Washington Injury Attorney Blog

Summertime is here and preteens and teens are busy riding bicycles, skating and running around the neighborhoods and playgrounds. However, this is a time when young teens can be injured as a result of falls, cycling accidents or while playing sports.

Summer Safety Tips for Young Teens

Bicycles/Scooters/Skateboards

• Insure your child wears a helmet whenever they ride and that it fits properly.
  
• Actively supervise your child
  
• Teach your child the rules of the road
  
• Have your child wear protective clothing and ride on sidewalks when possible
  
• Inspect your child's equipment

Swimming
Teens often enjoy swimming in rivers and lakes but often they can get into dangerous situations.

• Make sure your child knows how to swim
  
• Don't let your child swim alone
  
• Learn CPR
  
• Make sure that your child does not dive in shallow water to prevent spinal cord injuries and brain injuries
  
• Teach your child to stay away from pool drains
  
• Have your child wear a life jacket while boating and near open bodies of water
  
• Don't let young teens operate jet skis
  
• Don't allow your child to swim near marinas or docks where there is electrical hookups or lighting to avoid electrocution

Sports Injury
Young teens can suffer brain injuries due to sports and recreational activities. Insure your teen wears the proper protective gear for the sport or recreational activity they are participating in.

• Wear helmets when playing contact sports, rock climbing or batting
  
• Wear proper eye protection
  
• Make sure your child stays hydrated by drinking adequate liquids
  
• Make sure your child has sufficient rest breaks, especially on hot days
  

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

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 elderly woman who was driving her small sedan the wrong way in the southbound lanes of State Route 3, north of Gorst, was killed this morning around 9:30am reports the Port Orchard Independent.

According to the report, the woman collided head-on with a Dodge pickup truck. There was also one other vehicle involved in the motor vehicle accident.

Two people suffered minor injures 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 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.

Every year, more than one million Americans are seen by doctors and at emergency rooms after suffering a head injury. Of those people, 50,000 to 100,000 will have suffered a brain injury which will linger and will affect their every day lives including work and school. The majority of traumatic brain injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. Even if an accident victim does not hit their head on a the windshield, steering wheel or another fixed object, a brain injury can occur.

Sometimes diagnosing a brain injury is more difficult than one might think. Common tests used to examine the brain include CT scans (which use X-rays) and MRIs (which use magnetic fields). While both of these tools are fantastic in seeing blood and tumors in the brain, they are not good at seeing tears in the brain which can be microscopic. Studies show that in 85% to 90% of patients with brain injuries, there is no evidence of the injury on a CT scan or MRI.

Some predictors of a brain injury after a trauma can include the following:

• PERL - a test to determine if a person with a brain injury has pupils that are equal and reactive to light.
• Loss of Consciousness - this means that the accident victim lost conscious awareness and the person may be unable to react to stimuli. Loss of consciousness can range from being momentarily dazed or "out of it" to being in a coma. The Glasgow Coma Scale is a neurological scale which allows a physician to asses the level of consciousness after a brain injury. In the Glasgow scale, there are 15 points on which a patient can be rated on based upon eye response, verbal response and best motor response. The lower the number in the scale, the more severe the injury.
• Amnesia - loss of memory for events leading up to the traumatic injury. Generally, people with longer periods of amnesia have more severe injuries.
• Concussion - the most common type of traumatic brain injury. Symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, forgetfulness, irritability, anxiety, depression, mood swings and insomnia. Most people who suffer a concussion recover after a few months but up to 20% of patients can suffer symptoms for much longer periods. Diagnosis can include the Glasgow Coma Scale, testing pupil reactions and size and observing symptoms. Sometimes concussions can produce an abnormal EEG or PET scan.
• Encephalopathy - is a term that is often used to describe a brain injury. Symptoms of encephalopathy include confusion, memory loss, inattention, aggression, agitation and stupor.
• Focal neurologic signs - are signs which indicate to the physician that there may be an impairment in the brain or nervous system. Frontal lobe signs can include unsteadiness in walking, rigidity (hypertonia) of limbs, paralysis of limbs, head or eye movement, difficulty in expressing oneself (aphasia), seizures, changes in personality and loss of smell. Parietal lobe signs can include loss of tactile sensation, inability to pay attention, loss of ability to read or write, loss of ability to find a place and loss of ability to identify something by its touch. Temporal lobe signs include deafness, tinnitus, amnesia or memory loss, hallucinations and loss of ability to understand language. Occipital lobe signs include loss of vision, inability to recognize objects, faces or colors, visual hallucinations. Cerebellar signs include loss of balance and coordination. Spinal cord signs include paralysis and loss of sensation.
• Seizure - thrashing movements and loss of awareness caused by electrical discharges in the brains.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm that specializes in representing people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to motor vehicle accidents, constructions accidents and falls. We work hard to insure that brain accident victims receive the compensation they deserve to provide for medical and rehabilitation costs, 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 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.

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 Tri City Herald.com reports that Phillip LoParco, age 64 of Kennewick, suffered serious injuries including a fractured vertebrae when he was injured in a motorcycle accident around 11:15am this morning in Kennewick.

According to the report, LoParco was turning left onto Washington Street from Columbia Drive on his motorcycle when he was hit by a Dodge Caravan driven by Nova Lawton.

Preliminary investigation finds that LoPorco failed to yield when he made the left hand turn.

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 car 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Seattle Times reports that a Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a serious injury when his spine was severed when a tent-like canopy structure collapsed on him during a severe and sudden storm. Rich Behm, age 33, suffered permanent paralysis from the waist down in the accident. Surgeons operated to stabilize his thoracic spine on Sunday.

Behm was one of 12 people injured in the accident that occurred on Saturday. Three of the 12 injured were Cowboys staff members. Assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither had surgery to repair fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. Joe DeCamillis, the team's special teams coach, sustained a fracture to a cervical vertebrae but he did not suffer any paralysis.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the cause of the collapse. The $4 million practice facility was built in 2003 and the roof replaced just last year.

The storm that hit the structure which covered a football field had winds which were measured at 64mph which is almost the level of a tornado.

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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 suffered serious injuries including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury due to car accidents, construction accidents and falls.

Contact The Farber Law Group at 1-800-244-9087 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

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 West Seattle High School athlete, Mackenzie "mac" Clay, has settled with the Seattle School district for $15 million after he suffered a spinal cord injury in his neck two years ago at wrestling practice reports The Seattle Times.

Clay, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair, maintained in his lawsuit that the School District was negligent because the coaches did not follow standard wrestling-safety procedures. The coaches only used one mat on the concrete floor of the West Seattle High School cafeteria even though there were more mats available at the time. The student athletes were confined to a small area because of the lack of mats and Clay was injured when two other students fell on him. The suit also cited the fact that the coaches did not have Washington Interscholastic Activities Association certification.

Clay was an athletic senior when he was injured. He had lettered in three sports. He was also a cellist in the Seattle Youth Symphony and had played the cello since he was six years old.

The $15 million settlement is to be used to pay for Clay's medical bills and an attendant. His future medical needs are projected at $29 million. The Seattle School district paid $1 million of the settlement and their insurer, Washington Schools Risk Management Pool covered the rest.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured and the families of those killed due to another's negligence. General negligence can cover any accident that is caused by negligence or carelessness including failing to secure a swimming pool, failing to install playground equipment properly (i.e., a soccer goal or a baseball diamond backstop), etc.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury because of negligence, you need a personal injury attorney to represent you. The Farber Law Group, with offices in Seattle and Bellevue, has more than 30 years experience representing clients in personal injury cases.

Contact The Farber Law Group because you deserve fair and equitable compensation for your injuries.

With gas prices soaring and a weak economy, more people than ever are choosing to ride motorcycles as an economical way to get to work. However, motorcycle riders are the most vulnerable in motor vehicle accidents because there are no seat belts and riders can be thrown in a crash. The death and injury rate for motorcycle riders continues to rise.

In Washington State, motorcycle riders need to obtain a motorcycle endorsement by the Department of Licensing. The endorsement is one way to encourage motorcyclists to have extra knowledge and training before taking their motorcycle on the highway.

Safety Tips:

Wear a helmet

always wear a helmet and make sure it meets the Department of Transportation (DOT) standards. A helmet is of utmost importance and may mean the difference between surviving a crash and dying.

Watch the "No-Zone"

a "No-Zone" is a truck's blind spot. Trucks have blind spots on both side where the driver cannot see you. If you ride in the blind spot, your chances of a crash increase.

Drive as if you were invisible

motorcycles are the smallest vehicle on the road and have no protection. Many times motorists do not see you. Pay attention to brake lights and signals. Be extra careful at intersections.

Drive smart

keep to the speed limit, don't over drive your ability to handle your motorcycle. An increasing number of motorcyclists are getting into accidents because they are driving motorcycles more powerful than they can handle. They also travel at speeds at which they can not handle the motorcycle. An increasing number of motorcyclists are crashing around curves, bends and turns.

Watch speed

motorcycles accelerate faster than other vehicles. Especially watch your speed around trucks at night and in bad weather. Motorcycles sometimes crash into the rear of trucks.

Safety check your motorcycle

safety check your motorcycle every single time you ride it to insure it is in good working condition. Proper maintenance is essential.

Wear proper gear

protective clothing such as leathers, jackets and gloves can really protect you if you are in a crash.

This information was brought to you by Washington Injury Accident Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured in motorcycle accidents. Accident victims often receive a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury and sometimes even loss of a limb. If you were seriously injured because of the negligence of another driver, you should contact a personal injury attorney who specializes in motorcycle accidents. At The Farber Law Group, we we will work to help you recover compensation for your damages.

Contact The Farber Law Group today.

In the past few years, hunters have been increasingly using tree stands for hunting. From a tree-stand perch, a hunter is out of the deer's field-of-vision and also out of their range for scent detection allowing hunters to have an excellent vantage point for hunting. Many tree stands are mounted 10 to 30 feet or more above the ground level. As the use of tree stands have become more commonplace, there have been many serious injuries including internal injuries, spinal cord injury, brain injury, paralysis and death among hunters who have had falling accidents involving tree stands.

North Carolina had four serious hunting accidents in two weeks of September including two fatalities. Investigators found that hunters that fell were not using a fall-restraint system.

Hunters fall for many reasons and lack of proper safety precautions and equipment is one of them. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with the Treestand Manufacturers Association, found that 82% of all hunters suffering from a fall injury were not wearing a safety device.

Recommended safety precautions include

• Test your tree stand regardless of whether it is homemade or manufactured.
  
• Hunt with a partner or group and rendezvous at designated times.
  
• Do not drink while hunting.
  
• Maintain three points of contact when climbing up and down a tree stand ladder as with any ladder.
  
• Use a haul line to carry your equipment up into the tree stand; keep your hands free for climbing. 75% of all tree stand falls are while climbing up or down the tree.
  
• Check to make sure safety equipment is in good repair.
  
• Make sure you install your tree stand in a healthy tree, not one that is decayed, leaning or without rough bark.
  
• Wear a full body harness.

For more information see the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website, Use of Elevated Stands & Other Techniques Tree Stand Safety. Visit the Treestand Manufacturers Association site for an Online Treestand Safety Course.

This information has been brought to you by Washington Injury Attorney, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been seriously injured because of slip, trip and fall accidents through no fault of their own. Sometimes a manufacturing defect or someone else's negligence causes an accident. In this, you need to contact a personal injury attorney who can help you recover compensation for your damages.

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

Linda Guile, a woman from Renton, Washington had her spinal nerves severed, losing control of her bladder and bowels while undergoing back surgery by Dr. Britt Borden. Barbara Ristved, also a Washington State resident, had similar damage in a surgery that Borden performed on her. Both women won malpractice settlements because of their botched surgeries.

After leaving Washington State, Borden stated practicing neurosurgery in Aberdeen, S.D. There, his patient Marilyn Zubke, underwent surgery after a car accident. When that surgery was botched, she underwent another surgery by Borden, which was also botched. Zubke was awarded a $990,000 settlement in a medical malpractice suit.

The Capital-Journal reports that though Dr. Borden has lost malpractice suits in South Dakota, Virgina and Washington, the Kansas healing art board has issued Dr. Borden a license to practice medicine. On his application for a license in Kansas, Borden denied negligence in his previous malpractice cases.

We concur with Marilyn Zubke who believes that a physician's records concerning malpractice and discipline should be made public so that patients can make informed decisions.

If you are the victim of a botched surgery, contact The Farber Law Group. At The Farber Law Group, we are experienced in representing the victims of negligent doctors and other health care providers and in helping victims recover compensation for your injuries, or those of a loved one.

Please contact us for a free consultation.