Miscellaneous

• Boating Deaths--Criminal Charges and Civil Actions

  Michael Myers | September 28, 2008 10:07 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  The news this weekend was filled with reports of boating accidents and, unfortunately, deaths.  East of the mountains there was news of an ongoing criminal prosecution.  Michael Nethercutt is...

• Tort Claim Forms—Traps for the Unwary

  Michael Myers | September 24, 2008 4:43 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  When you're hurt by a government employee, you have to file what’s called a tort claim form before you can file suit. This rule applies to cities, counties, states or the federal government....

• Nursing Home Outreach

  Michael Myers | September 21, 2008 11:09 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  I recently read that there are over three million elderly people residing in nursing homes in the United States. Alarmingly, twenty-five percent of them are neglected or abused.  Medicare...

• Strict Liability for Dog Bites in Washington--Law and Perversion

  Michael Myers | September 17, 2008 11:03 PM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  The Revised Code of Washington has an entire chapter devoted to dog bites.  Lawmakers drafted a statute imposing strict liability on the owner of a dog that bites and injures someone.  The statute...

• Let's Go Sailing Passengers Injured--Rights and Remedies on the Water

  Michael Myers | September 16, 2008 11:54 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Yesterday KIRO TV reported a collision between a Bayliner Trophy and a 42-foot sailboat near Alki Point.  Three people suffered injuries.  "They told me this guy came out of nowhere and smashed into...

• Rogue Waves--Vessel Owners Contort a Dubious Defense

  Michael Myers | September 16, 2008 12:36 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  One of the most frequently asserted defenses in cruise ship litigation, not only by Holland America, but also by regional cruise lines, sightseeing vessels ...

• Oregon Supreme Court Affirms Wrongful Death Cap on Damages

  Don Jacobs | February 25, 2008 3:57 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  The Oregon Supreme Court handed down a decision in Hughes v. Peacehealth on Friday February 22nd. The Court said the state law capping non-economic damages in a wrongful death case at $500,000 is constitutional. The court refused to accept arguments that the law interferes with a jury's power to decide fair damages on a given case. In this particular case a jury had awarded a woman one...

• Pedestrian Fatality in Othello Highlights Importance of Accident Investigation

  Ryan Nute | February 02, 2008 6:35 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Accidents involving serious injuries or death need to be investigated promptly so that the facts surrounding the accident can be determined before memories or evidence fades.Early Sunday morning Department of Transportation crews were trying to clear snow and ice off major highways in Eastern Washington when one of the snow plows hit and killed a pedestrian. The plow was clearing snow off the...

• Driver Charged in Death of Bicyclist in South Kitsap

  Ryan Nute | January 31, 2008 11:48 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Delores Magneson, 59, has been charged with the death of bicyclist Craig Hatt, 41. Magnesson allegedly hit Hatt last September on Mile Hill Drive in South Kitsap. Magneson claimed that her windshield had fogged up, as a result of just behind washed and glare from the sun, obscuring her vision. However, upon investigation it was discovered that Magneson's driver's license had been canceled...

• Private Health Insurance Profits Soar

  Don Jacobs | January 29, 2008 12:42 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  Health insurance is expensive. Small business people are especially hurt by the rising costs to cover employees. And good luck finding affordable coverage if you are self employed. The rates for self employed even healthy people are sobering. So it must mean that health insurance companies are struggling right? They keep raising the rates and finding more and more conditions they don't...