Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

• Assault Injuries on the Rise

  Staff Writer | October 23, 2006 10:51 AM | 0 CommentsOlympia, WA

  The Seattle Police Department and other Washington law enforcement offices have recently reported a rise in crime and assaults. One only need to scan the headlines to discover the many disturbing reports of violence and assault that plague the news. The incident described below is a horrifying thought for anyone, much less a young mother with an infant child.On September 30 an AP newswire...

• Families Sue State for Fatal Shooting at Jewish Day Care

  Michael Myers | October 22, 2006 5:27 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Whenever Alan Stepakoff sees the large scar on the back of his son's right leg, he's reminded of the horror seven years ago that forever shattered his family's sense of security. Joshua, then 6, was one of five people shot when a gunman stormed into a day care at a Jewish community center in Granada Hills, California. Joshua was shot twice. The families of the injured children feel that the...

• Gang Violence Increases Assault Injuries

  Staff Writer | October 19, 2006 8:14 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  A September article in The Seattle Times pointed out the disturbing upswing in gang violence recently in Seattle and across the country. The article reports that the number of gang-related assaults and cases investigated by the Seattle Police Department's gang unit has already surpassed the number of cases for all of last year. In the Seattle area alone, there are estimated to be 30 to 60 street...

• Slain Coach's Wife Files Wrongful Death Suit

  Michael Myers | October 18, 2006 4:51 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  There is almost always someone to sue when a person dies from something other than natural causes. The wife of a popular tennis coach shot to death by a Seattle teen with apparent mental problems has filed a wrongful death suit against the suspect's parents. The parents of Samson Berhe "did nothing" when their 17-year-old son was on the streets with a shotgun and ammunition on June 25, 2005,...

• Woman Beaten by Husband Wins Civil Suit

  Michael Myers | October 18, 2006 12:08 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Before her divorce was final, Deborah Martin sued her husband, Ernest John Lofgren, for beating her and causing her to suffer a broken cheekbone, broken nose and dislocated jaw, as well as severe dental injuries. Fairfax County jurors decided Lofgren needed to do more than just a short jail stint. They ordered him to pay Martin $550,000, in part for the extensive bills to repair her face --...

• County offers $17,500 after fatal pit bull attack

  Michael Myers | October 13, 2006 7:12 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  One of the most horrific incidents in Yakima's recent history has come to a close. Yakima County commissioners agreed Tuesday to settle a lawsuit that grew out of the 1995 mauling death of a wheelchair-bound man by two pit bull dogs. The county agreed to pay $10,000 to the estate of Walter Feser, then 75, who died from injuries he suffered after the two dogs entered his backyard in the 800 block...

• Shootings at Jewish Charity in Seattle

  Michael Myers | August 06, 2006 6:54 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Last Friday six people were shot at a Jewish Charity in Seattle. Acts of violence like this implicate both criminal and civil laws. The person who filed the shots will be charged with murder. The victims and their families also have personal injury claims agianst him. More likely than not, he will not have assets sufficient to satisfy any judgments entered against him. But the victims and...

• Elderly Beware

  Michael Myers | June 06, 2006 3:59 PM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  According to The Olympian newspaper, the Department of Social and Health Services has yanked a fairly new adult home care facility's license. The facility, opened in 2003, cares for five elderly clients. The facility was cited with,Failing to ensure one resident received prompt medical care with a change in condition and that another resident received glucose monitoring as ordered.Failing to...

• Homeowner's Insurance Covers More Than Just Your Home

  Michael Myers | May 25, 2006 3:35 PM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Did you know that homeowner's insurance covers more than just your home? Homeowner's insurance usually covers liability claims, medical payments to a third party, and legal costs if a liability claim is brought against you. My last post talked about dog bites. Well, even if your family dog bites someone, your homeowner's insurance will likely pay their medical costs and your legal costs if...

• Children Hurt in Falls More Often than You'd Expect

  Staff Writer | May 12, 2006 11:38 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  Our colleague Kathy Caso brings attention to falls as a common cause of serious injury in children. The SAFE KIDS Campaign shows that falls are the leading cause of injury in children, injuring more than 2.5 million kids each year, with 5,000 of them (mostly toddlers) being hurt by falling from windows. The cause of falls can sometimes be attributed to the carelessness of the person responsible...