Washington Injury Attorney Blog

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued an advisory to parents and caregivers of young and fragile infants about the correct use of infant slings for babies under four months of the age. The warning comes after reports indicating that there may have been at least 14 deaths in the past twenty years due to the incorrect positioning of babies in the sling, including three deaths in 2009.

Parents who use the slings should consult the CPSC web-site to view directions about the correct positioning of babies in the sling. If babies are positioned incorrectly, their breathing can be obstructed.

According the CPSC's warning many of the babies who died were low birth weight, born prematurely or had breathing difficulties due to colds.

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 defective or dangerous products or because of the negligence of others. With our help, you may be able to 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.

Michael D. Burke, 34, of Wenatchee was sentenced to 3-1/2 years prison in the pedestrian accident which killed Arnulfo Garcia Maldonado in September 2009. Burke was found guilty of hit and run injury accident involving death and negligent driving. Prosecutors were not able to charge Burke with Vehicular Homicide because they were not able to prove that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

According to The Wenatchee World, Garcia Maldonado was attempting to cross North Wenatchee Avenue when he was hit by Burke. Garcia Maldonado died two hours later at Central Washington Hospital.

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

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

On October 26, 2007, Chris Eves, 29, ran head-on into a tree north of Bellingham in his almost brand-new Toyota Tundra truck. Eves was killed in that motor vehicle accident. In the police file regarding the accident, someone wrote, "It remains unknown why the collision occurred."

According to a report written by Tracy Vedder & KOMO news staff, the Washington State Patrol hypothesized that driver fatigue and Eves' blood alcohol limit, which was at .08%, contributed to Eves falling asleep at the wheel.

Apparently, Toyota has an event data recorder (EDR) installed on their cars, much like the black box data recorders on airplanes. Up to this point, Toyota had not released the information from the EDR to Eves' family. On Tuesday, Washington state senator Maria Cantwell announced that she has gotten a commitment from Toyota to turn over the EDR data.

Eves' family is hoping that the EDR data will provide the information they need as to what caused the accident. Eves' Toyota was one of those on recall lists for problems with driver-side floor mat and accelerator pedal problems. The EDR data should provide information as to what pressure was on the gas pedal and whether Eves had applied pressure to the brake.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating complaints that there have been at least 34 fatalities due to Toyota vehicles that allegedly accelerated out of control.

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 car accidents and due to dangerous or defective products and we represent the families of those killed.

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

Kelly Loyd of Castle Rock was killed in a construction accident at a Bonneville Power Administration substation on the Hanford nuclear reservation around 9:00 am on Monday, March 1, 2010.

According to an article in the Seattle PI.com, Loyd, was operating a bobcat with a backhoe and was seriously injured while doing excavation work and died later at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland.

Loyd was an employee of Christenson Electric Inc.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Washington Department of Labor and Industries are meeting to determine whose jurisdiction the construction accident is in and who will conduct an investigation.

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 the family of those killed. We hare more than 30 years experience representing wrongful death cases in Washington State and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

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 Ralph Seewald have settled their nursing home negligence and wrongful death suit with the Riverside Health Care Center and the Village Health Care Center nursing homes reports the Billings Gazette.

Seewald's family filed the wrongful death lawsuit against the two nursing homes after the 87-year-old man died in 2005 of a blood infection. Seewald's family alleged that the nursing homes failed to provide adequate health care to Seewald. The lawsuit asked for compensation for "pain and suffering, mental anguish, severe emotional distress, grief, sorrow, medical and funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and other damages caused by alleged negligence. Family also asked for punitive damages."

According to the negligence lawsuit, Seewald fractured his neck while he was being transferred from a wheelchair. After the fall, he was confined to his bed and developed decubitus ulcers, also known as bedsores. The lawsuit alleged that Seewald's pressure sores were not properly cared for and the infection developed into gangrene which eventually killed him.

The terms of the wrongful death lawsuit were not disclosed; All of the parties signed a confidentiality agreement. However, Roger Seewald, Ralph's son and representative of the Seewald's estate, expressed satisfaction in the resolution of the lawsuit.

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 nursing home abuse or neglect and the family of those who have died.

Washington state has a wrongful death statute which allows a lawsuit to be filed on behalf of the deceased by the surviving spouse, child, parent or the estate. The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years experience in handling 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.

Roy Messenger, age 50, was killed on Friday when he urinated on a downed power line and was electrocuted in Montesano, Washington.

According a report in The Seattle Times, Messenger was involved in a single car accident in which he ran into a power pole. He was not seriously injured in the car accident but apparently he urinated in a ditch while he waited for a ride and there was a live wire which Messenger did not see.

An autopsy will be performed on Messenger's body but preliminary examination shows burn injuries that indicate that electricity went through Messenger's body.

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

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 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 Washington State Liquor Control board has cited two Spokane bars for over-serving a young driver resulting in a fatal head-on car accident on I-90.

According to a report in The Seattle Times, the Board has cited Lions Lair, and are seeking a 5 day liquor license suspension, and BLVD, and are seeking a 30 day liquor license suspension.

Sterling Kruger, age 22 of Davenport, had visited both bars before driving drunk and being involved in a a head-on collision on December 17, 2009. Kruger was killed in the accident along with two of his passengers.

In civihttp://www.washingtoninjuryattorneyblog.com/l court, a bar, restaurant, bowling alley or other commecial estabilishment can be held legally liable if they served alcoholic beverages to an obvioulsy intoxicated person and that person subsequently injuries or kills another person due to their intoxication. This legal concept is called Dram Shop Liability. The family of the deceased would then have recourse to file suit against the bar or restaurant under Washigton's wrongful death statute.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney Blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who have been been the victims of drunken drivers and the families of those killed by drunken drivers.

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 pastor at the Real Life Family Center in Spanaway, Thom Carlson, 43 of Puyallup, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Roy. According to a report in the Tacoma News Tribune, Carlson was riding his motorcycle in the 32100 block of Eighth Avenue South, when he ran into a vehicle pulling into a parking lot.

Carlson was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries.

According to the article, speed was a factor in the motorcycle 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.

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.

Anthony Paul Cisco, 42, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to Vehicular Homicide in the pedestrian accident death of Rebecca Wilkie-Moore, of Purdy, in July of 2008.

Wilkie-Moore was a widowed single-mother when she was hit by Cisco as she walked from the bus on Purdy Drive in Tacoma.

Cisco drove away after the accident, leaving Wilkie-Moore mortally wounded, but was followed by a witness.

Vehicular Homicide can be charged if a person is killed and the driver was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving recklessly or driving without regard for the safety of other.

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 pedestrian 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.

Source: The Tacoma News Tribune, Man sentenced to 10 years in crash death of Purdy woman

Every year, approximately half a million people are treated for burn injuries in the United States and Canada. In Washington state, more than 400 people are treated for scald injuries.

Scald injuries are a type of burn injury caused by hot liquids or gases. Steam is often the cause of a scald injury but hot bath water, showers and spilled hot drinks are often common causes of scald injuries. According to information released by the Washington State Fire Marshal, Paul Perz, scald burn injuries are the second leading cause of death of children four years of age and younger.

To prevent scald injuries:

• Set water heater thermometers to 120 degrees F or less and mix hot water with cold water when filling a bath tub.
  
• Keep children away from the path between stove and sink.
  
• Use oven mitts and turn pot lids outward when removing and turn pot handles inwards.
  
• Do not head baby bottles in the microwave.
  
• Test and stir microwave-heated foods before serving.

This information is provided as a service by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people who are the victims of serious burn injuries due to car accidents, dangerous or defective products and negligence.

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 parents of a 10-year-old Joel Diaz, of Kennewick, are waiting for autopsy results to find out why their son died.

Peter and Julie Diaz brought their son Joel to Urgent Care after he was injured in a bicycle accident and complained of stomach pain. In the bicycle accident, Joel was jabbed in the side with his bicycle handle bars.

The Urgent Care sent Joel to Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland where the boy underwent an ultrasound and when no serious injury was detected, Joel was given pain medication and sent home. The Diaz's say they stayed by their son's side all night even phoning the doctor when they thought his condition had changed. When they realized he had stopped breathing, they called 911 and paramedics rushed the boy back to Kadlec where he died.

Joel was the middle children in a family of six kids.

Hopefully, the autopsy report will give these parents answers as to what caused their son's death.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group.

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 a 6-year-old boy, Michael Colombini, who was killed while he was undergoing an MRI, settled a $2.9 medical malpractice lawsuit against Westchester Medical Center where the boy was accidentally killed. The boys' parents filed the lawsuit in 2001 and settled right before the lawsuit went to trial.

Michael died in 2001 when he was hit in the head by an oxygen tank while he was undergoing the MRI. The oxygen tank was brought into the MRI room because the piped in oxygen had failed and the powerful magnets of the MRI machine pulled the oxygen tank into the bore of the magnet where the boy lay.

Young Michael was undergoing the MRI after the successful removal of a brain tumor.

The MRI community deconstructed the causes of Michael's accident, looking at the factors which caused his death including poor planning, improper suite design and construction, failed maintenance, lack of training of safety procedures, improper materials screening, failed segregation of unsafe tanks.

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 medical malpractice 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: The Journal News - LoHud.com, February 5, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The Tri-City Herald.com reports that Randall Johnston, 43, of Kennewick was killed after a 500 pound pallet fell on his chest at his place of work in Pasco.

According to the report, the industrial accident occurred at Con-Way freight.

The Department of Labor & Industries is investigating the cause of the industrial accident.

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

Nearly 100 people are killed in work-related accidents every year in Washington state. According to OSHA statistics, 50% of construction accidents occur to people under the age of 45.

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

An 18-year-old man, Sean F. Crissy, has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and hit-and- run fatality after a 54-year-old Bellingham man was hit and killed while he walked at Chuckanut Drive and Sea Pines.

According a report by Seattle's KOMO News.com, the Bellingham man was reported missing by his wife at 9pm after he did not return from his evening walk which began at 6pm.

Police officers found the missing man lying beside the road only three blocks from his home.

When Bellingham police searched for the missing man, they found a Dodge van, which had been reported stolen, with windshield damage. The van's owner said he reported the vehicle stolen after his son, Sean Crissy, told him that the van had been stolen.

When police officer's caught up with Sean Crissy on Saturday, he reportedly told them that he had been under the influence of mushrooms and had been drinking as well as text messaging when he hit the Bellingham man. They arrested Crissy at the home of a friend without incident.

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

December 2009 was a deadly month for home fires as there were 15 deaths attributed to fire across Washington state reports the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Already in the New Year, two mobile homes were destroyed by fire in Kent.

Across the nation, there are approximately 3,320 people who lose their lives in fires every year. December and the holiday season can be especially deadly. Colder weather, more indoor activities and the use of candles, holiday decorations and power outages all contribute to fires in December.

The Fire Marshall, Michael Matlick, reminds everyone to think about fire safety. Click here to see the Fire Marshall's fire prevention tips which include tips on smoking safety, home heating safety, cooking safety, electrical equipment and appliances and smoke alarms.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent people victims of burn injuries and their families.

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

The Puget Sound Business Journal reports that the Washington State Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Xiao Ping Chen, who filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Seattle after her husband, Run Sen Liu, was critically injured in a pedestrian accident and then subsequently died.

Liu was hit by a motor vehicle as he crossed the intersection at South Jackson Street and 10th Avenue in South in Seattle, February of 2007. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for two years before he died.

In her lawsuit, Chen alleged that Seattle was negligent in maintain the roadway. Evidence showed that there had been previous serious accidents at the same pedestrian crosswalk where Liu was injured.

In reversing a lower court ruling against Chen, the Court of Appeals said, "a municipality has a duty to all travelers to maintain its roadways in conditions that are safe for ordinary travel."

Washington State has a wrongful death statute which allows the family of a person who was killed due to the negligence of a person or entity to recover damages in a civil action. Wrongful death cases are usually brought on behalf of the deceased by the surviving spouse, child or parent.

This information is provided by Washington Injury Attorney blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We are a personal injury law firm experienced and knowledgeable in handling 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.