Washington Injury Attorney Blog

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.

In a comprehensive study of tree stand accidents, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Injury Sciences found that most tree stand accidents are preventable. The study entitled Epidemiology of Tree Stand-Related Injuries in the United States from 2000 to 2007 by Terry, Joshua BS; Griffin, Russell MPH; Rue, Loring W. III MD; McGwin, Gerald Jr MS, PhD looked at a total of 46,860 tree stand accidents that occurred between 2000 and 2007. Their recommendations are that hunters use safety harnesses and perform regular maintenance of tree stands.

Tree stand accidents can cause serious injuries wit the most common being severe fractures to the hips and lower extremities. Other serious injuries can include traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.

The study also found that younger hunters -- those between the ages of 15 and 34 -- are more likely to be seriously injured in tree stand accidents because they spend more time in tree stands and are more apt to disregard safety precautions.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious injuries including fractures, brain injury and spinal cord injury due to 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.

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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.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that a Seattle window washer survived a fall from the 8th floor of the building he was working on when his safety ropes stopped his fall at the second floor. According to the report, the 34-year-old man was working on the eighth floor of the Broadacres building at1601 Second Ave. when he fell.

Witnesses said the man's harness protected his torso from hitting the building and that he went through a window near the second floor. The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries but not life-threatening injuries reports the P-I.

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 accidents and slip, trip and fall accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for your injuries including medical 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.

A 20-year-old Washington State University (WSU) student suffered back injuries after he fell three stories from a fraternity house window and landed on the windshield of a parked car.

The accident occurred at the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity in Pullman, Washington.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, the student was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital with back injuries. The student was conscious a while after the accident. Alcohol was involved.

In May of this year, a 21-year-old WSU student from Bend, Oregon was killed after a fall from a cliff near campus.

The University of Washington in Seattle has also had its share of students falling from frat house windows. In May, a 22-year-old student was seriously injured after a fall from the Sigma Chi fraternity house.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people with serious personal injuries including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage.

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 31-year-old Monroe man was critically injured when an SUV fell on him in a Lynnwood auto parts yard on Thursday morning reports Seattle's King 5.com.

According to the report, the man was a customer at Best Auto & Truck Parts on Highway 99 and was searching for auto parts when the accident occurred. Apparently, an SUV held up by a forklift collapsed on the man. Customers in the auto yard at the time ran to his rescue and pulled the SUV off.

The injured man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of his injuries.

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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 have considerable experience in premises liability which is the body of law that says the property owner or person in possession of land or premises may be responsible for injuries suffered by a person on said premises. The law states that the property or business owners must keep their property free from any hazard and in a reasonably safe condition.

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 Washington State Department of Social and Health Service is investigating Life Care Center of Bothell after a 93-year-old resident fell and hit her head while getting out of bed and later died.

According to a report in the Everett Herald Net, the nursing home patient hit her head when she fell and also had a cut in her arm. The patient was taken to Evergreen Hospital and Medical Center in Kirkland and then later moved to hospice care where she died.

DSHS investigates whenever a significant injury occurs that may have been as a result of abuse or neglect. According to Roberta Crawford, a field manager for DSHS, four reports had been filed with the DSHS hotline which triggered the investigation.

The Bothell police are also investigating this patient's death.

Falls are not uncommon in nursing homes. In a 100-bed hospital, there will typically be between 10-20 patient falls per year. When environmental hazards such as lack of bed rails, wet floors, poor lighting, clutter, etc., are the cause of the fall, then there might be a legitimate case of nursing home neglect.

If your loved one has suffered a serious injury in a nursing home, you should contact a personal injury attorney with experience in representing these cases. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years representing victims of nursing home negligence and abuse 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.

See our Nursing Home & Elder Abuse Resources.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports that a 66-year-old man has died after he fell six stories from his balcony. The accident occurred on Broadway around 8pm.

According to the report, the man was on a ladder making a repair when he and the ladder toppled over and fell to the sidewalk below.

This appears to be an extremely tragic accident.

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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. Slip, trip and fall accidents are often caused by a property owner's negligence in maintaining their property. Improper lighting, inadequate handrails or steps not built to code are some of the causes of falls.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a slip and fall accident, you should contact The Farber Law Group. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can help you determine if you have a case. If we accept your case, we will work hard to obtain you the compensation for your damages.

A construction worker for Washington Closure Hanford was seriously injured after falling through an access door of a catwalk. The worker, whose name was not provided, fell about 50' feet, hitting a ladder as he fell.

A report in The Tacoma News Tribune said that the man had "serious but not life-threatening" injuries. The man was described as an experienced construction worker.

The industrial accident occurred inside a building at the Hanford 300 Area which is located north of Richland.

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 industrial and construction accidents. With our help, you may recover compensation for you damages including rehabilitation costs, loss of wages, and pain and suffering.

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.

A Southern California nursing home has been fined $100,000 by the State after a patient died from a "preventable fall."

According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the patient who died was in the nursing home, Aviara Healthcare Center, for physical therapy after hip surgery. The patient fell one time so the staff put an alarm on his hospital gown which informed the staff when the patient got out of bed. Even though the patient wore the alarm, no member of the Aviara staff responded when his alarm went off.

The patient got out of his bed and walked in the hallway. There were no handrails in the hallway and when the man started to stumble, he grabbed a lift device that was stored there. When he fell, the lift device fell on top of him. He died from the blunt-force trauma.

State health regulators said that the equipment was not to be stored in the hallway because it posed a hazard to patients.

Handrails in nursing homes are mandatory and heavy equipment such has Hoyer and mechanical lifts should be kept in a closet. Between 15% and 30% of nursing home falls are caused by "environmental hazards" as in this case. Wet floors, clutter, poor lighting and handrails are all types of environmental hazards. Failure to keep patients safe may be negligence and the family of a patient may file a suit to recover damages on their loved one's behalf.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years representing nursing home abuse and neglect victims and their families.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail 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.

Falls in the elderly are a serious health problem in homes, nursing homes, group living situations and hospitals today. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related visits to the emergency room and they are the primary care of accidental deaths in people over the age of 65. Falls are so serious that there are 1,800 deaths caused by falls each year and 9,500 deaths associated with falls.

Injuries from falls can include tissue injury, traumatic brain injury and bone fractures. Fractures to the hip, spine, arms, bones of the pelvis, hands and ankles and hips can be caused by falls. Of fractures, hip fractures are the most serious with 80% of hip fractures occurring in women.

There are various risk factors which can cause a person to fall. Risk factors include muscle weakness, diseases such as Parkinson, poor vision, fear of falling, medication side effects, clothing and footwear and environmental hazards such as slippery floors, missing handrails in halls and bathrooms and obstacles like throw rugs.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations have made it a requirement that hospitals assess fall risks in all patients in order to reduce falls. All hospitals and nursing homes are required to have fall prevention plans in place. Nurses, physicians, food servers and maintenance workers are all responsible to keep the patient safe.

If your loved one has been seriously injured in a nursing home fall due to negligence, you should contact a personal injury attorney. At The Farber Law Group, we have experience representing nursing home residents 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 and we provide a free and confidential case evaluation.

OSHA has fined a Spokane, Washington company, Graham Construction and Management, $25,200 after a bridge collapse in southwest Idaho late last year that injured 14 workers.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued four citations for safety violations, each of which carry a $6,300 fine . Graham Construction claims the accident was not their fault but the fault of a company which provided prefabricated bridge girders for the project.

The accident occurred on October 27, 2008 during a concrete pour at the Robinson Boulevard overpass on Interstate 84. The fourteen construction workers fell approximately 30 feet and suffered injuries including fractures, lacerations and a broken back.

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 negligence including construction accidents.

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 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.

A University of Washington student is in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with "serious" injuries after a fall from a 3rd story window.

According to KOMO News.com, the 22-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol when he fell from the Sigma Chi fraternity house at 4505 18th Avenue NE in Seattle.

There were two falls from University of Washington fraternity houses in 2008. In June of 2008, Kevin MacDonald, age 21, died after at fall at the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. In May of 2008, a 20-year-old student was seriously injured after falling from the roof of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.

Falls can be life threatening and those that survive can suffer from traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage. We wish this injured young man the best.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people with serious personal injuries and the families of those killed.

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

A pedestrian was taken to Harborview Medical Center for observation after the sidewalk he was on collapsed and causing him to fall 10' into a hole leaving him trapped for well over an hour reports Northwest News and Weather, NWCN.com.

The slip, trip and fall accident occurred at the Washington Street boat launch near Pier 48 on Alaskan Way South in Seattle around 7:45 am. Rescue workers from the Seattle fire department had to shore up the walls of the hole before they could pull the man to safety using ropes, a crane and a harness.

The man, who was in his 60s, complained of back pain after the accident.

Apparently, the tide undermined the seawall and the sidewalk.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is investigating the accident and trying to determine if other areas of the sidewalk are unsafe.

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This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been injured in slip, trip and fall accidents. Often, slip trips and falls can result in serious injuries including head trauma, broken bones, and muscle and ligament injury. Often the causes of these types of accidents are the negligence of the property owner. State law requires property owners to keep their property free from hazards and to repair sidewalks and potholes.

If you have been injured due to the negligence of a property owner, you should seek the counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney. The Farber Law Group, with offices in Seattle and Bellevue have more than 30 years experience. Contact us at 1-800-244-9087 or e-mail attorney@hgfarber.com.

Slip, trip and fall is when a person is injured on someone's property. Another name for these cases is "premise liability" and it is the liability that makes a property owner or person who operates a business responsible for injuries by a person on said premises.

When a property owner fails to maintain their property in a safe condition, they can be held legally responsible for injuries a person might suffer. Unsafe and dangerous conditions can include cracked sidewalks, wet and slippery floors, inadequate lighting, stairs or hallways not built to code, floor coverings in disrepair, unsafe shelving and conditions caused by weather like icy entry ways.

Establishing Negligence

To obtain compensation for an injury on someone's premises, one must usually prove that the accident was caused by a "dangerous condition" and that the property owner was aware of this condition. The dangerous condition is one in which the injured party could not have anticipated and it must have presented an unreasonable risk.

To establish negligence, the personal injury attorney must show one of the following:

• The property owner created the dangerous condition
  
• The property owner was aware of the condition and failed to fix it
  
• The dangerous condition was in existence for a time period so that the property owner had opportune time to fix the condition.

An example of negligence would be if a supermarket failed to properly clean up spilled cooking oil in an aisle and also failed to warn shoppers that there was oil on the floor. If a person slipped and broke a hip , the personal injury attorney could argue that the supermarket was negligent in keeping their aisles clean and that an accident was predictable.

A property owner is also negligent if they did not adhere to building codes. For example, building codes specify the rise and run of stairs. However, if a property owner builds the stairs not to code and a person falls on them, then the injured person may have a valid claim against the property owner.

In slip, trip and fall cases on the premises of a business, there may be a number of people who could be held responsible for injuries. The owner of the premises, the business owner or even a maintenance company might be individually or collectively held responsible.

If you or a loved one is injured in a slip, trip and fall accident, you should contact a personal injury attorney who will work to insure your are compensated for your injuries. At The Farber Law Group, we have more than 30 years experience in represent people with personal injuries due to slip, trip and fall. These injuries may include broken bones, skull fracture, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage.

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

Car accidents, sporting accidents, a fall, or a bumping the head at the local hardware store are all accidents which can cause a brain injury and change how the brain works. A minor car accident, a nursing home patient falling out of bed, or a young soccer player heading a ball can may seem not to be serious accidents but they can result in life-altering brain injuries or even death.

What to look for after an accident:

• Monitor the accident victim -- If a person has been in an accident where they have hit their head or their head has been bumped, even if they have never become unconscious, you should monitor them.
• Dizziness, headache, confused thinking and vomiting are warning signs -- if the accident victim displays any of these symptoms, take them to the emergency room immediately.
• Monitor changes in condition -- if the accident victim's symptoms change -- a head ache worsens, they become sleepy or any other change in their behavior within 12 hours of their head injury, they may have a brain bleed and they should be taken to the emergency room immediately.
• Medication -- Be more aware if the person is on blood thinner medication.
• Senior Citizens -- Be more vigilant if the accident victim is elderly or frail.
• Monitor young athletes.
• Take the patient to a trauma center -- In the greater Seattle area and Washington State, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle is the place where victims of serious accidents are taken. Harborview has a neurosurgeon on call which is really important when a person has a head injury and time can be of the essence.

For more information:

• Centers for Disease Control -- Concussion in Youth Sports
• Traumatic Brain Injury and Seniors

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious injuries such as traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damages due to car accidents, construction accidents, slip, trip and fall accidents and nursing home neglect.

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another person, you need a personal injury attorney who understands your injuries and will work to obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact The Farber Law Group. We have more than 30 years experience representing accident victims and their families. We have offices in Seattle and Bellevue to assist you.

A Seattle construction worker was injured in a fall and was rescued by Seattle firefighters this morning. The construction accident occurred around 10:37am at a construction site at 635 Elliot Ave. W.

The Seattle Times reports that the worker, a man in his 30's, was taken in Harborview Medical Center and was in stable condition.

The worker was working on a five-story building at the time of accident.

Every year in Washington State, around 100 construction workers are killed on the job according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. Falls are the leading cause of accidents. Falls can be serious resulting in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, broken bones and even death.

A worker who is injured on the job deserves fair compensation to cover loss of wages, rehabilitation and for pain and suffering. If you or a loved one has been injured on the job, contact The Farber Law Group. We are a Seattle-based law firm with more than 30 years experience in representing construction accident victims.

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

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Mark Afforde survived a 25 foot fall on Thursday when his bungee cord broke during a jump from the 200-foot high Canyon Creek bridge near Yacolt. Yacolt is located approximately 170 miles south of Bellevue near Vancouver, Washington.

According to the report, Afforde landed in shallow water under the bridge and was able to walk after the accident. He was taken to Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver where he is said to be in satisfactory condition.

Afforde says he'll bungee jump again.

This information is brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have serious injuries due to the negligence of another, including car accidents, medical malpractice and construction accidents.

Contact The Farber Law Group today for a free review of your case. With offices in Seattle and Bellevue, we are here to help you.