Washington State has been named the nation’s number one “Bicycle Friendly States” by the League of American Bicyclists for the second year in the row. That still hasn’t prevented bicyclists on our state’s roadways from getting seriously injured as a result of collisions that can be easily prevented. Bicycles are legally considered “vehicles” on Washington’s roadways. What that means is that bicyclists must obey the rules of the road just like drivers of any other vehicle. Bicyclists must take steps to make sure that they are aware of what’s going on around them and avoid common errors that could have devastating consequences:
- Obey all traffic signs and signals. Follow the rules of the road.
- Never ride against traffic. Please remember that motorists are not looking for bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road.
- Don’t pass a vehicle on the right. Follow lane markings to make left or right turns.
- Look over your shoulder. This is a good practice for bicyclists and must be done without losing balance or swerving. Some bicyclists use rear-view mirrors.
- Wear a helmet always. It could save your life. Never wear headphones or do anything else that can take your attention away from the road. Keep your hands ready to brake.
- Use hand signals to tell motorists and pedestrians what you are going to do.
- Always make eye contact with drivers. It’s best to assume that drivers don’t see you until you make sure that they do.
- Watch out for roadway hazards such as grates, gravel, ice or debris. It’s always safe to cross railroad tracks at right angles.
- If it’s overcast or dark, use lights. Washington law requires bicyclists to use a white headlight visible from at least 500 feet ahead as well as a rear reflector visible from up to 300 feet from behind.
- Maintain your bike well. Check your bike’s brakes and tires regularly.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident in Washington, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful educational information to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
About 14 percent of drivers in the United States do not have auto insurance. The main component of any auto insurance policy is known as “liability insurance.” This makes sure you are covered in the event that you injure someone else. Drivers in Washington State also have the option to take what is known as “uninsured/underinsured” motorist coverage. In my opinion, everyone should have this type of coverage because this is the clause in your insurance that really benefits you. What this coverage does is it compensates you if you are hit and injured by a driver who does not have auto insurance or doesn’t have sufficient liability insurance coverage to compensate you for your injuries, damages and loss.
In Washington State, an estimated 18 percent of drivers do not have auto insurance, which raises the possibility of a motorist in Washington getting into an accident with an uninsured driver to nearly one in five. The problem in Washington is that the state still does not require people to provide proof of liability insurance in order to register a vehicle, renew a registration or even receive a driver’s license. If you have been injured in a Washington car accident, understand that the state’s at-fault statute requires that the person responsible for causing the accident pay all costs related to the accident including property damage, medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and other related damages.
If you have been involved in an auto accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver, get as much information as you possibly can, including pictures, diagrams, and contacts for eyewitnesses. Make sure to file a police report. Get driver’s license numbers, license plate numbers and any other pertinent information. Then, contact an experienced Seattle personal injury lawyer to find out more information about your legal rights and options.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in Seattle, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information about car accident cases to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
Washington State has a strict liability statute when it comes to dog bites. What this means is that the dog owner is liable – whether or not the dog attack occurs on public or private property, and whether or not the dog owner was aware of the dog’s prior viciousness. According to the Revised Code of Washington Section 16.08.040: “The owner of any dog which shall bite any person while such person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place including the property of the owner of such dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness.”
However, there are some defenses that a dog owner has in such cases. For example, proof of provocation of the attack by an injured person is a complete defense to an action. Also, if the so-called victim is on the property of the dog owner without the owner’s permission (such as a burglar), that is also solid defense. In all other cases, there is a good chance that the dog owner will be held liable for the injuries caused to the victim. In Washington State, if the owner’s dog aggressively attacks and causes serious injury or death to a person, the owner can be convicted of a class C felony. This felony is punishable by five years in state prison, or a fine of $10,000, or both.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, please contact the Seattle personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information that will help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
A lot of us may not think of nursing home negligence or abuse as a personal injury case. But if you have a loved one who is in a nursing home or a convalescent home, then you know that the elderly are a particularly vulnerable part of our society. In fact, nursing home abuse can take several forms. There are facilities where the elderly have been physically abused or sexually abused by employees. There have been nursing homes where elderly residents have been emotionally and verbally abused by staff members.
There have been a number of cases where nursing home residents have died or suffered serious personal injuries because they weren’t cared for properly. Examples of such nursing home negligence include failing to monitor the patient’s medical needs, giving them the wrong medication, not changing soiled clothes causing bed sores, and lack of supervision that leads to falls. A number of nursing home negligence and abuse cases have to do with these facilities’ lack of trained or adequate staff. A number of nursing homes, in fact, deliberately understaff their facilities to keep expenses lower and profits higher.
If your loved one has been abused or neglected at a nursing home, please contact the skilled Seattle injury personal lawyers at The Bernard Law Firm to find out how we can help. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com to schedule your FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington nursing home negligence and abuse cases, which has useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.
Whether you work at a construction site or an industrial warehouse, safety at the workplace is key to avoid serious accidents that could leave you disabled or unable to do your job or earn a living. As a Washington injury attorney, Kirk Bernard knows that there are several steps both workers and managers could take to avoid such tragic incidents at the workplace:
- It is best to avoid dangerous situations that could result in an injury, especially if you work alone. Some examples of activities best avoided include climbing ladders, standing precariously on furniture, using dangerous tools or lifting or loading heavy objects. If you must do these activities, do them when someone else is around so they can get help in case of an accident.
- Always wear proper safety gear to prevent exposure to chemical and physical dangers including dust, gases, noise and temperature.
- Make sure you are properly trained before you do anything. Read safety manuals and make sure you take precautions before beginning the activity. You should be informed of all safety procedures. If you are not comfortable doing something, tell your employer about it.
- Never ignore safety procedures. This is a dangerous practice that can not only expose you but also your co-workers to risk of serious injury. Never have a casual attitude about safety rules or procedures.
- Maintain the work area properly. Good housekeeping is an integral part of maintaining a safe workplace.
If you or a loved one is a personal injury victim in Seattle, please contact an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful educational information to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
A number of people imagine motorcycle riders to be daredevils – reckless individuals with a devil-may-care attitude. But if you ride a motorcycle in Washington State or elsewhere in the nation, you know that this is not true. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a recent study, states that a number of riders over the age of 60 have taken up riding motorcycles as a hobby. Another study by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) states that motorcycle fatalities in the United States increased in 2006 for the ninth straight year, roughly doubling over the last decade.
As a motorcyclist, you need to make sure that you have taken every possible precaution and safety measure to make sure you do not become a statistic. The most important safety measure you can take is to wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet. It is important to wear proper clothing and shoes to make sure you are protected in the event of a crash. It is also imperative that you get proper training before you get on the road.
As a Seattle personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen on more than a few occasions that when juries see a safe motorcycle rider, they tend to make a decision in favor of the plaintiff. It tells you that jurors are very logical. They figure that if you’re the kind of rider who has taken all appropriate safety measures, wears a helmet and other safety gear, and resorts to safe motorcycle riding practices, then it’s very possible that your actions did not cause the accident. If you are riding a motorcycle, believe me, it’s worth taking every safety measure you can think of.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a Washington motorcycle accident, please contact the experienced Seattle motorcycle accident lawyers with The Bernard Law Firm for a free and comprehensive consultation. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information about Washington motorcycle accident cases, which will help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.
Most of us know by now that we are entitled to file a personal injury claim if we are seriously injured as a result of a prescription drug. In addition, qualifying family members of a wrongful death victim may file a wrongful death claim. Large pharmaceutical companies such as Merck have faced a number of lawsuits in recent years over defective drugs that were not properly tested before they were put in the market for serious side effects.
However, it is important to remember that the term “dangerous drug” does not just refer to prescription drugs. A dangerous drug can mean an over-the-counter medication or even a natural herbal supplement. Recently, several lawsuits have been filed over Zicam nasal gels, which are basically over-the-counter cold medications. Hundreds of people across the nation reported that they lost their sense of smell and/or taste after using these cold medications. In such cases, drug companies even fail to disclose the risks of the drugs or serious side effects, which could have helped consumers make an informed choice.
As a consumer injured by a dangerous drug, you may be eligible to receive several types of damages. First, you may be able to get the liable party to pay medical bills to cover any injuries you sustained as a result of taking a dangerous drug. You may also qualify for lost wages, pain and suffering, and various other types of damages depending on the specifics of your case.
If you have been injured by a defective drug in Seattle or Washington State, please contact an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure, which has useful educational information to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his knowledgeable legal team today.
E. coli is a common type of bacteria that can get into food, like beef and vegetables. E. coli is short for the medical term Escherichia coli. E. coli normally lives inside your intestines, where it helps your body break down and digest the food you eat. Unfortunately, certain types or strains of E. coli can get from the intestines into the blood. This is a rare illness, but it can cause a very serious infection. The most common symptoms of E. coli are painful stomach cramps or stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes bloody.
E. coli infection can be passed from person to person but serious E. coli infection is linked to food containing the bacteria. Some of the foods that can cause E. coli poisoning include undercooked ground beef (mostly used for hamburgers); vegetables grown in cow manure or washed in contaminated water; and fruit juice that is not pasteurized. Here are some steps that you can take to identify the symptoms of E. coli infection before they get serious or prevent them altogether:
- A number of troubling symptoms may surface including abdominal pain or cramps, diarrhea with blood, fever and nausea.
- Most people recover fully from E. coli infection. However, there are also some potentially serious complications. Pregnant women who drink contaminated water put their fetus at risk of developing neonatal meningitis. A small percentage of people will also develop hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS. This can result in a loss of kidney function, which is obviously quite serious, and some people have died after developing this serious complication.
- When you eat out, please remember that undercooked ground beef is one of the most common causes of E. coli infections. Heating the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit is absolutely essential. If you are served a burger at a restaurant that is still undercooked or pink in the middle, send it back.
- It is also important to remain vigilant at home. Wash fruits and vegetables particularly leafy greens that are consumed raw. Wash kitchen surfaces that are exposed to raw meat in order to prevent cross contamination of food.
- If you have E. coli poisoning or suspect it, see a doctor immediately. With proper treatment, most people make a full recovery, and permanent damage is rare.
If you believe that another person’s negligence contributed to you suffering serious E. coli contamination symptoms, or if a food product was contaminated while being manufactured, you may be able to file a claim. If you or a loved one is a personal injury victim in Washington, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful educational information to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.