Media Spotlight
Recent media coverage related to personal injury including high profile issues and developing stories.
Distracted Driving
July 18, 2009 The New York Times
Drivers and Legislators Dismiss Cell Phone Risks
Extensive research shows the dangers of distracted driving. Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, and the likelihood that they will crash is equal to that of someone with a .08 percent blood alcohol level.
October 2, 2009 Seattle Times
Federal employees banned from texting while driving
Federal employees will not be allowed to text while driving, according to an executive order from President Obama.
September 30, 2009 Reuters
Distracted Driving Blamed For 5,800 U.S. Deaths
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Wednesday called distracted driving a serious epidemic with more than 5,800 annual U.S. traffic deaths tied to motorists who failed to keep their eyes on the road.
September 30, 2009 Yahoo! News
Administration Takes Aim at Distracted Driving
Driving while distracted is a growing peril in a nation reluctant to put down its cell phones and handheld devices even behind the wheel, the Obama administration declares.
Offender Supervision
April 28, 2009 King 5 News
Budget cuts will force offenders to go unsupervised
Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail says his department will stop supervising 9,000 people due to the budget handed to him by lawmakers.
October 28, 2008 Tacoma News Tribune
Mistake led to less supervision for dozens of ex-convicts
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that state prison officials are tracking down more than 70 ex-convicts whose community supervision ended too soon.
Public Safety
September 22, 2008 Seattle Times
Concrete barriers to replace some cables on I-5 near Marysville
In the wake of a fatal car accident along Interstate 5 near Marysville last year, the state Department of Transportation says next year it will replace the cable barriers in that stretch of highway with a concrete barrier.
Legal Reform
March 20, 2008 LegalNewsline.com
Tort laws out of whack, costing the Evergreen State, says AG McKenna
Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said Thursday that tort laws in the Evergreen State are allowing claimants to unfairly siphon scarce government resources.
Legislation
March 10, 2008 Washington State Legislature, E3SHB 1873
Recognize the Value of Family
E3SHB 1873 gives parents the right to hold wrongdoers accountable for the wrongful death of an adult child. E3SHB 1873 was passed by the House (59-34) and by the Senate (47-2) with amendments eliminating joint and several liability for public entities, and an age limit of 26. It goes to the House for affirmation of the Senate amendments.
March 10, 2008 Washington State Legislature, ESSB 6776
State Whistleblower Act
SSB 6776 greatly strengthens existing whistleblower protections for state employees and strengthens the cause of action for retaliatory acts by their employer. It was passed by the Senate (49-0) and the House (94-0). It now goes back to the Senate for affirmation of the House's amendment.
March 6, 2008 Washington State Legislature, E3SHB 1873
Recognize the Value of Family
E3SHB 1873 gives parents the right to hold wrongdoers accountable for the wrongful death of an adult child. E3SHB 1873 was passed by the House (59-34). It was heard and passed by Senate Ways & Means on March 3. E3SHB 1873 is not on the Senate floor calendar yet but has until March 7 to be passed by the Senate. The Senate version of this bill (SB 6696) did not advance because of the emphasis on E3SHB 1873. Read news coverage about this bill.
March 6, 2008 Washington State Legislature, E2SHB 3139
Benefit on Appeals
Currently, if an employer appeals an order by the Department of Labor and Industries, benefits to the employee stop immediately. WSTLA supports this proposed legislation, which would allow benefits to the employee to continue but also provide an expedited review of the Department's order. E2SHB 3139 was passed by the House (62-32) on Feb. 19 and by the Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce, and Research & Development on Feb. 29. It awaits a hearing on the Senate floor. The Senate version of this legislation (SB 6750) did not advance
March 6, 2008 Washington State Legislature, 4SHB 1103
Health Provider Discipline
HB 1103 increases the authority of regulators to remove health care practitioners who pose a risk to the public. It was passed by the House (97-0) and by Senate Ways & Means on March 3. It awaits a vote on the Senate floor.
February 25, 2008 Washington State Legislature, E3SHB 1873
Recognize the Value of Family
E3SHB 1873 gives parents the right to hold wrongdoers accountable for the wrongful death of an adult child. E3SHB 1873 was passed by the House on Feb. 16 (59-34) and will be heard by the Senate Government Operations & Elections committee on Feb. 26. If passed by Senate Government Operations, it goes to Senate Ways & Means before it goes to the Senate floor. The Senate version of this bill (SB 6696) did not advance because of the emphasis on E3SHB 1873.
Lawsuits
March 25, 2008 the Stranger
Fed-up South Seattle Residents Sue Housing Agency
Residents of the NewHolly development on South Beacon Hill are suing the Seattle Housing Authority, saying the agency has done nothing about exploding pipes, undersized water heaters, improperly installed drainage systems, and other defects in the former public-housing complex.
March 2, 2008 KOMO TV
Light sentence in crosswalk death sends wrong message, some say
Many Seattle residents said they were outraged this week when a municipal court judge on Thursday ordered fines, no driving, and community service for a driver found guilty of hitting and killing a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Insurance
February 28, 2008 Seattle Times
Bare-bones health plan left family swimming in debts
When her youngest son, Cole, awoke one night last month writhing in pain, Theresa Devers pleaded with him to hang on until morning so they wouldn't have to go to an emergency room.
February 22, 2008 KOMO TV
Uninsured Drivers Costing Washington Taxpayers $80M A Year
Yet a bill to reduce the number of drivers without insurance died this week in the state legislature. Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy shows why you are left paying the price.
Employment Law
August 29, 2008 Seattle PI
Ferry worker awarded $2.8 million from state
A worker at Washington State Ferries won a nearly $2.8 million judgment against the state this week after a federal jury found that his bosses had retaliated against him when he complained about paycheck padding and misuse of funds in his department.
November 12, 2007 The Olympian
New bill designed to bust workplace bullying
A workplace bullying bill was introduced to the state Legislature in 2005. That bill died. But I recently discovered that a new version emerged, House Bill 2142. That bill will be coming before the House Commerce and Labor Committee in a public hearing in January.
Government Liability
October 4, 2008 Herald Net
County to pay $1 million in slaying
Snohomish County earlier this week agreed to pay more than $1 million to the parents of a Stanwood High School student who was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend in 2004. Dayna Fure's parents filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging police failed to protect Fure, 18, from Mario Valentin, despite numerous warnings that he was a danger to their daughter.
October 4, 2008 Tacoma News Tribune
State liable in tot's death
A Pierce County jury on Friday found the state negligent and awarded $11.7 million in damages in the death of a 2-year-old boy who walked away from a state-licensed day care and drowned in Lake Tapps more than four years ago. Jurors made the award to the parents and the estate of Gabriel M. Tobin.
Government Accountability
January 16, 2009 KOMO News
High risk medical devices escaped close review
Some medical devices for sensitive uses, from certain hip joints to a type of defibrillator, have won government approval without a close scientific review, congressional investigators said Thursday.
November 1, 2008 King 5 News
Investigators: Starving girl left in home after call to police
The case of the starving girl struck quite a nerve in our community. Earlier this month, a father and stepmother were arrested, charged with deliberately starving their daughter as punishment.
October 30, 2008 Insurance Journal
Amputee's Case Asks If FDA Label Immunizes Drug Firms from Liability
When Diana Levine turned 63 recently, her daughter made her birthday card, drawing on Greek mythology with an illustration of Diana the Huntress, her bow string drawn taut, an arrow ready to fly. But the arm pulling at the bowstring was amputated below the elbow – just like Diana Levine's – and the target was labeled the "Wyeth monster."
September 10, 2008 PNW Local News
Bainbridge Island rehabilitation facility had numerous DSHS citations
A Bainbridge Island health care facility, named in a class-action lawsuit last month, has had numerous care-related deficiencies and two instances of employee misconduct, according to public records.
April 15, 2008 Seattle PI
State to pay $850,000 for fatal crash involving convict
The state Department of Corrections will pay $850,000 to settle a case claiming the agency failed to closely supervise an offender who killed a woman in a drunken driving accident while under the department's watch.
November 6, 2007 KOMO TV News
Some school bus drivers still driving illegally
An investigation first uncovered statewide safety flaws last February when local bus drivers were found behind the wheel without a valid license, including two drivers from the Tacoma School District and one from Seattle's school district.
Patient Safety
March 18, 2009 Washington Post
A Silenced Drug Study Creates An Uproar
The study would come to be called "cursed," but it started out just as Study 15. It was a long-term trial of the antipsychotic drug Seroquel. The common wisdom in psychiatric circles was that newer drugs were far better than older drugs, but Study 15's results suggested otherwise.
January 15, 2009 KOMO News
Study: Basic checklist cut surgical deaths in half
Scrawl on the patient with a permanent marker to show where the surgeon should cut. Ask the person's name to make sure you have the right patient. Count sponges to make sure you didn't leave any inside the body.
December 3, 2007 amednews.com
AMA meeting: Principles aimed at better physician-hospital relations
The American Medical Association House of Delegates adopted 12 detailed principles aimed at easing strained physician-hospital relationships, protecting medical staff self-governance and improving health care quality and patient safety.
Wrongful Death
September 10, 2009 KOMO News
Family settles suit from monster truck death
The father of a little boy who was killed at a monster truck rally earlier this year says he has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the show's operator.
September 10, 2009 Seattle Times
Court: Children's services count in damage awards
Services that children performed for their dependent parents may be considered in computing damages in wrongful death cases, the same way as if the children had paid to obtain the services, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
November 26, 2008 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Widow sues over shooting death
A civil lawsuit has been filed in Walla Walla County Superior Court against a man suspected of recklessly shooting and killing his camping partner in the Blue Mountains in September.
October 10, 2008 The Seattle Times
Contractor, L&I reach settlement in crane collapse
A settlement has been reached between the state and the contracting firm that supervised construction where a tower crane collapsed in Bellevue two years ago, killing an attorney in a nearby building.
October 8, 2008 Seattle PI
Tacoma family settles death lawsuit with state
The family of a Tacoma man who was beaten to death by an ex-con under state supervision has settled a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections for $2.2 million.
September 29, 2008 KOMO News
Family of boy hit by shrapnel seeks $47 million
The tragic accident took place on the Fourth of July 2007. A cannon exploded during a backyard party, shooting a piece of shrapnel hundreds of feet.
June 11, 2008 News Tribune
Questions linger after death of disabled man
Nick died April 15 on the loading dock of Goodwill's Operation Center on South Cedar Street. Exactly what happened remains unclear. What's known is that he was killed by a machine that lifts trash into a compactor.
June 9, 2008 RTT News
Shares of Taser Slip After Losing Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Shares of stun-gun manufacturer Taser International Inc. fell Monday morning after a jury ordered the company to pay $6.22 million in damages in a lawsuit brought against the company over its role in the death of Robert Heston.
February 19, 2008 Seattle PI
Valuing families in enlightened age
I recently heard heartbreaking testimony from parents whose children were killed by negligence. Because their children were adults, and unmarried, those who caused their wrongful deaths escaped liability. Our law has not caught up with our times. Current law assumes parents sever relations with their children once they turn 18. Yet any parent of an adult child knows their child's death or injury would be devastating — particularly if preventable — at any age.
February 14, 2008 KOMO TV
Father of daughter killed by boat emissions not entitled to damages
The State Supreme Court says the father of a woman who drowned after inhaling carbon monoxide fumes from a boat is not entitled to emotional distress damages. In a 5-3 ruling, the high court says that Jay Colbert, of Bonney Lake, cannot collect from the company that manufactured the boat. The court says he does not fall within an identified class of claimants who are entitled to such damages for the 2003 death of his 21-year-old daughter, Denise.
November 19, 2007 injuryboard.com Blog
Settlement of Wrongful Death Case Reached For $2.25 Million In Plant Explosion Case
The mother of a masonry worker who was 24 years old when he was killed in an explosion on October 12, 2005, filed a wrongful death lawsuit for the death of her son.
Consumer Protection
May 7, 2009 Public News Service
WA Consumer Protection Law Gets a Few More Teeth
The governor signed a bill, SSB 5531, to update the state's 20-year-old Consumer Protection Act, and consumer advocates say it's about time.
May 1, 2009 Wall Street Journal
U.S. Sets New Crush-Resistance Standards for Car Roofs
Auto makers will have to double the crush-resistance of passenger-vehicle roofs under new rules announced by the Obama administration, but critics said the new standard was too weak to prevent many rollover deaths.
October 27, 2008 Wall Street Journal
In drug case, justices to weigh right to sue
For nearly a century, Americans have been able to sue drug companies for deaths or injuries caused by medicines. Now the pharmaceutical industry and other big businesses are hoping the Supreme Court will sharply curb that right.
October 22, 2008 USA Today
For many biological drugs, 'on the market' doesn't mean safe
Nearly one in four recently approved products in a relatively new class of medicines needed some type of regulatory action because of safety issues that arose after they came on the market, researchers report today.
August 14, 2008 Seattle PI
Updated produce safety guide issued
Continuing its efforts to protect infants and children from exposure to pesticides in their food, a coalition of King County hazardous materials specialists have reissued a shopper's guide to safe produce.
May 13, 2008 The Associated Press
Bush administration rules limit lawsuits
Faced with an unfriendly Congress, the Bush administration has found another, quieter way to make it more difficult for consumers to sue businesses over faulty products.
April 2, 2008 Seattle PI
Gregoire signs toughest toy law in U.S.
Toy safety rules that started as a strong sprint, then nearly stumbled out of the race, finally wobbled across the finish line Tuesday when Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law the toughest standards in the nation.
March 16 Seattle PI
Toy-safety measure may trigger a lawsuit
Worried that an ingredient in plastics is getting swept up in toy-safety regulations driven by fears over lead, the chemical industry is fighting back. They could be too late. Washington lawmakers this month overwhelmingly approved the strictest toy-safety rules in the nation, including restrictions on the amount of lead, cadmium and an ingredient in plastics called phthalates.
November 7, 2007 KOMO TV News
Hidden camera video shows gaping holes in Sea-Tac security
Every day, tens of thousands of passengers travel through Sea-Tac Airport. They throw away their liquids, take off their shoes, pull out their laptops, and generally, don't complain. They know it's the price of safety in the skies. That's what happens at Sea-Tac's front door. But the Problem Solvers have discovered that the back door is virtually wide open.
November 6, 2007 MSNBC
Consumer protection chief before House panel
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, consumer advocates question whether CPSC chief Nancy Nord has the independence to energize an agency that has seen a record number of recalls involving millions of lead-tainted toys and other products this year.
November 1, 2007 King 5 News
Tacoma to test for lead contamination in children
A Tacoma smelter that's been gone for almost 15 years is still raising fears of lead contamination, especially in children. Pierce County is now getting a financial boost to start testing children and ease those fears.
Catastrophic Accidents
July 7, 2007 Seattle PI
Drunken driving exacts quiet toll on crash survivors
Sean Heldt is one of the drunken-driving victims rarely heard about -- people permanently scarred, gravely injured or clinging to life with crushing medical bills.
March 20, 2007 The Seattle Times
Editorial: Hospitals, Heal Thyselves
One doesn't think of hospitals as places that cause illness, but hospital-acquired infections are one of the leading causes of patient deaths.
March 20, 2007 The Daily Herald
State hires outside expert to investigate use of cable barriers
An independent expert was hired Monday to help the state figure out whether cable barriers are being used properly, including along a deadly stretch of I-5 in Marysville.
February 12, 2007 King 5 News
Investigators: High risks on roads
When Shelton trucker Randy Mack climbs behind the wheel, he's pulling more than just a load of cargo. He's also carrying the huge weight of responsibility that comes with driving his 50-ton big rig.
February 5, 2007 The Spokesman Review
Parenting doesn't end at 18...
Local Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, and nine other lawmakers are running a longshot bill that would amend the state's wrongful-death laws to allow parents of even grown children to sue for pain and suffering over the loss of their child.
January 19, 2007 Insurance Journal
Honda Recalls 81,000 Accord Sedans over Air Bag Warning Light
Honda Motor Co. is recalling 81,000 2004-2005 Accord sedans because of issues that could cause an air bag-related sensor to fail, the company said.
January 17, 2007 Insurance Journal
Nader Group Urges Improving Patient Safety, Removing Dangerous Doctors
Despite claims by business and medical lobbying interests, there is no medical malpractice lawsuit crisis in America, according to analysis released by Ralph Nader's national group, Public Citizen.
December 12, 2006 United Press International
Study: Long hospital shifts cause mistakes
A Harvard Medical School study suggests sleep-deprived U.S. doctors working long shifts have an increased risk of making harmful or deadly medical mistakes.
Worker Safety
December 22, 2009 Puget Sound Business Journal
State warns that most Washington cranes aren't certified
Only about 10 percent of construction cranes in Washington state have been certified to new safety standards that take effect Jan. 1, according to the Department of Labor and Industries.
November 25, 2008 King 5 News
Little Regulation For Most Dangerous Job
In the past few months, two Washington state telecommunications workers have died in falls.
May 29, 2008 Seattle PI
Protect the working wounded
Allan Elias wanted his workers to clean out a 25,000-gallon tank that contained cyanide waste.
Construction Site Injuries
August 31, 2009 Yakima Herald
Workers hurt in gas explosion file suit
Four workers injured in an explosion at a natural gas well last summer in Klickitat County are suing Delta Petroleum and its subcontractors, alleging they failed to properly hire, train and supervise employees responsible for the operation.
April 28, 2009 Seattle Times
New gov't rules aimed at safety of workers
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said Tuesday that the government would soon propose new safety rules to protect workers from industrial dust that can cause explosions and a popcorn flavoring chemical linked to lung disease.
June 9, 2008 Insurance Journal
Crane Industry Groups Push for National Standards
In the wake of three construction crane accidents in the past three months that claimed 11 lives, industry groups on Thursday called for nationwide safety standards.
November 16, 2007 Seattle Times
A year of change for use of cranes after Bellevue fatality
A year after a 210-foot crane collapsed into a Bellevue apartment building, killing a man inside and damaging a neighboring building on the way down, the landscape &151; physically and legally – looks very different.
November 7, 2007 News Tribune
One man's fight against traumatic brain injury
On Aug. 30, 1983, three days before his wedding, Vern Kenwisher suffered a skull fracture and concussion when he fell and landed on the back of his head in a workplace accident.
June 11, 2007 Seattle PI
Workers die at alarming rate
Job-site deaths in King County in 2006 are well above the county's five-year average of about nine workers killed a year in job-site accidents.
April 4, 2007 Seattle PI
Strict new crane safety rules set to become law
Spurred by a tragic accident, years of lax state oversight of hulking construction cranes will end after Gov. Chris Gregoire signs into law one of the nation's toughest crane-safety bills.
April 2, 2007 King 5 News
Crane collapses through building on Lake Union
A 14-ton maritime crane collapsed onto a building on Seattle's Lake Union around Wednesday noon. The crane, located at Alliance Yacht Sales, folded down and the arm of the crane crashed into a storage shed.
February 10, 2007 The Seattle Times
Light-rail contractor didn't set culture of safety, audit finds
The contractor digging Sound Transit's Beacon Hill tunnel, where a worker died this week, failed to establish a culture of safety on the job site last year, an audit found.
February 10, 2007 Seattle PI
Crane base blamed in collapse
A poorly designed foundation was the primary cause of the tower crane collapse in Bellevue, a deadly construction accident that spurred state lawmakers Friday to introduce crane-safety bills that would rank among the toughest in the nation.
February 8, 2007 King 5 News
Sound Transit worker not surprised by fatal accident
A worker at the Sound Transit construction site in south Seattle says Wednesday's fatal accident did not have to happen. One man died and another was hurt after an out-of-control train collided outside Sound Transit's light rail tunnel through Beacon Hill.
December 8, 2007 Seattle PI
Neglect blamed for rash of crane failures
Cracks, loose welds and sheared bolts aren't common in tower cranes, but you'd never know it from a spate of alarming discoveries at construction sites in Bellevue and Redmond.
November 21, 2006 Seattle PI
Lawmakers vow to take action on construction site safety
State lawmakers said Monday that they'll take up the issue of construction site safety after last week's deadly crane accident in Bellevue.
Prescription and Medical Errors
July 30, 2008 Chicago Tribune
Heparin taint tied to deaths
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for the first time, has conclusively linked deaths of patients infused with the blood thinner heparin to a foreign substance found in specific lots of the drug made by Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc.
November 18, 2007 Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
Philadelphia Verdict in Death from Infant Tylenol Upheld
A July 2006 verdict awarding the parents of a one-year who allegedly died from liver failure caused by an overdose of Infant Tylenol was upheld by a Philadelphia appeals Court this month.
September 1, 2007 Seattle Times
Jury awards $5.39 million to family in suit over medical negligence
The family of a Seattle man who was sent away from an emergency room with acid-reflux medicine and died days later from an untreated condition was awarded $5.39 million by a jury.
January 24, 2007 Los Angeles Times
Bayer settles states' drug claims
Thirty states, including California, have reached an $8-million settlement with Bayer Corp. over allegations that the drug maker failed to adequately warn consumers about risks associated with a cholesterol-reducing drug.
January 15, 2007 Time Magazine
Cause of Death: Sloppy Doctors
Doctors' sloppy handwriting kills more than 7,000 people annually. It's a shocking statistic, and, according to a July, 2006 report from the National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine, preventable medication mistakes also injure more than 1.5 million Americans annually.
February 4, 2007 KOMO TV News
Fatal overdoses of Rx painkillers up in WA
Statewide deaths linked to prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and methadone increased by more than 800 percent in a ten-year period, according to new research.
