Seattle Injury Lawyer Blog

How to stay safe with Fido in the car

July 19, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Dog owners often like to take their beloved pets on car rides. Whether a dog needs to visit the vet, the family wants to take their dog on vacation or a dog simply enjoys riding with his head out of the window, owners often allow their dogs to ride unrestrained on these car rides. Unfortunately, while Fido may love to ride unrestrained, driving with an unrestrained dog can increase a motorist’s risk of being involved in car accidents and increase risk of injury among all motor vehicle inhabitants.

Unrestrained pets of any kind, and dogs in particular, present a potential distraction to drivers. As a result, it is safest for dog owners to crate their pets on car trips. A restrained dog is less likely to create the kind of havoc that leads to distraction-related accidents.

Regardless of whether dog owners heed the practical advice that one should crate their dogs while traveling, dog owners should always avoid allowing dogs to ride in the front seat. Creating separation between the driver and the dog will help the driver to remain focused on the task at hand. Keeping dogs out of the front seat also protects them from airbag deployment and from flying into the windshield in the event of a collision.

Exploring possible links between TBI and Alzheimer’s

July 5, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A study recently published in the journal Neurology suggests that certain kinds of head trauma mirrors the kind of grey matter changes which occur in the early stages of Alzheimer’s development. Whether this parallel means that traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) cause Alzheimer’s or simply alter the brain in similar ways has yet to be determined.

Experts at the Pittsburgh School of Medicine studied this potential link between TBI and Alzheimer’s and created the piece published in Neurology. Their work will almost certainly inspire future studies that could ultimately impact the ways in which medical professionals diagnose, treat and prevent both TBI and Alzheimer’s. These developments could, in turn, dramatically impact the lives of accident victims and Alzheimer’s patients.

The study’s lead author recently explained why the discovery of this potential link is so critical. He noted that, “Traditionally, it has been believed that patients with mild TBI have symptoms because of abnormalities secondary to direct injury. Our preliminary findings suggest that the initial traumatic event that caused the concussion acts as a trigger for a sequence of degenerative changes in the brain that result in patient symptoms and that may be potentially prevented.”

When helmets come off, motorcycle accident medical claims rise

June 25, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Summer is finally here. As a result, many bikers will be traveling throughout the Northwest and across the country on their motorcycles simply for the joy of riding. However, bikers should be advised that new research has confirmed what many bikers have had to learn the hard way. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has determined that when bikers fail to wear helmets, they sustain greater injuries and subsequent medical bill balances when they are involved in motorcycle accidents as compared to bikers who wear helmets and are involved in collisions.

The recent insurance industry study focused on the ways in which medical claims were affected in Michigan during the year following repeal of the state’s mandatory helmet law. Medical claims tied to motorcycle accident injuries rose by between 22 and 34 percent during this period, depending on whether certain variables were adjusted for or not. Bikers were injured more substantially and required more medical care generally following the helmet requirement repeal.

The HLDI’s chief research officer emphasized that “The cost per injury claim is significantly higher after the law changed than before, which is consistent with other research that shows riding without a helmet leads to more head injuries.” This landmark study is the first to explore the link between helmet law repeal and injury severity as opposed to straight fatality statistics.

New rules aim to protect consumers from toxic wood products

June 10, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Some products are inherently dangerous. When consumers purchase knives, table saw and bleach for example, they understand that they must use great caution when interacting with these products. However, some products are dangerous due to defects, toxins or actions on the part of negligent manufacturers. Oftentimes, consumers are unaware of the hazards they face when interacting with these products because they do not appear to be inherently dangerous.

One such dangerous product currently circulating the marketplace is wood treated with toxic chemicals. Due to a great deal of effort on the part of certain safety advocates and bipartisan support in Congress, new rules are finally being enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to protect consumers from these dangerous products.

In essence, wood that is both imported and manufactured domestically is often being treated with formaldehyde and other dangerous chemicals. While these compounds help to treat, protect and otherwise affect the wood in beneficial ways, the toxins present in the wood can be extremely harmful to those who are directly exposed to it both during and post-manufacturing.

SUV crashes result in higher fatalities for affected motorists

May 30, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Most individuals who can afford to shop for vehicles beyond a certain price point spend a significant amount of time researching the pros and cons of various models before settling on one. Among the most important factors in most individuals’ decision-making is the safety rating associated with any given model. Unfortunately, most consumers are not aware that the type of vehicle they end up purchasing is a much greater indicator of overall safety than its individual rating is.

According to a newly released study conducted by experts at the University of Buffalo, the model of passenger car an individual is driving at the time it collides with a sport utility vehicle (SUV) matters far less than the fact that the driver is not similarly driving an SUV. In these types of head-on car accidents involving SUVs and passenger cars, drivers of the passenger vehicles are substantially more likely to suffer fatal injury regardless of what model they are driving at the time of impact.

The mildly positive news is that if a passenger car has a superior safety rating than the SUV it crashes into, the driver is only four times more likely to die than the occupants of the SUV. If the SUV has a superior safety rating, drivers of the passenger car are ten times more likely to die.

Collapse of Skagit River Bridge – Large Canary in the Coal Mine?

May 24, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

With the collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge over Skagit River on May 23, 2013, we should all stop to be thankful that there were no serious injuries or deaths in this incident. However, is this incident a large canary in the coal mine? What should be done to prevent this from happening again? In an era of budget cuts and political gridlock, is the government providing sufficient funding for maintenance of our bridges and roads?

The bridge at issue was built in 1955 and listed by the Federal Highway Administration as “functionally obsolete.” This is a category for bridges that have narrow lanes, shoulders or spans, and do not provide enough vertical clearance for tall trucks or oversized loads. Is that the kind of bridge that should span a river on a major interstate in our state? This is not some back road – this is a major interstate.

Commenting on the problem, Governor Jay Inslee stated in a news conference: “We have some work to do on our bridges whether or not this accident happened, and we have some discussions in Olympia . . . about making sure that we make investments in bridges to prevent this kind of thing from happening.”

CDC releases offshore worker fatality rate data

May 8, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Due to a variety of television programs, films and books devoted to the perils of commercial fishing and oil production, the American public is gaining a better and better understanding of just how dangerous maritime work tends to be. Tragically, not all offshore accidents result only in maritime injury and property damage. A staggering number of American maritime workers are killed on the job each year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released data that helps to define the scope of this tragedy. The CDC has determined that offshore maritime workers face a risk of being killed on the job that is seven times higher than the national worker fatality average. This makes offshore maritime work the most deadly profession an American can opt to pursue.

Some maritime accidents, like the Deepwater Horizon explosion that rocked the coast of Louisiana in 2010, are highly publicized. Others do not generate as much media attention but are no less tragic. Eleven workers died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion, but 128 total offshore workers were killed on the job between 2003 and 2010 alone.

Sound Transit Bus Runs Red Light, Crashes Into SUV

May 7, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

On Monday, May 6, at about 9:33 p.m., a Sound Transit bus ran a red light while exiting Interstate 405 near the Totem Lake Transit Center in Kirkland, Washington and crashed into an SUV traveling on eastbound on Northwest 128th Street. The impact killed passengers Robert H. Rotta, 76, and his wife, Elizabeth E. Rotta, 75. The SUV driver, Kendall L. Rotta, was taken to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation and emergency treatment.

At the time of the incident, there were approximately 35 passengers on board the bus. A Sound Transit spokesperson indicated that he could not confirm or deny whether the brakes had failed on the bus, but that possibility was under investigation. The bus was operated by Community Transit, which contracts with First Transit for maintenance of its buses.

In Washington, the owner and operator of a bus has a duty to exercise reasonable care to properly maintain its buses. If the brakes on the bus failed, it is important to establish why the brakes failed and whether the company had notice of the problem before the failure or whether lax maintenance led to the failure. The Washington State Patrol will conduct an investigation into the incident and issue findings concerning the cause of the crash. The estate of a person killed in this type of incident could assert a wrongful death claim. In a wrongful death claim, the estate could assert damages for financial losses, medical expenses, pre-death pain and suffering, and the loss of the parent-child relationship caused by the death. The bus company will usually assign an adjuster and possibility an attorney to begin working on its behalf early in the investigation. It is important that the family and any injured persons have legal representation to gather important information early in the investigation. Critical evidence collected early in the investigation can make the difference in the outcome of a case.

Charter fishing vessel sinks off the coast of Maui

April 3, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

Six fishermen are safe after their vessel began taking on water and sank approximately two miles off the coast of Kahoolawe, Maui, Monday.

Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received a radio call from the captain of the 43-foot charter fishing vessel Piper at 12 p.m. The captain reported the vessel was sinking and passengers were putting on lifejackets. The six people aboard the Piper abandoned ship into a life raft.

A crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Maui was launched. Watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast over VHF marine radio channel 16 to notify other vessels in the area of the emergency and the need for immediate assistance. The crew aboard the recreational vessel Misti III responded and rescued the passengers and crew. The Misti III transported the six survivors to Ma’alaea Harbor where emergency medical services met them. No serious injuries were reported.

Coast Guard medevacs crewmember aboard tanker after 20-foot fall

April 1, 2013 | Kraft Davies Olsson PLLC

A 28-year-old man was medevaced after sustaining about a 20-foot fall aboard a tanker in the fairway anchorage off Sabine, off the coast of Texas, Saturday afternoon.

The captain of the 800-foot Cyprus flagged tanker, Nordmark, radioed watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston for assistance, reporting that a crewmember had sustained an injury to his back after falling in the engineering space.

The aircrew hoisted the man from the tanker and transported him to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Beaumont for medical care.