Washington Injury Attorney Blog

A lawsuit has been filed against Sky High Sports, a Bellevue company that offers trampoline recreation, alleging that the company is grossly negligent after patrons suffered serious injury.

According to a consumer investigation by KIRO 7 TV, trampoline jumpers have been taken to Overlake Medical Center from Sky High Sports more than a dozen times since Sky High opened last September for injuries including multiple incidences of broken tibia, fibula, ankle, and foot. The report also said there was an incidence of a neck injury, a back injury and a knee injury.

One physician at Overlake Medical Center says that in general, injuries could be reduced if only one person was allowed to jump at a time and if there is netting or protection over springs and grounds.

Since 1996, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that approximately 83,000 people have been injured on trampolines. Three-quarters of these patients were under the age of 15. In a report published in the Pediatrics journal, a recommendation was made that trampolines be banned for recreational, school and competitive use for children due to the likelihood of serious injury including spinal injuries and fractures.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in slip, trip and fall accidents and the family of those killed.

More than half of all bicycle accident fatalities are attributed to head injuries. Wearing a bicycle helmet that is properly fitted and is approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission may reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by as much as 88 percent.

Parents should first make sure that their child's bicycle helmet has not been recalled by checking the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission web-site here.

A perfect fit is also crucial to providing protection against injury. A helmet should fit snugly on the head and sit forward, protecting the brow and it should be secured with a taut strap. Most reputable bicycle stores can help with helmet fit or check the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute's information on How to Fit a Bicycle Helmet.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a leading personal injury law firm represent bicycle accident victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Most parents are using but misusing child safety restraints which an increase of the risk of injury or death in a car accident.

One study that looked at 1446 drivers with 2287 children showed that, in 66.8% of the cases, the child safety seat was not being used properly, especially in the positioning of the seat belts. Some studies put the number much higher and say there is a 75% error rate in the use of car seats.

Common installation errors include:

• placing the car shoulder belt over the booster seat arm rest
  
• placing the shoulder belt in an incorrect shoulder position
  
• fastening the seat belt incorrectly
  
• placing the shoulder belt either behind a child's back or under their arm
  
• placing a child into a seat they have outgrown.

Parents often install seats incorrectly because it can be physically difficult to install seats or they do not understand the directions.

See The Safety Restraint Coalition web-site for information on car seat fit and installation and to find places in your county where you can have your car seat installation inspected by a fit expert.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages, including pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A 2-year-old boy was killed after a television that was sitting on top of a chest-of-drawers fell on him reports James Queally for The Star-Ledger. The toddler was apparently watching TV with his brother when he opened one of the dresser drawers causing the dresser and the TV to become unbalanced and fall on him.

Unfortunately, this not an uncommon home accident. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents and daycare providers about the danger of appliances -- and especially TV sets -- tipping and falling on small children and seriously injuring and killing them. The CPSC published a report in 2008 entitled Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities. According to the report, in one year alone -- 2006 -- 16,3000 children ages five and younger were injured due to TVs or other pieces of furniture or appliances falling on them.

Tipover injuries typically when children climb onto furniture or appliances or when a heavy appliance like a TV is perched on a piece of furniture that was not designed for it. The CPSC recommends using straps to secure TVs and furniture to the wall so they can not tipover. Children injured in these types of accidents often suffocate or suffer severe brain injuries.

Education and prevention are certainly the keys to avoiding this type of injury.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

An 18-month-old Oregon boy, Brock Aschenbrener, was injured in a pedestrian accident when his mother, Charmin Aschenbrener, hit him with an SUV as she was backing the vehicle out of a Milwaukie driveway.

According to a report written by David Krough on KGW.com, Brock Aschenbrener suffered critical injuries and was taken to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital.

Studies show that a high proportion of toddler injuries occur in their driveways when vehicles back up.

Many of these traumatic pedestrian accidents cause severe head injury with a 10 times increase in the likelihood of death when compared to other pediatric accidents.

Public awareness and education is need to prevent these devastating pedestrian accidents.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in pedestrian accidents and the families of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents about the dangers of heavy furniture, appliances and -- especially TVs -- tipping and falling on small children and seriously injuring or killing them. In a report entitled Instability and Tipover of Appliances, Furniture and Televisions: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2008 report the CPSC urges parents to secure TVs, furniture and appliances to avoid tip-overs. The CPSC has also prepared a video about furniture tip-overs that you can watch on YouTube.

According to CPSC estimates, in 2006 alone 16,300 children age five and younger were injured due to TVs or furniture falling on them. Between the years 2006 and 2008, they estimate that there were 134 deaths in this same age category. The real tragedy of these accidents is that they are totally preventable.

Injuries typically occur when children climb up onto furniture or push themselves against furniture. Children can suffer severe crushing injuries when this type of accident occurs including brain injuries and suffocation.

The CPSC say they are seeing a rise in the number of TV tip-overs, perhaps due in part to many families purchasing new flat-panel TVS and putting their older sets on a chest of drawers or other piece that can tip. They recommend parents, daycare providers and others secure furniture and TVs to the wall using straps designed for that purpose.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to dangerous or defective products and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Pregnant drivers might want to read a column by Sharon Silke in USA Today's about car accidents and the risk of fetal death entitled "Researching trying to protect pregnant drivers." In the article Silke discusses how Ford Motor company is funding research at Virginia Tech and Wake Forest universities to determine how car accident affect pregnant women and their unborn babies.

The number of fetuses that die each year due to car accidents is estimated by Virginia Tech researcher, Stefan Duma, to be between 300 to 1,000. The problem is that States do not always collect data about fetal death in the Federal Fatal Accidents (FARS) system.

Pregnant women who are involved in car accidents face the danger of a placental abruption which is a catastrophe caused when the placenta separates from the uterus. It is a significant cause of maternal death and death to the fetus.

Recommendations for Pregnant Drivers

Leading experts recommend that to be safe, pregnant drivers should:

• Move the driver's seat as far back from the steering wheel as possible
  
• Make sure that there is at least 10 inches clearing between the steering wheel and breast bone
  
• Make sure the lap belt is below the belly and the shoulder belt between the breasts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into re-designing seat belt regulations which could protect pregnant drivers in addition to researching the effect of airbags on pregnant women.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber law Group. We represent car accident victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just released their annual report entitled Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Calendar Year 2008. The report found that there were fewer toy-related deaths among children under the age of 15 in 2008 compared to 2006 and 2007. In 2008, there were 19 children whose deaths were reported as toy-related. The number of toy-related injuries averages around 229,600 each year.

The CPSC relies on data obtained at Emergency Rooms as to the cause of the injury and the toy involved. This information is not always obtained but it helps the CPSC identify dangerous toys.

Toy-Related Deaths

In 2008, there were 19 toy-related deaths among children under 15 years of age. Most deaths resulted from drowning, being hit by a motor vehicle or choking/airway obstruction caused by a small toy like a ball or a small toy part.

Riding toys continued to be the most dangerous. There were four deaths associated with tricycles: two children were killed while riding a tricycle when they were hit by a motor vehicle and two died when they rode their tricycles into swimming pools and drowned. Four deaths were related to non-motorized riding toys: two children were hit by motor vehicles, one while riding in a wagon and one while riding a toy motorcycle. One child rode his toy into a pond and drowned and the other fell from a toy and suffered fatal internal injuries.

Two toy-related deaths involved balls, one in which a child chased a ball into the street and was hit by a motor vehicle and the other death involved a child drowning when a ball obstructed a bathtub drain.

Toy-Related Injuries

In 2008, approximately 235,300 children under the age of 15 were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms. 47% of the injuries treated were classified as lacerations, contusions or abrasions with 45% of these to the head or face.

Non-motorized scooters were the toy most closely related to injury to children under the age of 15. The CPSC has seen an increasing trend of injuries related to non-motorized scooters for all age children.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages including hospital costs and for pain and suffering.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Information for this post is from:
Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries Calendar Year 2008
Sarah Garland, Ph.D. Division of Hazard Analysis
Directorate for Epidemiology
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The King County Medical Examiner (ME) released its annual report on deaths in the county in 2008. The leading cause of non-traffic accidental deaths were falls, primarily in the elderly. The second largest cause of accidental deaths in this category was accidental overdoses of drugs and/or poisons. Highlights of the report are below, or click here to read the full report.

Of the 739 non-traffic accidental deaths, 18% of the accidents occurred outside of King County but the injured person was taken to medical facilities, usually Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, for treatment.

Falls

The ME reported that there were 739 non-traffic accidental deaths in 2008 and that 44% of these deaths were attributed to falls. Approximately 81% of people whose deaths were attributed to falls were 70 years old or over and many of these falls were ground-level falls which resulted in fractures and complications including pneumonia.

Overdose

In 2008, 232 of the 739 -- or 31% -- of non-traffic accidental deaths were caused by overdoses of drugs and/or poisons. In this category, 32% of the deaths occurred in people between the ages of 40-49, 31% occurred in adults between the ages of 5-50. It is interesting to note that there were no accidental drug deaths of children or infants under the age of 15.

Burns

There were 13 fire-related deaths in King County in 2008. Many of these deaths (9 of the 13) were from people who were injured outside of King County but were brought to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment at the Burn Intensive Care Unit.

Drowning

There were 23 drowning deaths in King County in 2008. 18 of the 23 drowning victims were male.

Aspiration

Ten people died from choking in 2008. All of these deaths occurred in adults over the age of 50 and 40% were in the 50-59 age group.

Complication of Therapy

In 2008, there were 81 "complication of therapy" deaths. These are deaths of people who die while being treated using a medical therapy and a complication arises which kills the patient. Complications of therapy sometimes involves medical malpractice and it includes hospital falls or injuries in hospitals, wrong-site surgeries, and prescription errors such as overdose or allergic reaction to a medication.

Of complication of therapy deaths, 37% were related to a medical procedure, 25% were drug related and 38% were surgery related.

Other accidental deaths

Other accidental deaths include:

• 14 people who died of asphyxia
  
• 2 people who died after being hit by an object
  
• 3 people who were struck by trains
  
• 4 people who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning
  
• 4 people who died of of hypothermia
  
• 1 person who died after being electrocuted

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in accidents due to the negligence of another. We also represent families who have wrongful death claims when they have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Information for this posting is from:
King County Medical Examiner's Office - 2008 Annual Report prepared by David Fleming, MD and Richard Harruff, MD, PHD.

Washington State Fire Marshal Melissa Gannie, in a press release, warns of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. As we approach the winter months, the incidence of carbon monoxide poisoning is increased. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention estimates that every year 500 people die and another 20,000 are sickened in the United States because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Causes of CO poisoning include gas-fired appliance including ranges and heaters, gas-powered tools, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces and motor vehicles. Some times a defect in a product, improper installation or misuse can cause the release of this deadly gas.

CO poisoning is a silent killer as the fumes cannot be seen, smelled or tasted. The Fire Marshall recommends that all homes have carbon monoxide detectors installed.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured by dangerous and defective products and the family of those killed.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Last year, 4,378 people were killed in pedestrian accidents. Fatal accidents between motor vehicles and young pedestrians most often occur between 4pm and 8pm, the time when most children will be trick-or-treating.

Halloween can be a dangerous time for young pedestrians. Often children are so excited that they dart out into traffic. 84% of pedestrian deaths among young pedestrians occur at non-intersection locations. Drivers need to be hyper-vigilant on Halloween. The following are some tips for drivers to insure that a pedestrian accident does not occur:

• Don't use a cell phone while driving because being distracted can lead to an accident.
  
• Watch for children darting across streets and from between parked cars.
  
• Stay below the posted speed limit during trick-or-treating hours and in neighborhoods.
  
• Do not attempt to pass stopped cars. They could be stopped for children crossing the street or to drop off children.
  
• Stay alert at intersections.
  
• Pay attention to children on sidewalks as they may suddenly run across a street.
  
• Don't assume that a child approaching your car sees you; A mask or excitement might obscure their vision.
  
• If you are dropping off a child, when you pull to the curb, turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers.
  
• If you attend a Halloween party, do not drive with a mask on.

If you are a parent with a child who will be trick-or-treating, follow these safety tips:

• Accompany your child to insure their safety.
  
• Give your child flashlights or glow sticks so they can be seen.
  
• Sew reflective tape on their costumes.
  
• Make sure your child knows how and where to cross a street for safety. Teach them to cross at cross walks and to look left and right and left again and make eye contact with drivers.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents, including pedestrians.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Drowning prevention groups and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says research has shown that around 100 cases of drowning or near drowning has occurred because small children were able to escape their home via a pet door.

While this cause of pool access and drowning are rare, people need to be aware that children can escape even through an 8-by-11 inch pet door reports Pet Access Dangers.org, a web-site which was created by the mother of a two-year-old who managed to squeeze through a doggy door and make his way to a the family's backyard swimming pool where he drowned. Carol Ranfone of Spring Hill, Fla, is advocating for design changes in pet doors.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends pool fences that are at least 4 feet high so that children can not get near the pool.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury attorney firm that represents people who have been seriously injured due to the negligence of another or because of dangerous or defective products.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Seattle's King5.com reports that a two-year-old child was injured after falling out of a window in Kent, Washington.

According to the report, the toddler fell out of a second story window after pushing the screen out. The report said the child was conscious.

On June 1st, we reported on another child that fell from a Tacoma second story window.

The employees at the Harborview Trauma Center nickname the children who fall from windows, "window jumpers." Every year at Harborview, between 50 and 60 children from the Seattle-are are treated for falls from windows.

Parents and caregivers need to get the message that screens are not strong enough to contain a child or toddler that leans on it. Window guards need to be installed on 2nd story windows in homes, daycare centers, etc. where small children live and play.

Falls from window can cause traumatic brain injuries, fractures, spinal cord damage and often death.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to slip, trip and fall accidents due to the negligence of another person or another entity such as a day care center or business.

Contact The Farber Law Group today for a free and confidential case evaluation. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

This is one of those stories that is just so tragic. A four-month old baby boy died after being left in his father's car parked at the Bart Station all day when his father forgot to take him to daycare before getting on the BART train to go to work. (See KTVU.com).

People who read a story like this respond different. It is such a tragedy and some people react with extreme anger at the parent whose negligence caused a baby's death. Other people respond with sympathy and feel that the parents have suffered enough. Punishment for this negligence varies widely.

Every year, between 25 and 42 small children die after being forgotten in the back seat of a car. In Washington State, there have been two fatalities between 1998 and 2008 compared with warmer states like California (34 deaths), Texas (52 deaths) and Florida (40 deaths) in the same time period.

Children left in cars suffer from hyperthermia when the temperature inside the car soars. Heatstroke occurs when a child's temperature is 104 degrees or higher. At 107 degrees, the temperature is fatal. Children's thermoregulatory systems are not developed so their body temperatures rises 3 to 5 times faster than an adult.

I read an article in The Washington Post a few months that called this kind of accident "fatal distraction." It has happened to people from all walks of life and it has even happened to a pediatrician. Forgetting an infant in a car seat inside a car is a relatively new phenomenon. The statistics dramatically rose after front seat air bags were installed and infant car seats could no longer be installed in the front passenger seat.

In writing this post, I wanted to highlight some safety precautions that parents and caregivers could take to insure their child is never forgotten.

• Install a Cars-N-Kids Car Seat Monitor -- this device plays a lullaby when a car has stopped.
  
• Always put something you'll need for work on the floor of the back seat near your baby. This might be your employee badge, your cellphone, your briefcase, etc.
  
• Keep a large stuffed toy in the car seat when the child is not in it. When your child is in the seat, put the stuffed toy in the front seat to remind you the child is in the back.
  
• Ask your day-car provider to call you if your child does not arrive on a scheduled day.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a Seattle-based personal injury law firm and we represent people who have been seriously injured due to the negligence of another.

To contact The Farber Law Group, call 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports that a baby was injured in a fall from a second story window in the 13700 block of 97th Avenue East.

The baby was taken to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and is expected to survive the accident.

As the weather becomes warmer, open windows become a hazard to small children. Every year, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle treats between 50 and 60 children in and around Seattle for falls from windows. Harborview employees nickname these patients, "Window jumpers."

It is not always neglect when a child falls. Parents off believe that a screen on a window is enough protection for their child. However, a screen is not strong enough to contain a child or toddler that leans on it.

Falls from windows can result in severe injuries including traumatic brain injury, fractures, spinal cord damage and often death.

Parents and caregivers should install window guards, move furniture away from windows and install window stops which prevents windows from opening full.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured due to slip, trip and fall accidents due to the negligence of another person or a company.

Contact The Farber Law Group today for a free and confidential case evaluation.

Safe Kids USA, an organization whose aim it is to prevent accidental injury and death among children, issued a report on their anniversary entitled Report to the Nation: Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury Mortality and Parental Views on Child Safety. The good news in the report is that accidental deaths due to injury are down in children ages 14 and under by 45% in the past 22 years.

Accidental injuries are the number one cause of death in children. Many accidental deaths are especially tragic because they could have been prevented.

According to the report statistics, in 2005, accidental injuries caused the deaths of 5,162 children ages 14 and under. In 2006, 6.2 million children were seen in hospital Emergency Rooms because of accidental injuries.

Causes of Injury Death

The four leading causes of accidental injury death are:

1. suffocation -- 19%
   
2. motor vehicle accident -- 16%
   
3. drowning -- 16%
   
4. pedestrian accident -- 11%

Report Findings

The report found that parents and caregivers could still be doing more in preventing accidental injury.

• 58% of parents are concerned about their children getting involved in a serious accident.
  
• Many parents still don't take precautions which could prevent accidental death including requiring their children to wear bike helmets and having fire extinguishers at home.
  
• 31% of parents do not consistently require their children to sit in the rear seat of the car
  
• 24% of parents do not consistently supervise their children around water
  
• 18% of parents do not require children 10 and under to only cross streets with an adult present

Accidental death rates have decreased in every area except for suffocation accidents which have actually increased 21%.

Children that survive any accident such as suffocation, near-drowning or car accidents may have permanent and severe disabilities that affects them for the rest of their life. Providing for their medical and educational needs is paramount.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent accident victims and their families. With our help, you may recover compensation for your child's injuries which can provide them the medical, educational and financial support they deserve if their injury is due to the negligence of a 3rd party.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Spring is finally here in the Pacific Northwest and children are beginning to ride their bicycles to school, to baseball practice and around their neighborhoods. We advise parents to make sure their child's bicycle helmet can be found and still fits.

We also want to make parents and children aware of the most common bicycle vs. car accidents which can cause serious injury to children.

Most Common Accidents

Driving out of the driveway

8% of all bike vs. car accidents occur when a child pulls out of the driveway and is hit by a car. This type of accident usually occurs in children under the age of 10. To prevent this accident:

• Make sure your trees and shrubs are trimmed so views are not obstructed.
• Pull your parked cars into the garage or away from the street so they do not block views.
• Teach your child to look left, then right and then left again before pulling into the street.
• Teach your child to slow down and think before they take their bike out for a spin.

Running a stop sign

10% of all bike vs. car accidents involves the bicyclist running a stop sign. The average age of a child in this type of accident is 11. To prevent this accident:

• Stress the importance of coming to a full stop where your child's feet touch the ground behind the crosswalk like.
• Teach your child to stop at all stop signs.
• Teach your child to look left, right and left again for cars.

Failing to Look before making a Left Turn

In 10% of all bicycle accidents, the bicyclist failed to look behind them before making a left turn and ended up being hit by a car going straight ahead. To prevent this accident:

• Teach your child to walk their bicycle across busy intersections.
• Teach your child to look back before making a left turn.
• Teach your child to yield to traffic.
• Teach your child to signal before turning left.
• Teach your child if they don't know what to do, go to the sidewalk and proceed across the street by walking their bicycle across in the crosswalk.

Crashing on the sidewalk

One common accident is caused by a driver pulling out of a driveway and failing to notice bicyclists and pedestrians on a sidewalk. The driver is so intent on entering the roadway and making sure there is an opening in traffic to make a right or a left turn that he/she fails to see a bicyclist or pedestrian crossing in front of them on the sidwalk. To prevent this accident, pedestrians and bicyclists should:

• Make eye contact with a driver before crossing a driveway
• Yield to all driveway traffic.
• Cross driveways with care.

See our Bicycle Resources for more information. Look for bicycle safety workshops in your neighborhood sponsored by your local fire station, school or scout troop.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in bicycle accidents and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission along with the Washington State Highway Patrol have issued a reminder to parents that any child under the age of 13 should be buckled up in the rear or backseat of a motor vehicle, and should never ride in the front seat.

WSP Chief John R Batiste said, "Getting kids complete out of the front seat is equally important." This is due to the fact that many vehicles have airbags which could seriously injure a child if it were deployed.

Motor vehicle accident statistics show that children are 25% safer riding in a back seat even if there is not a front seat airbag.

Of the children killed in car accidents, 40% were not properly restrained by either a seat belt or a booster seat.

The WSP will continue to operate emphasis patrols to remind people to wear seat belts. Washington State has the third highest compliance rate in the Nation for seat belt use at 95.5%.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We see the aftermath of car accidents all too frequently. We join the Washington State Patrol in saying, "Buckle up!"

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident, contact The Farber Law Group. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A Washington State Patrol media release says that troopers in Jefferson and Clallam counties will be performing emphasis patrols between March 18 and 20 during daytime hours focusing on children who are not properly restrained in car seats, boosters seats and seat belts.

In conducting the emphasis patrol, the Patrol cites statistics which rate car accidents as the leading cause of fatalities of children between the ages of 2 and 14. Lieutenant Clint Casebolt says that the death rate is "in part to the nonuse or improper use of child seats and seat belts.” In fact, a study published in the journal Pediatrics says that a properly positioned car seat can reduce car accident injury by 43%.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Agency has a web-site which provides locations where you can have your child's seat checked to make sure it fits and is installed correctly. The WSP reports that you can call 1-800-BUCK-L-UP or visit www.800bucklup.org to find a location where you can have a car seat check up.

Guidelines for children in cars:

• Children must be in a booster seat until their eighth birthday unless they are 4'9" tall or taller.
  
• Children under the age of 13 must ride in the backseat when practical.
  
• Infants must be in a rear facing seat until one year of age and at least 20 pounds in weight.
• No infant should ever be placed in front of an active air bag.
  
• Choose the proper seat for the style of car and for the size of child.

This information is provided by The Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in car accidents and the families of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your losses. We have more than 30 years experience representing auto accident victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-455-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com to schedule a free case consultation.

Safe Kids Snohomish County, sponsored by Providence Everett Medical Center, works towards keeping all children safe in the county. They have a monthly meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 9am-10:30am.

In a recent press release in The Snohomish Times, the organization highlighted the fact that many child car seats are not fitted correctly. They report that 9 of 10 car seats are installed improperly.

In Snohomish County, there are many Nationally Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. They can help insure your car seat is properly installed and whether you need any other equipment like a latch, to have it function properly. They can also answer questions about the type of car seat required depending on a child's age. They will even counsel parents and children about the importance of the child staying seated in the rear seat until at least 13 years of age.

For more information about regularly scheduled child safety seat checks in Snohomish county, contact the Safe Kids Snohomish County web-site or the Marysville Fire district.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in a car accident and the families of those killed. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com.