Washington Injury Law Blog

I received my mail in ballot for the November 4, 2008 general election. There are a few judge positions still up for election.  Voting for your local judges is very important.  These are the people who decide your fate if you every end up in court.

 

Again, my disclosures. As many of you already know I am a Kirkland Washington Personal Injury Attorney who fights against insurance companies and corporations on a daily basis. I’m consider myself a champion for the little guy and definitely lean towards being a democrat. 

 

KING COUNTY JUDGE ELECTIONS

 

These are the judges that handled nearly all of my day to day cases that are in litigation. For me and my clients these people can have great effect on my work and my client’s lives. If you hire me to handle your car accident injury case, then these are the judges who will handle your case when litigation is needed because the insurance company is only offering two pennies to rub together to settle your case because they think you weren’t injured that bad. Don’t get me started…

 

King County Superior Court, Pos. 1 -  Suzanne Parisien

 

King County Superior Court, Pos. 22 – Holly Hill

 

King County Superior Court, Pos. 37 – Jean Rietschel

 

OTHER ELECTIONS

 

Attorney General:   John Ladenburg

Mr. Ladenburg is more supportive of your personal rights including privacy, which is very important to me in the wake of Bush’s Patriot Act. Big brother is out there!

 

Insurance Commissioner:  Mike Kreidler

Mr. Kreidler has done great things to protect you as a consumer over the last 8 years from the greedy insurance companies that seem to do nothing but raise your rates and deny your claims should something bad happen and you need that insurance coverage you thought you had purchased. Insurance companies hate him, and I love him. Mike’s the man!

 

I hope this helps you make your final decisions on the elections. If you have any questions feel free to email me at max@scottmcdonaldlaw.com and I’ll be happy to explain in more detail why I like these candidates.

 

Happy voting!

 

Max Meyers, Esq.

 

An outbreak of E. coli occurred in Snohomish County last week sickening 17 customers. The first lawsuit was filed yesterday by  a young Lake Stevens girl who went to the ER three times with blood in her vomit and stool developing since dining at the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant.

 

The young girl and her family ate at the Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant, 303 91st Ave. NE, on October 13, 2008. The next day she was sent home from school sick, and over the next week she went to the ER three times before being admitted to the hospital. Tests revealed that the young girl was infected with E. coli 0157:H7, which matched the Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant outbreak. The young girl has lost 9 pounds and is too weak to walk, her parents carry her.

 

The restaurant was shut down by the Snohomish County Health District Officials but reopened yesterday. Those who fell ill report eating at the restaurant from October 2-13.

 

News reports:

Lawsuit details ordeal of E. coli victim

Family files suit in Lake Stevens E. coli sickness 

Lake Stevens eatery reopens as E. coli suit is filed 

 

 

 

Speeders and aggressive drivers need to watch out this week. Washington State Patrol motorcycle officers are out in force looking for anyone speeding or driving aggressively. Consider yourself warned!

Given that speeding and aggressive driving can cause serious injury car accidents I am all for it. Although, I have been know to have a lead foot from time to time, it’s still a good thing. Statistics show that driving your car is one of the most dangerous activities we do on a day to day basis. If one of these speeders or aggressive drivers hits you, don’t forget to give me a call. I’ll give you the straight talk and let you know if you need a Washington Injury Attorney for your car accident or not.

Drive safe!

 Max Meyers, Esq.

Source:  10/21/08 Seattle PI

I read an interesting blog post on Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog about a new treatment method being developed for people who suffer traumatic brain injuries in car accidents or other serious injury causing accidents. Read the post here. As a Kirkland Washington Car Accident Lawyer I have seen the devastating effects severe brain injuries have on client’s lives.

 

New research  is being done to find an effective treatment of head injuries immediately after the injury. It appears severe injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by injecting Polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixed with sterile water into the blood stream, according to an article in BioMed Central’s Journal of Biological Engineering. Study data has indicated the injection may be useful if delivered as rapidly as possible after the injury, like in an IV drip that a paramedic could deliver at the scene of a serious car accident.

 

Hopefully, this new research will lead to an effective treatment for brain injury victims sooner rather than later.

 

Imagine your pregnant with your second child when some bad contractions hit that send you straight to the hospital. You had previous complications with your first pregnancy and you’re very concerned. As you’re checking in, the hospital staff allows the only on-duty baby doctor to go home for dinner despite knowing you, as a high risk patient, have entered the hospital.  In the time the doctor is at home having dinner your unborn baby’s heart beat is unsteady and dropping. The nurses see this but don’t call the doctor back to the hospital for another 20 minutes.

 

Your unborn baby has been suffocating for 20 minutes before the nurses call the doctor back to the hospital. Tragically the doctor is not told how urgent the situation is and that he needs to drop everything and get back immediately. Instead it takes the doctor 13 more minutes to travel the 2 miles from his home back to the hospital. When the doctor arrives he’s surprised you’re not already in the operating room for an emergency c-section, but there’s no time now. The doctor performs the surgery right there in your room, delivering your limp baby girl with no heartbeat. Your baby is revived but not before suffering profound brain damage and being left with severe cerebral palsy. Tragic and preventable medical malpractice has altered your baby’s life forever!

 

This is what Sharla Tavares had to go through when she delivered her daughter Miriam in May 2003. A King County Jury awarded $4.2 Million yesterday to Miriam as a result of her injuries suffered at birth due to the negligence of Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, Washington.

 

Unfortunately money cannot make up for all that Miriam has suffered. She cannot walk, talk or eat through her mouth. Her hands and feet are disfigured, her vision is impaired, and she is only expected to live at the longest into her 40s. No money can heal her injuries, but the money can provide for the medical care she’ll need for the rest of her life.

 

The Hospital of course denies all liability and claims Miriam was injured before her mother showed up at Evergreen Hospital. The hospital plans to appeal the jury’s verdict.

 

As a Washington Injury Attorney who handles medical malpractices cases, I’m always shocked that these kinds of preventable medical errors happen all too frequently. An estimated 98,000 deaths occur each year as a result of preventable medical errors, and thousands more like Miriam are injured each year. It’s cases like Miriam’s that motivate me and keep me fighting against the insurance companies and large corporations that refuse to take responsibility for their medical malpractice when it injures people like Miriam.

 

It’s good to hear that eventhough Medical Malpractice cases are some of the hardest to win, 60-70% of the time the injury victim loses, that King County juries do find in favor of the injury victim when the facts justify the outcome.

 

If you or someone you know has experienced a significant injury due to a medical error or medical amlpractice please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your rights.

 

Max Meyers, Esq.

 

 

Source:  Seattle PI, 10/10/08