lost wages and, to a greater extent, opportunity cost, take a back seat. Should people who get hurt in accidents be compensated for the opportunities they miss because of someone else's negligence? On Monday, Brian Ebersole, former state legislator,...

• Metro bus driver involved in fatal accident fired, may be prosecuted for negligent driving

  Ryan Nute | October 26, 2007 11:09 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Sandie Olosky, 35, the Metro bus driver involved in the head-on collision in April that killed a man, will be fired by Metro.The accident occurred on Highway 164 when Olosky failed to slow with traffic and then swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of her. The bus hit the bumper of the vehicle in front of her and then collided with a truck driven by Michael...

• Drunken Driver Crashes Car Repeatedly--Potential claims for Serving Customer Too Much Alcohol

  Michael Myers | October 02, 2007 8:29 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  After leaving the Muckleshoot Casino, a man, suspected to be intoxicated, caused a series of crashes in the early morning hours of September 27th. The man hit a vehicle when exiting the Muckleshoot Casino parking lot and, shortly afterwards, hit a street sign while driving down a residential street.According to a witness, the truck "flipped in the air, hit the telephone pole in the air...