When someone harms another human in our country they become legally responsible for the injury they cause. This is true whether the injury was the result of an intentional act, like an assault, or if it happened because they were just being careless, as in most auto accidents. This personal accountability is the foundation…
Someone isn’t paying attention while driving. Maybe they’re on the cell phone, texting or looking at emails. Maybe they’re late and can’t find an address, frantically looking around for a street sign. For whatever reason they don’t keep their eyes on the road ahead. Not paying attention while driving isn’t just negligent, it’s illegal…
An interesting article in the January Oregonian talked about a 3?year?old boy who was poisoned by eating tainted peanut butter crackers. Peter Hurly, the father of the boy, is a Portland policeman. His son fell severely ill for 11 days after eating salmonella-tainted peanut butter crackers. The peanut butter crackers were packed by a…
A recent article in the Bloomberg News revealed that at least 28 percent of all United States traffic crashes are caused by drivers using handheld communication devices, such as cell phones. About 1.6 million crashes a year in the United States are caused by drivers using a cell phone or texting while driving.
Time and time again people get involved in accidents and look to the other driver’s carrier to repair their damage and provide a rental car. Often the insurance company won’t agree with the body shop on the cost of repairs. Pressure is put upon the repair shop to do them for less. Used or…
Toyota just issued a warning to consumers about a defective floor mat that can force down the accelerator pedal on many of their popular models. The mats have already been cited as the cause of four deaths in September of 2009 when an off duty California state trooper and three family members were involved…
Everyone knows the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The device can help prevent ejection from a vehicle in a roll over. It can also prevent an occupant from being thrown into the dashboard. So what if a person is not exercising good judgment and fails to buckle up? Well, for one thing it can…
A September 10th article from CNN Money.com reported the Congressional Budget Office, the federal agency charged with calculating how much money health care reform will cost or save, just estimated that medical malpractice costs – including defensive medicine – amount to less than 2% of overall health care spending. Yet the local Vancouver newspaper,…
The office of the State Insurance Commissioner is charged with overseeing the business of insurance in Washington. The agency plays an important consumer watchdog role in making sure Washington citizens don’t get fleeced or treated unfairly by an insurance company. Complaints to the agency are investigated and sometimes action is taken against an insurance…
A news release from US Newswire recently disclosed that thousands of trucking companies regularly violate federal safety regulations. Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was analyzed. Examples of the violations included inadequate insurance, bald tires, defective brakes and loads that dangerously exceed weight limits. Drivers with little or no training and…