Washington Injury Attorney Blog

A Seattle woman who was boating with her husband near Dyes Inletin Kitsap County lost her leg beneath the knee in a tragic boating accident according to The Seattle Times. The incident, which occurred Saturday afternoon, happened when the woman was climbing onto the couple's boat that was in 2'-3' of water. She slipped off the boat's step and make contact with the spinning propeller. Her leg beneath the knee was severed.

The 45-year-old woman, who was not identified, was taken to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton initially and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Her condition as of Sunday morning is listed as "serious."

This information was bought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience in the Pacific Northwest representing boating accident victims. If you or a loved one is seriously injured or killed in a boating accident, contact us for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Boating & Watercraft Accidents

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Fireworks go on sale in Washington State as we approach the 4th of July. Fireworks can be extremely dangerous explosives and should be left to professionals. Even your common place fireworks sold at local stands can be extremely dangerous and result in serious burns. Bottle rockets and sparklers are the most dangerous explosives with M80s and M100s "cherry bombs" as some of the most dangerous types.

Fireworks can cause permanent damage, can cause severe burns, loss of finger, hand or an eye and can even result in death.

According to the State Fire Marshal Michael Matlick, last year in Washington State there were 1,059 injuries due to the use of fireworks and 42% of these injuries were to children with no adult supervision. 49 of these were children under the age of 14.

Fire work safety tips:

• Do not purchase any illegal fireworks such as M80s or M100s.

• Only use fireworks where they are legally allowed

• Supervise children at all times

• Only adults should light fireworks
  
  
• Store your fireworks in a secure location.

• Use fireworks away from dry vegetation and grass that may be vulnerable to fire.

Do not allow yourself, your child or a neighbor's child become a firework accident victim. Every year, our firm receives a call from someone who suffered a burn injury or serious injury like an eye injury due to fireworks.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. If you of a loved one has suffered a serious injury, do not hesitate to contact us.

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Posted In: Burn Injuries , Serious Personal Injuries

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The family of an 81-year-old patient in a HCR Manor Care facility was awarded $6 million dollars in a case of nursing home abuse and neglect after the patient was given an overdose of morphine. In awarding $6 million, the jury found that Manor Care facility in Tucson, was negligent in giving Sylvia Culpepper twice the prescribed dosage of morphine. Manor Care also has facilities in Lynnwood, Gig Harbor, Spokane and Tacoma, Washington.

According to court transcripts, Culpepper was being treated for sciatica, a nerve condition that causes pain. When her physician changed her dosage of morphine, Manor Care erroneously gave her both the old dosage and the new dosage. The jury found that the nursing home was to blame for failing to recognize a morphine overdose and for not having adequate staffing.

In many cases of nursing home abuse or neglect, inadequate or poorly trained staff is the cause.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or died as a result of nursing home staff negligence or abuse, you should contact The Farber Law Group, a law firm that specializes in nursing home abuse and neglect.

See our Nursing Home & Elder Abuse Resources.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice , Nursing Home Neglect , Wrongful Death

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A 5-year-old-boy was seriously hurt and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after falling from a 2nd story window in Baring, Washington near Index. Falls from open windows becomes increasingly common during the summer months and warm weather. According to King5.com, last summer 25 children were treated for falls from a window. Falls can be very serious resulting in serious head, neck and back injuries, broken bones, permanent brain damage and often death.

As a homeowner, you may be found negligent if a child falls from a window in your own home. Negligence arises when a person fails to exercise proper caution. In the case of a window, it should be properly screened or the lock should be fastened. You would be liable to compensate the injured person for their injuries, medical costs and pain and suffering.

The personal injury attorneys at The Farber Law Group routinely handle slip, trip and fall cases. We have more than 30 years experience in representing people who have suffered serious injuries due to the negligence of others.

Contact The Farber Law Group for a free case consultation.

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Posted In: Brain Injury , Serious Personal Injuries , Slip, Trip and Fall

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A construction worker was injured in a 20 foot fall from a scaffold while he was painting at the Juanita Bay Pump Station Replacement project reports Seattle's KIROTV.com. The man, who was an employee of Cascade Painting, had to be rescued as the scaffolding he was working on fell on top of him. The construction accident occurred in the 9300 block of Juanita Drive reported Annie Kolb-Nelson, a spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

The man was said to have been conscious and alert after the accident but he had to be extricated from the scaffolding before he could be taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Kolb-Nelson said his injuries were to his head and chest and she classified them as non-life threatening.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are construction worker attorneys with more than 30 years experience in representing people with serious injuries due to accidents at construction sites. Construction accidents can include the following: falls from one level to another, falls from scaffold or ladder, being hit by falling objects, chemical exposure, nail gun injures, electrocution and burns. Construction workers are entitled to worker's compensation but they may also be eligible for compensation from 3rd party sources such as equipment manufacturers, general contractors and property owners.

If you have been involved in a construction accident, you need a skilled lawyer who will thoroughly investigate your case and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Construction Accident

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The Everett, Washington HeraldNet reports that a construction worker was killed at the site of the new Mukilteo City Hall. The man that was killed was a 33-year-old carpenter. No other details about the man have been released.

The construction accident occurred at the City Hall site at 11930 block of Cyrus Way around 10:55am. The worker was killed as workers pumped concrete into the building's second floor. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We hare more than 30 years experience in representing people who have been seriously injured or killed in construction accidents. Washington State has a wrongful death statute which allows family members to bring about a wrongful death suit on behalf of the deceased by surviving family members.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Construction Accident , Wrongful Death

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The University of Washington Medical Center is part of a worldwide test drive of a World Heath Organization initiative and is using a checklist in the operating room. The checklist also includes items from a statewide project, Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP). The Seattle Times reports that the medical center has started using a checklist for every surgery done at the hospital. The UW is one of only eight hospitals worldwide that is testing the use of a checklist and they believe that as a result of using the checklist there will be fewer mistakes, better outcomes, better communication and a better standard of care in the operating room and after surgery.

The use of checklists are standard procedure in other industries and endeavors like aviation reports The Times, however, it has not been routinely used in medicine. That is until people like Dr. Atul Gawande writing in The New Yorker explained with his easy-to-understand narrative, how complex medicine can be today and how simply using a checklist can make dramatic improvements in medical care and avoid surgical malpractice.

The checklist used by the UW is a 2-foot by 3-foot laminated poster which is hung on an IV pole in the operating room. It prompts the physicians, nurses and operating room personnel to go through a series of questions and procedures which include:

• Having the surgical team introduce themselves which improves communication.
  
• Confirming the patient's name, operation, and surgery site. This simple check will avoid a surgeon mistakenly removing a right lung instead of a left one, for example.
  
• Confirming that everyone knows what surgery is being performed.
  
• Doing an instrument count so that no instruments, sponges or needles are mistakenly left in the patient's surgery site.
  
• Confirming if the patient is diabetic and needs insulin or has high blood pressure and is current with their medicines.
  
• Confirming whether the patient has any allergies.

Dr. E. Patchen Dellinger at the UW is very enthusiastic about the checklist. He said about the time spent on going over the checklist, "Two minutes seems like a pretty modest investment in safety."

The SCOAP program plans to have checklists in all hospitals throughout Washington State by the end of 2009. Data from the UW pilot program should be available by the end of the year.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to surgical malpractice or medical malpractice. Surgical errors result in thousands of injures every year. We applaud the use of the checklist to eliminate the incident of wrong site incisions, poor pre-operative planning or other mistakes during surgery.

If you have experienced a botched surgery, contact The Farber Law Group as we have more than 30 years experience in presenting victims of negligent doctors and other health care providers.

Contact us today for a free case consultation.

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Posted In: Medical Malpractice

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The Seattle Times reports that a highway flagger was killed when a dump truck backed up on Olympic Highway 101 near Brinnon, Washington South of Dosewallips State Park in a tragic construction accident. Washington State Patrol reports that Lynette Anderson, 49, of Beaver, Washington died around noon at milepost 310, Canal View Street.

State troopers said that the accident occurred Monday afternoon while crews were working on a paving project.

Dump trucks are equipped with a beeper that sounds when a truck is backing up. State Troopers are investigating to determine if safety equipment was malfunctioning at the time of the accident.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who are seriously injured or killed in construction accidents in Washington State. We have represented people with wrongful death claims for more than 30 years.

Contact us today for a free case consultation.

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Posted In: Construction Accident , Pedestrian Accidents , Wrongful Death

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The U.S. Coast Guard says that boating accident fatalities are up in the Pacific Northwest and in Washington State over previous years. According to Seattle's King5.com, there have been 28 boating accident fatalities in the Northwest States including Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho this year. As of June 20, there are already 12 boating accident fatalities in Washington State alone and 28 in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, there were only 23 fatalities by June 20th.

One significant cause of boating accidents is the use of alcohol. People who drink while boating are ten times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident. Washington State Patrol says that half of all boating accidents involve alcohol. The legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) is the same for boating as in driving any other motor vehicle, 0.08%. While it is illegal to drive a boat while intoxicated, tickets are seldom issued to drunk boaters.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in boating accidents and the families of people killed. We have more than 30 years experience in representing boaters and their families in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Boating & Watercraft Accidents

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Seattle's King5.com reports that a Woodinville jogger, Karl Eels, 36, of Bothell, Washington was seriously injured in a pedestrian accident after being hit by a driver who then drove away. The accident occurred on the Woodinville-Duvall Road. Eels was jogging along the shoulder of the road when he was hit from behind and thrown 25 feet.

The King County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help in identifying the driver. Witnesses describe the vehicle that hit Eels as a "light burgundy 2003 or 2004 Nissan Pathfinder with a roof rack." The King County Sheriff's Office number is 206-296-3311 or call 911. Please call them if you have any information regarding this accident.

This information was brought to you as a service of Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience in representing people with serious personal injuries caused by car accidents, pedestrian accidents and motorcycle accidents.

If you have been seriously injured, we will work to insure that you are fully compensated for your injuries including your medical costs and compensation for pain and suffering. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Pedestrian Accidents

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The two owners of a Cowlitz dairy farm have plead guilty to a charge of "distribution of adulterated food" as a result of a E-coli outbreak caused by milk from their dairy, reports The Seattle Times. Michael and Anita Puckett, owners of the Dee Creek Farm, will be fined $100,000and may serve up to one year in prison.

In December 2005, there was a major E-coli outbreak in Washington State traced back to milk the dairy distributed. Eighteen people became ill and three children were hospitalized with HUS, a severe kidney disease which often leads to lifelong health problems and permanent kidney damage.

When the U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the E-coli outbreak, they found that the dairy did not have sanitary conditions. The dairy did not provide hand washing facilities and they could not prove that they tested for the bacteria which is required of a licensed dairy. In addition, Dee Creek Dairy distributed unpasteurized milk which is against the law unless one has a license to do so. The Puckett's did not have a license.

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS)is a life threatening condition that is a result of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium . The Center for Disease Control reports that there are approximately 73,000 cases of E-coli O157:H7 infection per year in the U.S. resulting in approximately 60 deaths. Undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized dairy products, cured meats and unpasteurized juices are often the culprits.

Many times an E-coli outbreak can be traced to the negligence of the food producer in the packaging or manufacturing process. In the case of this Cowlitz dairy, the Puckett's did not follow many of the sanitation requirements to produce their product.

In preparing a lawsuit for a case like this, the personal injury attorney must prove negligence. Because HUS is often a life-long condition, damage awards can be significant because the victim should be compensated for current and future medical costs and pain and suffering.

If you or a loved one has become ill because of food poisoning or a foodborne illness, contact The Farber Law Group. We have received significant financial awards for our clients in past cases involving a fast food operator in Washington State.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Dangerous Products , Foodborne Illness

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According to The Seattle Times, Michael J. Nethercutt, a Kennewick resident, ran into an anchored boat owned by 74 year old Edward Gilbert on the Columbia River near Finely. Both boats fell apart on impact and Edward Gilbert is missing and presumed dead. His wife, Patricia Gilbert, was rescued from the river, treated for her injuries and has since been released from the hospital. Gilbert founded a Tri-Cities pizza parlor, Hubby's Pizza Kitchen. He was also a member of the Clover Island Yacht Club He had been fishing along the riverbank when his boat was hit.

In a posting a few days ago, we reported that it appeared as if the anchored boat contained no passengers. Now the facts are starting to come out and they reveal that alcohol played in a role in the tragic boating accident that resulted in the death of a boater.

Nethercutt is accused of operating his boat while intoxicated. He blood-alcohol level was 0.324 after the crash. In Washington State, 0.08 is legally intoxicated. Nethercutt is currently in Kennewick General Hospital where he is being treated for his injuries. He is under guard by a Benton County sheriff's deputy and he faces charge of homicide by boat and assault by watercraft. His bail is set at $15,000.

According to the Washington State Parks and Recreation department, approximately 50% of all boating accidents in Washington state involve alcohol. It is early in the boating season and we hope that boaters heed the law and not operate boats in a negligent manner or under the influence of alcohol. If they do, they are 10 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. As Bellevue-based boating accident attorney, we represent people injured or killed in boating accidents in Western Washington, the Puget Sound, Lake Washington and on the Columbia River and Lake Chelan.

Contact us today for a free case consultation.

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Posted In: Boating & Watercraft Accidents

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The Seattle Times reports that Damon Huhtala, 26, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho was killed in a construction accident. Huhtala was found by co-workers at a Gozzer Ranch development project where he was framing a house. He was found with a nail from a pneumatic nail gun piercing his skull. The nail pierced his skull about 3 inches into his brain stem. It appears that he slipped and fell though no one witnessed the accident.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) department says, "he apparently fell with his finger on the trigger."

There are several types of nail guns manufactured in the United States currently. The sequential type of nail gun requires contact to fire. The coil type can fire nails without contact. In a previous posting, we talked about a widow of man killed by a nail gun who sued for wrongful death claiming the design of the gun was faulty.

According to OSHA, injuries caused by nail guns have increased over %200 in the past 10 years. An article published in the Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers claims that if the tools were designed differently, many accidents could be prevented.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed by a nail gun due to someone else's negligence, you should contact The Farber Law Group. With our experience in construction accidents and injuries we will work to insure that your are fully compensated for your damages, including pain and suffering. In the case of a death, we will make sure you are fully compensated for the loss of a loved one.

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Posted In: Construction Accident

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The Seattle Times reports that a person is missing on the Columbia river near Finley, Washington after a boating accident. It appears that a power boat carrying five people collided with a boat that was anchored causing the moving boat to break apart, and spilling passengers into the river. Reports say that there was no one on the anchored boat at the time of the collision.

Four injured people were taken to the hospital but there is currently no information on the extent of their injuries.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. Our attorneys represent people who have serious personal injuries due to boating and watercraft accidents.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Boating & Watercraft Accidents

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The Seattle Times reports that a 21-year-old man is in Harborview Medical Center with "life-threatening" injuries after falling 30 feet from a fraternity house window onto concrete below.

The accident occurred at the 4500 block of 19th Avenue Northeast at 4:30 a.m.

Slip, trip and fall accidents are common and often result in serious injuries. Negligence arises when the property owners does not exercise proper caution and or maintenance.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been hurt in slip, trip and fall accidents.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Posted In: Slip, Trip and Fall

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According to The Seattle Times, five-year-old Sean MCartney is dead and his 9-year-old brother, Cameron, and 32-year-old Bryan Pierce are missing and presumed drowned in a boating accident after the boat they were riding on flipped on the Nisqually River. The boat driver, Vincent Eric Farler of Olympia, is in jail and he may be charged with three counts of homicide by watercraft and one count of boating under the influence. Farler's blood alcohol level was 0.193 percent after the accident. The legal limit in Washington State is 0.08 percent. None of the five people aboard the boat at the time of the accident were wearing life vests. State law requires that there be one life vest per person.

The accident occurred on the Nisqually River where Farler offered to give Erin McCartney, her two sons and a friend a ride on his flat-bottomed boat. Erin McCartney lives in Yelm and her husband is currently serving in Iraq. It appears that all of the adults were drinking beer and brandy. Farler was said to be turning "tight circles" with the boat when all five were thrown aboard into the fast running river. Erin McCartney and Farler were able to make it to the shore.

The Nisqually river is between 50 and 55 degrees this time of year and those exposed in the water can develop hypothermia very quickly.

Every year in Washington State, there are between 20-30 fatalities due to boating accidents. Many boating accidents are caused by the use of alcohol and it is a criminal offense to drive a boat while under the influence.

This news was brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are experienced in maritime law and other Washington State laws as they relate to injuries you may have suffered as a result of a boating or watercraft accident. In the case of a fatal boating accident, the family is entitled to compensation.

Contact The Farber Law Group for a free consultation. With over 30 years experience in representing clients in the Pacific Northwest who have been injured on the many lakes and rivers the region has to offer, we are here to help you.

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Posted In: Boating & Watercraft Accidents

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