Kirk Bernard

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.

Incidents of nursing home abuse and negligence are on the rise and that is cause for deep concern when you consider that millions of baby boomers are aging and headed in that direction. There are many reasons why nursing home abuse or neglect occurs. One of the main reasons is that nursing homes have started focusing on their profits rather than make patient care or resident care a top priority. As a result, these nursing homes understaff their facilities or hire employees for cheap who are not properly trained for the job. Serious deficiencies occur in nursing homes as a result.

If you are a victim of nursing home abuse or negligence, you have civil remedies available to you that skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys may assist you with. For example, if you tragically lose a loved one as a result of neglect, you may file a wrongful death claim against the nursing home. However, if you are looking to place a loved one in a nursing home, it is better to be proactive than reactive. Picking a nursing home for a loved one should be a carefully thought-out and well researched process. Sometimes, families may not have the time to do so because they may have to make that decision under a tight deadline.

A good start for families would be to look at the U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ Nursing Home Compare Web site, a database that ranks 15,700 nursing homes on a star system. One star means the facility is “below average” and five stars means it is above average and offers a high quality of care. However, even these ratings can sometimes be misleading, so they can be taken as a guide, but not as the ultimate tool to help you decide.

In most cases, if you have the time, you should visit the nursing home where you plan to place your loved one. Interview employees, gauge their attitude toward residents. Do residents look happy? Does the facility seem well-maintained? How does the place smell? How do employees interact with residents? Talk to visitors in the parking lot. Are they happy with the facility? Do they have any complaints? If you have time, make several visits to the home at different times of the day to talk to staff and inspect the home’s public areas for upkeep and cleanliness. Find out how long the caregivers have been around. If a majority of them are recent hires, that indicates staff turnover, which is not a good sign.

As an experienced personal injury attorney, Kirk Bernard knows that the best way to avoid an unpleasant experience or worse, a tragedy, is to plan early. You may not want to discuss or confront the fact that you have to place a parent in a nursing home. Choosing a nursing home can be tough, but taking the time to investigate and research the right home for your loved one will pay off in the long run and improve the chances that your eventual decision will be the correct one for you and your family.

Source:http://www.caller.com/news/2009/nov/29/choosing-nursing-home-plan-early/?partner=yahoo_feeds

You just got in a car accident. Your heart is beating against your chest. You’re breathing gets heavier and heavier. You look around. You are alive and so is everyone else. Now what? The few minutes immediately after a Seattle car accident are extremely crucial, especially if you have been injured or have suffered damages as a result of someone else’s negligence. There are things that you can do proactively and certain actions that you need to take at the scene.

1. Keep your insurance information in the glove compartment including a pre-printed form that will allow you to take down the particulars of the car accident. Keep a pen or pencil in that package so you can make a sketch of the accident scene. Keep a disposable camera in your car to take photographs of the accident scene. Also, keep a flashlight handy so you’re not fumbling in the dark to find these important items.
2. Always remain at the scene of the accident until police have taken down a report. Write down the name of the officer who responded to the call, his or her badge number and make sure that they interviewed and got your version of what happened.
3. Be sure to exchange names, addresses, driver’s license and insurance information with the driver of the other car or vehicles involved.
4. Report the accident promptly to your insurance company – whether you believe your accident is minor or major.
5. Review your insurance policy to make sure of your coverage. Make a list of questions and related information you want to know. Write down everything about the accident scene, about your injuries, your family member’s injuries and how you feel. Keep a journal of what you went through after the accident.
6. Make sure that you get medical treatment immediately for your injuries. If you take too long to go to a doctor, it may become problematic when you claim compensation for your injuries. It’s a common mistake many accident victims make. Please do not fall in that trap. Even if you feel “OK” after the accident, get checked out that same day or the next day at the latest. Some injuries such as “whiplash” may not be felt until days after the accident.
7. A car accident case can become quite complicated, especially if there are multiple parties or multiple vehicles involved. Do not talk to any insurance adjusters or attorneys for other parties, unless you have consulted with your own personal injury lawyer, who will remain on your side, fight for your rights and protect your best interests. Do not sign any papers or agreements – not until you’ve talked to a skilled Washington personal injury lawyer.

If you are seriously injured in an auto accident, or someone you know is injured, call the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at the Bernard Law Group, 1-800-418-8282. Kirk Bernard and his legal team can help you immediately. All e-mail and form submissions will be responded to by a qualified and knowledgeable member of our firm within 24 hours. Call our toll-free number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we promise to respond immediately.

The holidays are an excellent time to share a meal with loved ones, but it is also a time when a small mistake in the kitchen can lead to food poisoning or food-borne illnesses that in turn, can lead to serious personal injuries or even death. According to a report in Medical News Today, holiday turkey meals – whether at Thanksgiving or Christmas – have been linked to outbreaks of bacterial diseases caused by salmonella and campylobacter.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 76 million people in the United States fall victims to food-borne illnesses every year. These illnesses lead to 5,000 deaths each year.

The biggest risk, experts say, comes from undercooking your meat. Color is certainly not an indicator of safety or whether your meat is done. You also need to watch out for cross-contamination, which can occur when countertops, sinks or utensils aren’t being cleaned properly between use of raw meats and other foods. Just as it’s important to cook to safe temperatures, it is also important to refrigerate foods quickly. This keeps the most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set at 40 degrees and the freezer at 0 degrees and the accuracy of these settings should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.

If you do fall sick during the holidays, please make sure you receive prompt medical attention. Lack of immediate attention and treatment can turn a serious food poisoning case into a lethal one. Please remember that if you dine at an establishment during the holidays or at a catered event where you become sick, you may seek compensation from the negligent parties for medical bills, cost of hospitalization and treatment. If you would like to discuss your claim further, please contact Kirk Bernard or another one of the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at the Bernard Law Group for a free consultation.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171600.php

There are many steps that construction site workers in Washington can take to protect themselves from a construction site injury. One of the most important ways that both an employer and employee can prevent injuries and fatalities is by adhering to federal Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) safety standards. Employers are required by federal and state law to provide a safe and clean working environment for their employees. Typically, most construction sites, whether in Washington or elsewhere, are dangerous and contain potential hazards that can cause serious personal injury. Employees and employers must adhere to the requirements and safety guidelines so these accidents and tragedies can be prevented.

We recently settled a construction accident case on behalf of a worker for $160,000. In this particular case, a man was delivering lumber to a construction site. The project superintendent at the construction site tried to unsuccessfully unload the lumber from the delivery truck with a forklift. The delivery driver stood on top of the load and lifted it with his hands to help the forklift driver insert the forks under the load. At this time, the person who was operating the forklift struck the load with the forks and the delivery driver fell off the truck, landing on the ground and breaking his shoulder. In this particular case, the project superintendent allowed this unsafe situation to take place.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Seattle construction accident and if you believe another person’s negligence or an unsafe work environment contributed to your injuries, you may be able to claim compensation. Please contact Kirk Bernard of the Bernard Law Group, who has the knowledge to handle these construction accident and worker’s compensation cases. Our skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys will make sure that you receive the compensation that you rightfully deserve.