Last week, I came upon the aftermath of a pedestrian-vehicle collision in Seattle. I don't know the facts or circumstances of this incident. But it reminded me of yet another in a series of articles I've read recently about the alarming uptick in pedestrian deaths. "Pedestrian fatalities have risen 46 percent since 2009 while overall [...]
It's the “Invisible Killer”: a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas. Every year, hundreds of people across the U.S. die because of accidental, non-fire related carbon monoxide poisoning associated with consumer products like furnaces and generators. Carbon Monoxide tragedy in Washington State Kelli was just 22 years old. She had recently been accepted to a [...]
Adriana Brown was a skilled personal trainer at the Seattle gym where I am a member. More importantly, she was a friend and loved by our gym membership. One of her favorite sayings was "Suck it up, buttercup!" She would usually say this during one of her work-outs and when one of her clients began [...]
In 1990, when I began practicing law at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, in Seattle, I was assigned an office next to partner Paul Whelan. Paul had been with the firm for many years and had a reputation as a skilled and successful trial attorney. He handled medical malpractice claims, battled asbestos companies and major corporations in [...]
The Seattle community near 35th Avenue NE is coming together to make a dangerous roadway safer. In the area are many businesses, schools, and community activities. And there is a serious car crash nearly every week. A safety project proposed by a group of neighbors will help people walking, people on bikes, people driving and [...]
The average driver saves 26 seconds a day by speeding. People think it saves time. Maybe it does occasionally, if you run through a yellow light to avoid stopping for a minute. But, the time savings, on average, is about 2 minutes a week. Considering that: Speeding through an intersection drastically increases the risk of [...]
Recently, I was asked to write a short article about making wrongful death claims for elderly people for Trial Lawyer magazine. While the article is directed to my fellow trial lawyers in the Washington State Association for Justice, there are a few thoughts I'd like to share with all of you. About Wrongful Death: “Wrongful [...]
On Friday, I received a message from the brother of one of my clients. My former client had suddenly passed away on Christmas Day. His cause of death was not immediately known. In my mind, it was caused by a broken heart. I represented Brooke about 10 years ago, but his story stays with me. [...]
A jury recently awarded $42 million to a young couple who suffered major burns and crushing injuries after a Dallas body shop fixed their hail-damaged Honda using a cheaper, but untested, method of roof repair. Just before Christmas, the couple was headed for a family visit when a truck hydroplaned and hit the Honda head-on. [...]
On a sunny winter afternoon in Seattle, a kid I’ll call “Marcus” was walking home from middle school. He was with his classmate and good friend. Marcus' grandmother dropped the boys off to get a soda; they would walk the familiar route home together. At a street corner, the boys waited to cross. An oncoming [...]
