Washington Injury Attorney Blog

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of accidental death and disability in the United States. Causes of TBI can include falls, motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries and violence.

Because brain injuries are so devastating, there is a great effort in creating technologies to prevent and protect from these injuries. Seat belts, motorcycle and bicycle helmets are an example of technologies that have reduced the incidence of severe injury.

Causes of TBI

• Falls account to more than 35% of TBI injuries. Falls account for half of the injuries in children under the age of 14 and are the leading cause of brain injuries in older adults.
  
• Motor vehicle accidents - 17% of all TBIs are caused by motor vehicle accidents and this is the leading cause of TBI-related deaths.
  
• Struck by/against events -- Getting hit in the head or colliding with a fixed object accounts for 16.5% of all TBI injuries.
  
• Assault and domestic violence/child abuse -- 10% of TBIs in the general population are caused by assault. War-related injuries are not included in this figure.
  
• Bicycle accidents - account for 3% of accidental brain injuries..

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience in representing brain injury victims and their families. Brain injury litigation is complex and requires attorneys who are experienced in the medical and legal issues involved. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries.

See our Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Resources

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 16-year-old Portland girl was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident when the car she was riding in crashed into a tree in Tualatin, a suburb of Portland.

Apparently the driver of the vehicle the girl was riding in, 18-year-old Cameron Rathmanner of Lake Oswego man, was involved in a street race with another 18-year-old at the time.

Rathmanner was driving at speeds up to 80mph and apparently lost control of his 1993 Honda Civic and struck a tree on the passenger side. His brother, who was in the rear seat, was also injured in the accident.

The Oregonian said that the car accident occurred on Southwest Cipole Road and described it as a rural road with dips. The paper said that the road is not lit and has narrow shoulders.

In Washington State, in cases like this the driver might be charged with Vehicular Assault or Vehicular Homicide, if the passenger succumbed to her injuries. Washington Vehicle Code states that a driver can be charged if a person is seriously injured or killed and the driver was driving recklessly or without the regard for the safety of others. Most states have similar statutes.

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

Peter Lenz, 13, of Vancouver, Washington, was killed on Sunday in a motorcycle accident at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Seattle Times reports Lenz was riding a warm-up lap before a race he was entering when he fell off his motorcycle and was hit by another motorcyclist.

Lenz suffered "traumatic injuries" in the accident and was pronounced dead three hours later.

The track was described as "slick" and "challenging" at the time of the accident.

The Times said that Lenz was a well-known racer despite his age. He had won nine national championships and nine regional titles said The Times.

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 motorcycle accidents 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.

Magdaleno G. Vela, 74, of Wapato, was injured in a motorcycle accident when he was rear-ended by a Mazda Protégé whose driver then left the accident scene.

Vela was thrown from his motorcycle in the accident and was taken to Yakima Regional Medical Center, treated and released.

The motorcycle accident occurred on U.S. Highway 97, north of Toppenish, around 8:50pm reports the Yakima Herald.com.

The State Patrol located the Mazda but do not yet know who was driving it at the time of the accident.

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 motorcycle accidents and the family 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.

The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports that Charles A. Carnell, 33, has been charged with a felony in the amusement park accident that critically injured Teagan Marti, 12, of Parkland Florida.

After investigating the accident that left Marti with numerous fractures, spinal injuries, internal injuries, brain injuries and permanent partial paralysis, the Sauk County district attorney's office found that the accident was caused by criminal negligence on the part of the ride's operator, Carnell.

Carnell faces a fine of more than $100,000 and up to 25 years in jail.

Every year approximately four people die in amusement park accidents. In this case, it is clear that the district attorney's office feels the ride operator was criminally negligent. However, Teagan's personal injury attorney will also want to have the following questions answered: "Were operators properly trained?" "Was the ride manufacturer and installer negligent in designing a ride which would allow a rider to be released before the safety net was in place?" "Did the amusement park owner have ever measure in place to insure safety?"

Teagan's attorney may prevail in a negligence lawsuit which could provide Teagan and her family with compensation which would pay for her medical bills and care for ongoing medical and educational needs.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We reprsent people who have suffered serious injuries due to the negligent or criminal act of another. We also have more than 30 years experience represent families with their wrongful death claims.

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 number of fatal occupational injuries decreased in 2009 to 4,340 which was down from 5,214 in 2008. This is the smallest number of fatal occupational injuries in the past ten years. Economic factors appear to be a huge factor in the decrease of fatal accidents because dangerous occupations such as construction work employed fewer people.

In Washington state, the number of workplace fatalities was 75 which was the lowest number in the state since 2000. There were 9 construction fatalities in 2009 down from the 20 construction accident deaths in 2008.

An overview of the 2009 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

• Workplace homicides declined only 1 percent in 2009 while there was an overall decrease of 17% of fatal work injuries. The 2009 homicide fatalities included 13 Fort Hood shooting victims.
  
• Fatal injuries to salaried and wage workers dropped by 20 percent while self-employed worker fatality rates were down only 3%.
  
• Private construction accidents deaths declined by 16%
  
• One sector had an increase of fatalities and that was in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations.

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 construction and industrial accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages including loss of wages, medical 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.

Source:
United States Department of Labor - OSHA

Andrew W. Hayes, 62, of Soap Lake was critically injured with a head injury in a bicycle accident at Highway 28 and Grant Street in Soap Lake around 2pm on Thursday.

The Wenatchee World reports that Hayes was riding a 10-speed bicycle when he collided with a car driven by Vera M. Walker, 80 of Quincy.

The report said that Hayes was initially taken to Columbia Basin Hospital and then airlifted to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. Walker was not injured in the accident.

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 the family 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.

The family of Max DeVries, 61, who fell off an operating room table while undergoing brain surgery to install a lumbar drain which allows cerebrospinal fluid to drain, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against St. Joseph's Hospital of St. Paul, Minnesota.

DeVries was undergoing the procedure and part of his skull had been removed when he rolled off the surgical table, hitting the exposed portion of his brain on the floor, causing additional injuries.

DeVries never recovered from the stroke he had suffered and the injury from the fall; he died approximately a month later.

The wrongful death lawsuit claims that the hospital was negligent in providing proper restraints for DeVries.

Washington state has a wrongful death statute which allows the family of a person who dies due to the wrongful or negligent act of another to sue on behalf of their deceased loved one.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm with more than 30 years experience representing medical malpractice 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.

Source:
The Seattle Times
Heavy patient falls off operating room table - later dies
Published: July 28, 2010

Kathie Larson, 52, reached a $4.25 million dollar in a settlement with the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) after a felon ran her down with her car and critically injured her while she was crossing a Tacoma street in June of 2008.

Larson's negligence lawsuit against the state claimed that the DOC should have supervised
Aiyisha Gillespie, 30, the woman who hit Larson with her car, more closely because they knew she was mentally ill. Gillespie was being supervised after a conviction for a similar offense.

Larson's injuries were so severed that she was confined to a hospital for six months and she has not fully recovered a little more than two years after her pedestrian accident.

Larson's daughter said that one purpose for her mother's lawsuit was to force the DOC to more closely supervise mentally ill felons.

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 the negligence of others. 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.

Source:
The Seattle Times
State settles lawsuit with woman injured by felon
August 11, 2010

The Los Angeles Times reports that at least eight people were killed and dozens were injured at an off-road truck race on a dry lake bed in Lucerne Valley, California.

According to a report, a driver in the race lost control of his off-roader and it went airborne, landing on spectators.

Six spectators were killed at the accident scene and two died at hospitals a short time later.

The race was described as 200-miles long and the drivers race around a 50-mile loop at speeds up to 60 mph.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are personal injury law firm that represents people who have been seriously injured due to the negligent or wrongful act of another 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.

Patricia A. Lambine, 46, of Greenacres, Washington was killed in a bicycle accident on U.S. Highway 41 near Blanchard in northern Idaho on Saturday morning around 6:30am.

According to a report by The Seattle Times, Lambine was riding a bicycle in support of a runner who was running a leg of the 185 mile team relay race from Spokane, Washington to Sandpoint, Idaho.

Lambine was killed and an unidentified 17-year-old runner was injured when a vehicle driven by Bowden S. Kahuhu, 31, of Newport, Washington, crossed the center line and onto the shoulder and hit the two. It is suspected that Kahuhu may have been driving drunk at the time.

Both Lambine and the teen were wearing reflective gear when they were hit.

Kahuhu faces Vehicular Homicide charges. Washington State Vehicle Code RCW 46.61.520 says that Vehicular Homicide can be charged if someone is killed in a motor vehicle accident and the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving recklessly, or driving without regard for the safety of others.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent victims of drunken driving and their family. We have more than 30 years experience representing families with their wrongful death cases.

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 Whidbey Island man, Jim Murdy, was bitten by a pitbull dog after it attacked his Welsh corgi on Thursday night.

According to a report by the Seattle PI.com, Murdy was working in his yard around 4pm when he went to check on his two small grandsons – ages 5 and 6– as they played in the yard. It was then that a pitbull that had escaped its owner's yard attacked his dog.

Murdy hit and kicked the pitbull bit it still seemed intent on attacking his dog. Murdy's wife, Sandi, hit the pitbull with a broom and it still attacked. Finally, Murdy took out his motorized hedge tool and cut the pitbull. When the pitbull kept attacking, Murdy grabbed it by the collar and that's when he was bitten.

This is the second pitbull attack on the Island in two days. An Oak Harbor police officer, after responding to a report of an aggressive dog, shot and killed a pit bull just south of Oak Harbor a day earlier.

The Washington State Dog Bite Law was drafted to allow people who have been injured by dog to be able to collect damages. The law states:

The owner of any dog which shall bite any person while such person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place including the property of the owner of such dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a law firm that has a specialty in dog bite liability. With our help, you may be able to recover compensation for your damages including medical 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.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with Goya Foods, Inc., has announced a precautionary recall of 14 ounce packages of Frozen Mamey Pulp after seven cases of Typhoid, a foodborne illness, in two western states.

The recalled pulp was distributed in western states at retail outlets including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that five of the people that came ill with typhoid drank smoothies or milkshakes prepared with frozen mamey fruit pulp. Four of the victims used the pulp made by Goya Foods.

The FDA tested sample packages of the product and found that one tested positive for the bacteria that causes typhoid.

Typhoid fever is caused by the Salmonella tyhia bacteria. It is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacteria.

Symptoms of Typhoid fever include a fever that progressively increases, profuse sweating, gastroenteritis and diarrhea. Complications of typhoid can include intestinal hemorrhage, peritonitis, encephalitis and dehydration.

Typhoid can kill if it is not treated. Antibiotics are the general course of treatment including rehydration therapy.

For more information contact Goya at 1-800-275-4692 or see the FDA's web-site.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people with serious injury due to foodborne illness and the family 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.

The journal Pediatrics just published a study that says that using an infant safety seat designed for motor vehicles outside of a car poses a risk of serious head injury.

According to the study, the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention program has had reports of many injuries due to the misuse of the seats.

Injuries include:

• The seat falling from an elevated surface like a table
  
• The seat overturning and the child suffocating on a soft surface like a bed
  
• The seat overturning and the child suffering strangulation due to the restraint strap.

Pediatrics is encouraging car seat manufacturers to provide engineering and design improvements which may reduce the tipping hazard. Pediatricians, parents and child care providers need to be aware of the potential hazard of misusing Child Restraint Systems.

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 those who have been injured by 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.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announces the recall of the first generation of Nap Nanny® Recliners while the death of a baby girl from Michigan is being investigated. The preliminary investigation into the child's death found that the baby was caught between the Nap Nanny® and a crib bumper after the Nap Nanny® was placed into a crib. The Nap Nanny web-site says the product is not for use in a crib and it is intended to be used on the floor only.

The CPSC and Baby Matters LLC, of Berwyn Pa. has had approximately 22 reports of small infants hanging or falling out over the side of the Nap Nanny®.

The CPSC says that 30,000 units are being recalled. For more information, see the Nap Nanny® website.

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.

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 driver of a minivan was killed and five of his passengers were critically injured in a single car accident on westbound Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie pass.

The car accident occurred around 4pm when he vehicle crashed at an off ramp and rolled over.

The Washington State Patrol says that all the passengers in the car — men in their 30's and 40's — were ejected from the vehicle, a 1993 Mercury Villager.

Two of the men were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and three others were taken there via ambulance.

Preliminary signs show that speed may have been a factor in the accident. Police do not suspect alcohol involvement.

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 and the family 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.

Source:
King5.com
Six eject in fatal rollover on I-90
Posted August 9, 2010

Joseph L. Royer, 67, of Comox, BC, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after he was rear-ended in a motorcycle accident while riding his Harley Davidson Motorcycle in Omak. Royer suffered multiple fractures in the accident.

According to a report in The Wenatchee World, Royer was riding his motorcycle on Highway 97 around 8:15pm when he was hit by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by Jerry L. Branter, 23, of Okanogan. The report said that Branter was speeding and was attempting to pass another vehicle when he hit Royer.

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 motorcycle accidents due to the negligence of others. We will aggressively pursue compensation for your damages on your behalf.

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 Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that Bed Bath & Beyond has issued a voluntary recall of Solar Lighted Cantilever Umbrellas after 21 reports of the umbrellas collapsing. Several reports of injuries have been noted.

According to the CPSC media release, there have 7,600 units sold. The umbrellas were sold exclusively at Bed Bath & Beyond stores between February and June 2010.

The umbrellas are a hazard because a plastic connector may break causing the umbrella to collapse. While the reported injuries have been minor including a bruise and abrasion, an umbrella collapse could cause a head injury, which could be serious.

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 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.

See the CPSC web-site for more information.

George Shangrow, 59, a Seattle music director was killed in a car accident on Saturday evening around 5:50pm when a car driven by a teenager crossed the center line and hit the car he was driving.

The car accident occurred on Highway 20, approximately one mile east of Winthrop.

According to a report in The Wenatchee World, Shangrow's vehicle was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old teenage boy from Twisp. The teen was taken to Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak for treatment of collar bone and ankle injuries.

The report described the weather at the time of the motor vehicle accident as a "pounding rainstorm."

Shangrow was the founder of the Seattle Chamber Singers and Orchestra Seattle. He also conducted the Seattle Symphony and other regional orchestras.

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 and the family 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.

The family of Juanita Jackson, 76, was awarded a $114 million in a case of nursing home abuse and neglect that caused her death.

Jackson was moved to a Florida nursing home in March of 2003 for rehabilitation. According to the lawsuit, the nursing home knew that Jackson was a fall risk but did not take preventative measures to protect her. Jackson suffered a serious fall after being at the nursing home only two weeks and suffered a traumatic brain injury and fractures to her upper arm.

Jackson never recovered from the fall and she developed bedsores and suffered malnutrition and dehydration before she died.

In Washington State, the family of a person whose death is caused by a negligence or wrongful act of another may file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation on behalf of their deceased loved one. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing victims of nursing home abuse and neglect.

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.