Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

• Releases are Narrowly Construed--Health Clubs and Recreational Equipment Providers Exposed to Liability

  Michael Myers | October 04, 2007 3:33 PM | 0 CommentsOlympia, WA

  Gyms are notorious for making their members sign "releases". So are sports leagues and places that rent recreational equipment. But these releases don't provide immunity for all injuries. In fact, they only provide immunity for injuries incurred under a narrow set of circumstances. This point was illustrated by the Alaska Supreme Court in the case of Moore v. Hartley Motors. It held that...

• Slip and fall injuries on snow and ice

  Don Jacobs | December 23, 2008 4:23 PM | 0 CommentsVancouver, WA

  Winter has finally hit the Portland/Vancouver area. The papers are full of multiple vehicle collisions caused by slippery road conditions. The emergency rooms are reporting an increase in fracture...

• Toddler Dies in Day Care Accident

  Michael Myers | December 05, 2005 4:57 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 17 month old child died last Thursday as the result of a tragic accident that occurred at her day care provider. The infant, Jaclyn Frank, was apparently strangled on a set of blinds at her Bothel day care facility. The King County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident. The King County Sheriff's Office is investigating. Jaclyn's father, Larry Frank, described his daughter as "the...

• Pool Company Found Negligent in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

  Michael Myers | September 28, 2007 11:00 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  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...

• Lawsuit Over Taser Use on Epileptic Settles for $90,000

  Jenny Albano | January 23, 2008 6:55 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A lawsuit for tasing and punching a man who had just had an epileptic seizure has been settled for $90,000. In addition, the settlement mentioned a new policy on Taser use in Lakewood in the $300,000 lawsuit brought against the municipality, the police department, Chief Larry Saunders and four other officers. According to Lt. David B. Guttu, the Taser policy changes listed in the settlement...

• Breach of Trust and Confidence

  Michael Myers | December 04, 2007 10:05 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A female patient of Dr. Chris Woodja, a dentist who practiced in the Shoreline area, was found heavily drugged and half-naked in his office on October 17th.The patient had come in for treatment of an abscessed tooth. Reportedly, Woodja had contacted the patient's roommates prior to the appointment and requested that the patient bring "the additional four tablets of Triazolam" he had prescribed...

• Man Gets Arm Caught in Meat Grinder

  Michael Myers | December 17, 2006 8:35 PM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  A 24-year-old man was seriously injured Thursday when his arm was caught in a meat grinder at a Bellevue meat market. The man was working at Golden Steer Choice Meats when his left hand got caught in the grinder. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration and Labor and Industries. While Washington law prevents the man from suing his employer,...

• Foundry Explosion Highlights Importance of Seeking Workers

  Michael Myers | October 09, 2007 8:18 AM | 0 CommentsTacoma, WA

  Last Saturday afternoon an explosion at a Tacoma foundry caused a massive fire, closed a major highway and sent four people to the hospital. The fire at Atlas Castings & Technology was started when a delivery truck carrying 8,000 gallons of propane exploded at the foundry and caused a fire in a nearby propane tank. The explosion was described by witnesses and police as like a bomb going up. ...

• State Pays $2.5 Million for Rape of Mentally-Ill Woman

  Chelsea Gilbert | September 19, 2007 8:00 AM | 0 CommentsOlympia, WA

  A $2.5 million dollar settlement was reached on Tuesday to settle the claims of a mentally-ill woman who was raped while she was a patient at Eastern State Hospital in 2004.$1.5 million of that settlement will go towards the victim's future care, an amount declared "reasonable" by Jerry Cartwright, the assistant attorney general who represented the state, considering the amount of care the woman...

• Bar Fight Raises Question of Premises Liability

  Michael Myers | November 23, 2005 10:51 AM | 0 CommentsSeattle, WA

  At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Monday, November 21, 2005 George Mosher Jr. was stabbed to death outside of Eli's Pub in Kent. Mr. Mosher was an off-duty pub employee who was trying to break up a fight that had erupted outside the establishment. His assailants stabbed him in the chest, puncturing his lung and severing his aorta. They then fled the scene before police arrived. For more...