Washington Injury Attorney Blog

The Bellevue Reporter reports that there have been three deaths attributed to falls at the Lincoln Square office and shopping complex, located in downtown Bellevue, since 2006.

Last week John Curtis IV, 24, a former University of Florida football player, committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the complex.

In 2009, an employee of Microsoft fell from the 28th floor of the complex. His death has been ruled undetermined because it is unknown whether the man, Jin Chen, had attempted to commit suicide.

A Kirkland man, Jeremy Johnson, fell down an elevator shaft in 2006 after he pried open the elevator door when the elevator became stuck and fell to his 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 in slip, trip and fall 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.

Even after a nursing home receives a citation for the abuse or death of a patient, it some times takes a very long time for criminal charges to be filed, if ever.

In Kentucky, in May of 2009, James "Ronnie Duncan" fell in the nursing home where he lived but he was not treated for three hours after the fall and he died because of traumatic brain injury and bleeding in the brain. Now, eleven months later, a citation has been made against the Johnson Mather Nursing Home where he lived but no decision regarding criminal charges has been made.

This is not an isolated case. Investigations in wrong doing by nursing homes often languish for years going by before a decision about criminal charges is ever made.

In an investigative report in the Lexington Herald-Leader by Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Beth Musgrave, other cases involving patients who were seriously injured by nursing home neglect are profiled. In the profiled cases, criminal charges have yet to be filed. States often drag their feet in filing charges because of budget cuts and case back logs. Also one wonders if nursing home abuse is just not a high priority when there are other criminals out there.

If you have a loved one who has been injured due to nursing home abuse or neglect, you should contact an experienced Personal Injury Attorney who can protect your loved one's rights and help them obtain compensation for their damages. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience representing nursing home abuse 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:
Abuse investigations tend to languish
Regulators blame staff, budget cuts and bureaucracy for delays
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Beth Musgrave
Lexington Herald-Leader
July 12, 2010

A 5-year-od boy from was critically injured when a 200-pound engine hoist fell on his stomach near Yelm.

The accident occurred around 3:45 on Wednesday afternoon in the 16000 block of Kalmia Court Southeast.

The boy was taken by air ambulance to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital for treatment.

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 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.

Source:
The Olympian
Engine hoist falls on 5-year-old Yelm-area boy
written by Jeremy Pawloski
Published July 14, 2010

Recovering from a brain injury or illness is never a straight line and there are often setbacks along the way. Brain injuries or illness are often catastrophic events to the sufferers.

Brain injuries can be caused by illness or disease including infection, hemorrhages, tumors and strokes. Brain trauma due to car accidents, bicycle accidents, falls, sports injury or a hit in the head can also cause a severe injury which require a lengthy recovery.

Often times it takes a long time to diagnose a brain injury and physicians and therapists often find it difficult to predict the outcome. Brain injury victims often plateau during their recovery and often experience setbacks. Man victims never fully recover from their injury or illness.

Brain injury victims often suffer profoundly after the acute phase of the injury or illness. Many brain injury victims suffer from depression, cognitive problems, loss of confidence, overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion. Often people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury face discrimination and are unable to return to their line of work in the same capacity.

Lingering effects of a traumatic brain injury can include loss of oral fluency, vertigo, loss of balance and coordination.

People who suffer a brain injury can experience a change in personality and their loved ones can experience caregivers fatigue and burnout. Many brain injury patients may appear healthy when looking at them but can suffer many subtle effects.

If you or a loved one has experienced a brain injury due to an accident caused by the negligence of another, you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney who has a long history of working with traumatic brain injury patients and their families. At The Farber law Group we work tirelessly to help you receive the compensation you deserve for medical costs, rehabilitation, loss of wages 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.

A 22-month-old baby is in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a fall from a window on the second story of a building in Martha Lake. Martha Lake is a community west of Mill Creek and northeast of Lynnwood.

According to the report in The Seattle Times, this child fell through a window that had a screen in place. Often, parents have a false sense of security when screens are in place but screens are not strong enough when a child leans against it.

Annually, Harborview Medical Center treats between 50-60 children in the greater Seattle area for falls from windows. These small patients are nick named "window jumpers."

Falls from windows can result in severe head injuries, brain injuries and often death.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent accident victims and their families including those with traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.

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 Lexington, Kentucky jury awarded Grace Fugate $7 million in finding that Hillcrest Nursing home was negligent in the accident that damaged her knee.

Fugate entered the nursing home in July of 2003 when she was only 67 to recover from a knee surgery. In August of the same year, she asked for help going to the restroom but an nursing aide refused to help her and told her she could help herself. It was at this point that Fugate fell.

After Fugate fell, she lost so much blood that she had to be resuscitated. Her knee never recovered and she eventually had to have her leg amputated.

In her nursing home negligence lawsuit, Fugate's attorney argued that the nursing home aide was unqualified and had a poor work history. The jury agreed with this argument and made the award to Fugate.

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 nursing homes due to negligence or abuse.

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:
WKYT
Woman wins $7 million in lawsuit against nursing home
Reported by Phil Pendleton
Posted July 2, 2010

A man who was working on a car was injured this afternoon when a car on jacks fell on top of him.The car jack accident occurred around 134th Avenue East and 304th Street East near Kapowsin reports King 5 of Seattle. His condition is not known at this time.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration estimates that approximately 10,000 people are injured every year in accidents involving hoists or jacks. These accidents occur while people are changing tires or repairing motor vehicles.

It is important that everyone use a auto jack do so with the utmost care and caution.

Car Jack Tips

• Make sure the jack you use is rated for the vehicle you are lifting.
  
• Follow the owner's manual about the use of the jack and its positioning.
  
• Use caution where you jack up a vehicle; do not jack it up along a highway.
  
• Make sure there is sufficient light for you to work and also to make your vehicle is visible to other motorists.
  
• Use road flares if you are alongside a road or highway.
  Make sure you jack up a car on a level road; avoid using a jack where there is ice, snow, mud or standing water.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm that represent people who have been injured due to the negligence of others including in work-related accidents, auto accidents and slip, trip and fall accidents.

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 4-year-old boy from Kansas has died after he suffered a traumatic brain injury when a television fell on him. Max Gordon of Stilwell, Kansas died at a hospital after an older-model TV tipped over.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, TV-tipover accidents which result in death are not that uncommon. In fact, they estimate that 180 people were killed between 2000 and 2006 due to tipped-over furniture.

THE CPSC recommends that parents, daycare providers and others use specially designed straps which, when fastened to the wall, prevents televisions and other pieces of furniture from tipping over.

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 slip, trip and fall accidents and the family of those killed. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages caused by 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.

Keith Knappett was awarded $1.3 million by a King County jury on Thursday for a slip and fall injury he received while exiting a Metro bus in 2006.

According to a report in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Knappett's received permanent injuries to his leg, uses a cane to walk and may eventually require an amputation.

In his lawsuit, Knappett claimed that the stairs were very slick, especially the yellow material.

Knappett's attorney said that he deserved the award because the accident was life altering and that he needed the money to pay medical bills.

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 caused by negligence. With our help, you may receive 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.

Every year, between more than one million people are seen at emergency rooms and by physicians after a head injury. Between 50,000 and 100,000 of these will have a brain injury which will cause symptoms and problems which will affect their ability to function in their daily lives including in work and school.

Many brain injuries are due to car accidents. When a car is traveling at a high rate of speed and then stop suddenly, a head injury -- or traumatic brain injury -- is often the result. A person doesn't have to hit their head on the steering wheel or windshield to sustain a brain injury. Even at moderate rates of speed, brain injuries can happen.

There are three separate ways a brain can be injured:

• bleeding or bruising
  
• swelling
  
• tearing

Brain Bleeding/Bruising

In a head-on car accident, a person's brain can be traveling at a high rate of speed and then zero in an instant. In this type of motor vehicle accident, the brain is pushed against the skull which is made of hard bone. The brain tissue when pushed against the skull can cause blood vessels to tear. When the blood vessels tear, they can leak blood into areas of the brain and between the brain and skull.

Because the skull is closed, there is no room for the blood to go any where so the blood can pool and press on the brain tissue. When this happens, the brain tissue can be damaged and even die. With a lot of bleeding in and around the brain, areas of the brain can stop working and if it affects areas which control the heart or breathing, the person can be in a life-threatening situation which can result in death.

It is always wise to be checked out by a doctor after a car accidents because one can feel fine immediately following the accident but if they have a brain bleed, they can lapse into a coma a short time later.

Brain Swelling

After a car accident, the brain can swell, especially if there is bleeding or bruising. When the brain swells, there is no room for it to go because the skull is fixed and hard. The pressure of the brain swelling against the skull can damage the structures in the brain. In this case, brain surgeons can perform surgery and remove part of the skull or install a ICP to allow the extra pressure to escape. Swelling can impact important structures of the brain which control breathing and the heart.

Brain Tearing

In a motor vehicle accident, the brain can be thrown forward then bounced backwards. Because of this forward and backward motion, the brain can get small tears or cuts in it. These cuts or tears can be so microscopic that they do not even show up on CT Scans or on MRIs. In fact, up to 85% of brain injury patients have injuries that do not show up on CT Scans or on MRIs.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We specialize in representing people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to a motor vehicle accident or due to some other type of accident like a fall. With our help, you may recover compensation for your damages which include medical and rehabilitation costs.

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 Seattle Times reports that Michael S. Pitcher, 30, of Bremerton died after falling approximately 35 feet from a tree that he was trimming in the 13000 block of Keyport Road Northeast in Poulsbo in Kitsap County.

Pitcher was the owner of Allstar Tree & Landscape.

According to the report, Pitcher was wearing a helmet at the time of his fall.

The tree trimming accident is being investigated by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.

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

A woman and two men were injured, one person seriously, when part of the facade of the building housing the Icon Grill collapsed and fell on them around 9am this morning in downtown Seattle.

All three of the injured were taken to Harborview Medical Center. King5.com reported that a 23-year-old woman suffered a leg injury, a 45-year-old man suffered a back injury and a 40-year-old man suffered a head injury. Two of the injured were treated and released. The third person is listed as in "serious condition" at the hospital.

According to the report, the building at 5th Avenue and Virginia is structurally OK but the brick and concrete facade is what failed today.

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 caused by 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.

Evergreen Hospital Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington, announced that they are building a 48,000 square foot Emergency Medical Department in Redmond which they plan to open in 2011.

The new Emergency facility will be built near Northeast 90th Street and Redmond-Woodinville Road. The facility will have 16 emergency rooms and 36 primary care exam rooms.

According to Evergreen, the new Emergency Department will be staffed with board-certified emergency room physicians, trauma-trained nurses and social workers. They plan to have complete lab services and outpatient diagnostic imaging services including CT, MRI, Ultrasound and X-ray.

The new Emergency Department plans to see patients with urgent medical conditions including chest pain, stroke, and fractures.

Ground breaking for the new Emergency Department begins in May and they project the cost to be $15 million.

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 auto accidents, construction accidents and slip, trip and fall accidents.

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 Commission in cooperation with Graco Children's Products Inc. has issued a recall for approximately 1.2 million Graco Harmony High Chairs because they may pose a fall hazard to babies and small children.

According to the CPSC, Graco has received 464 reports of screws loosening or falling out on the highchair's front legs and/or the plastic brackets that holds the rear legs to crack causing the high chair to tip over. Graco has reports of 24 injuries due to falls, including a hairline fracture to the arm, bumps and bruises to the head and body.

The Graco Harmony highchairs were sold at national retailers including Sears, Target, Walmart, Shopko, USA Baby, Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us and Burlington Coat Factory.

Check Graco's website, www.gracobaby.com for more information on obtaining a repair kit.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously due to defective and dangerous 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.

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.

A 3-year-old boy, Noah B. Bishop, who was injured in a tragic accident at the University of Washington Medical Center Roosevelt Clinic has died of injuries sustained at the center.

According to the King County medical examiner's office, the boy suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple skull fractures in an accident involving some type of medical equipment in a therapy room. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center trauma center after the accident.

The boy, who was not a patient, was visiting the medical center with a parent who was there for therapy.

According to a report in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the UW Medical Center is investigating the cause of the accident. The parents and the medical center have not yet released details 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 slip, trip and fall 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.

Police are investigating a Florida nursing home for possible abuse or neglect after the death of an patient who suffered multiple fractures after a fall fron her bed as her bedding was being changed. The patient laid in pain in her bed all day but an ambulance was not summoned for 12 hours. The patient subsequently died.

Barbara Fasold, age 76, was a resident at Ridgecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Deland, Flordia. Fasold fell from her bed around 5am. A caregiver, who was in the room at the time of the fall, placed her back into bed but did not summon any medical services for the patient. An ambulance was not called until 4:42 pm when the nursing shift changed.

When Fasold was taken to the hospital, doctors discovered that she had a broken shoulder and two broken legs. Police are investigating whether nursing home abuse or neglect contributed to her death.

Signs of nursing home abuse or neglect can include bedsores, falls, dehydration, bruises, frequent bladder infections, malnutrition or medication errors.

This information is provided by Washignton Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been severely injured in nursing home falls and those who have been seriously injured by abuse or neglect.

With the help of The Farber Law Group, a law firm with more than 30 years experience in representing nursing home neglect cases, we may help recover compensation for 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.

See our Nursing Home & Elder Abuse Resources.

Source: WESH.com, Orlando, Florida
Posted 10:56 am EST February 26, 2010

The Seattle Times reports that two men in their 30s were critically injured when they fell 30 feet from scaffolding while working on a house this afternoon in South Seattle.

According to the report, both men were rushed to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with life-threatening injuries.

The construction accident occurred around 2pm at a house in the 3900 block of 48th Avenue south.

KIRO TV.com additionally reported that the men worked at Esary Roofing & Siding company and were working on the deck of a house. In their updated report at 5:34 pm, KIRO TV reported that one man was in intensive care in "serious condition" and the other man is listed in "satisfactory condition."

In 2007, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) reported 88 deaths related to scaffolds and staging. Annually, approximately 4,500 construction injuries and 50 deaths are attributed to scaffolding accidents. A study by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics found that 72% of workers in scaffold accident reported that the accident was caused by either the planking or support "giving way" or the worker slipping or being hit by a falling objects.

The DOL has an extensive web-site with information about scaffolding safety and best practices. OSHA will investigate this accident to determine the causes of the accident to determine if the accident was caused by faulty design, construction or lack of safety precautions.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who are seriously injured in construction 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.

Paula Goldberg, 59, was awarded $24,000 from the city of Palo Alto, CA by an outside arbitrator for compensation for a hand injury sustained when she tripped and fell on buckling concrete on a city sidewalk.

Goldberg filed her negligence lawsuit against the city of Palo Alto in 2007 and it went into nonbinding arbitration in 2009 reports Palo Alto online.

Both the city and Goldberg accepted the terms of the settlement so a trial was avoided.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious injuries due to slip, trip and fall accidents 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.

The Seattle Times reports that Joseph Aguilar, 20, of Yakima was has died of injuries sustained from a fall from a Portland hotel window.

According to the report, Aguilar fell from a fourth story window at the Inn at the Convention Center hotel around 3am. He died of his injuries at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Police believe alcohol may have been involved in the accident and they believe the fall was accidental.

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.

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.