Play is an essential aspect of child development. Children need outdoor play, which means they need to have access to safe playgrounds. Playgrounds give children the opportunity to get the exercise they need while making friends and having fun, but they are also a place where children suffer injuries every day. More than 200,000 children are injured in playgrounds every year.
Read moreWhen you’ve been a victim of crime, you will deal with police and prosecutors to bring the perpetrator to justice in the criminal courts. But as a crime victim, you may have suffered from physical injury, loss of property, mental anguish, and psychological disturbance. Maybe a family member has been killed in a homicide. How can you make yourself whole again?
Read moreAnesthesia makes life-saving medical procedures possible, and most anesthesiologists and nurse-anesthetists are well-trained, careful, and competent. But when they are not and anesthesia goes wrong, serious problems, including death, can result. Anesthesia errors are often an indication of medical malpractice.
Read moreEvery 50 minutes a person dies in a drunk driving accident in the United States, and every 60 seconds someone is injured by a drunk driver. One third of all Americans will be involved in a drunk driving accident at some time in their life. Clearly, driving under the influence is a great problem, not only in Washington, but nationwide.
Read moreNo one wants to buy a vehicle that has been in an accident. If your vehicle is involved in an accident and has been repaired, you will receive less when you sell it. This is called diminished value. Knowing what your car’s worth both before and after an accident is very important. This helps the insurance companies decide how much to pay you for damages or whether to total it. Your vehicle will hold diminished value after the accident since it’s no longer worth as much.
Read moreThe phrase “slip and fall” describes a personal injury case in which a person slips, falls, and becomes injured as the result of a hazardous condition on someone else’s property. Conditions can exist or arise either outside or inside a building or other structure, posing a risk.
Read moreSidewalks, over time, often become uneven, slippery, cracked, or otherwise dangerous. This can happens because of tree roots growing under the pavement, freezing and thawing, irrigation systems, or normal wear and tear.
Read moreProperty owners are responsible for maintaining their premises in a safe condition, and this means taking reasonable precautions to prevent people on the premises from becoming victims of crime. This is especially important if the property is located in an area that is known for criminal activity.
Read moreWhen building owners are less than diligent in the upkeep of their property, conditions often deteriorate, and the buildings become hazardous and a threat to the safety of the public. Hazardous buildings include both occupied and vacant buildings.
Read moreSlip and fall injuries are the second leading cause of injury in the United States. A slip and fall is an injury which occurs when someone slips, trips, or falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition through the negligence of a property or business owner. The law states that the property or business owner must keep the property free from any hazard and in a reasonable and safe condition.
Read moreAn injury at birth to an infant’s brain can cause cerebral palsy, a type of movement disorder. Many cases of cerebral palsy are caused by preventable medical errors. This is the most common type of serious birth injury. According to some estimates, at least two babies in 1,000 births are now being born with cerebral palsy—about 10,000 annually.
Read moreMost births today take place in hospitals where mothers trust that having the assistance of trained professionals will ensure an uneventful delivery and a healthy baby. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and babies are sometimes born with serious injuries. An estimated six out of every thousand babies born in the United States suffers some kind of birth injury.
Read moreWhile childbirth is a natural process that can usually be expected to proceed without complications, most mothers in the United States choose to deliver their babies in a hospital to provide an extra measure of safety in the event a complication should arise. Women put their trust in doctors, nurses, midwives, and other hospital staff to ensure that they get the best care to ensure the safe birth of a healthy child.
Read moreWhen cancer is discovered and treated early, before it has spread from its original site, it is often completely curable. Early diagnosis, in many cancers, makes the difference between living and dying.
Read moreEmergency room staff, from triage nurses to EMTs to physicians, are required to make critical judgments—quickly and accurately. The ability to provide on the spot care while remaining cool under pressure are indispensible traits of an effective emergency room doctor or nurse. Emergency room personnel understand that a delay, a misdiagnosis, or a failure to diagnose a life-threatening illness can have deadly results.
Read moreMedical professionals hold people’s lives in their hands, and because of this, they need to be held to a high standard of care. We trust that they have the education and skill to heal, not harm. Of course not every illness or injury can be cured, but it is the physician’s responsibility and sworn duty to take all reasonable steps to cure illness and alleviate suffering, and as the Hippocratic Oath says, do no harm. When a healthcare professional fails to live up to the standards required by the profession it is considered medical malpractice.
Read moreBed sores typically happen to patients who have not changed position for long periods of time. These sores are often referred to as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers. They are usually caused by ongoing unrelieved pressure and can occur on any area of the body. By not relieving the pressure from time to time, tissues can break down and sores will then form.
Read moreIf you trusted a nursing home or assisted living facility to care for a family member or loved one, and now you suspect abuse, you are not alone. Sadly, nursing home abuse among our seniors is on the rise. Every year one out of four nursing homes is cited for causing death or injury to a resident.
Read moreFor families with older members living in nursing homes, it is imperative to be familiar with signs of abuse and neglect and be alert to any red flags pointing to even the possibility of abuse. One step to take is to find a safer facility where the victim can reside.
Read moreAny form of care facility has breached its duty of care when staff fails to protect elderly patients from sexual assault. Sexual abuse is when someone makes sexual contact with the elderly person without the person’s consent.
Read moreMore than 80% of all motorcycle accidents result in injury or death. In the State of Washington during 2009 there were 69 fatalities related to Washington motorcycle accidents. Of the 69 fatalities 23 were because of alcohol and drugs, 9 were because of not using a helmet, and 39 were because of speeding. Road accidents, including motorcycle accidents, typically occur because of negligence.
Read moreEach year thousands of people are injured and hundreds of people are killed in boating accidents. Boating and personal watercraft accidents often occur due to negligence. They can result in serious and sometimes deadly injuries. These accidents can happen on a privately-owned boat, a cruise ship, a jet ski, a ferry or other types of watercraft. Regardless of the type of boating accident you or a loved one may have been involved in, contacting a Seattle boating accident attorney at Wattel & York, Attorneys at Law, can help you recover any damages lost as a result of the accident.
Read moreWhen a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, or pedestrian is involved in an accident with an enormous 18-wheel semi truck, the results can be catastrophic. These huge trucks usually weigh in the neighborhood of 80,000 pounds when loaded, so they can cause serious damage.
Read moreAccording to traffic safety experts, texting while driving increases the likelihood of a car crash by about 23 times and is more dangerous than driving drunk.
Read moreTaxi drivers make their money by maximizing the number of fares they get in a shift. This often leads to aggressive driving, and aggressive driving is a major cause of injury accidents in Washington. Speeding, unsafe lane changes, weaving in traffic, failing to yield the right of way, distracted driving, cell phone use, talking with dispatch, running stop signs and red lights, driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol or when fatigued are all behaviors that may tempt some cab drivers as they dash to deliver enough passengers to their destinations to make a living at this demanding occupation.
Read moreRear-end collisions are the most frequent of all kinds of car accidents, totaling around 2.5 million per year in the United States, or 29.6 percent of all car crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Tailgating, or following the car in front too closely, is often to blame, especially when combined with driver distractions, such as rubbernecking or texting, or with adverse weather or road conditions.
Read moreIn 2010, 32,885 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes on our nation’s highways, and 2,243,000 were injured. Washington’s 87,500 miles of roads, including more than 7000 miles of state and interstate highways, are often the scene of highway accidents; in that same year, 458 fatalities and countless injuries occurred in our state. A person injured or the survivors or a person killed in a motor vehicle accident can make a claim for damages from the accident if it can be shown that it was caused by another driver’s negligence or poor driving.
Read moreWhen two vehicles speeding toward each other crash head to head, the force of the impact is twice as hard. Head-on crashes are more likely to result in fatalities and severe, life-changing injuries than any other types of car accident. Catastrophic injuries often seen in head-on collisions include traumatic brain injuries, injury to internal organs, spinal cord injuries, and fractures.
Read moreAutomobile accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 35. According to statistics released by the United States Department of Transportation, there were approximately 6.3 million auto accidents in the United States in 2004, with these accidents causing approximately 2.9 million injuries and 43, 000 deaths.
Read moreA wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company or entity. An action for wrongful death belongs to the decedent’s immediate family members (distributees). The most common distributees are surviving spouses and children, and sometimes parents.
Read moreWork is a big part of nearly everyone’s life, and it is important that workers can feel confident of their safety, wherever they work. Some jobs are inherently more dangerous than others, and for those it is even more important that rigorous safety procedures and inspections are in place to protect workers on the job.
Read moreDrowning is the most frequent, but not the only, cause of injury and death in and around swimming pools. Circulation entrapment, diving accidents, electrocutions, chemical accidents, and slip and fall accidents can also occur. Owners are responsible for preventing these hazards, and when they fail to do so, they may be held liable for their negligence.
Read moreThe Seattle law firm of Wattel & York has years of experience helping victims of spinal cord injuries and their families move on with their lives in the aftermath of catastrophic accidents.
Read moreSeattle public transportation includes streetcars, monorails, buses, taxis, ferries, and other public transportation options.
Read moreThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 30, 797 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2009. Motor vehicle crashes are an inevitable fact of driving on the highways and other road systems. Damages to vehicles involved in crashes can cause a financial hardship if you are not adequately insured.
Read moreThe older population is growing rapidly, a trend that the U.S. Census Bureau predicts will continue until 2030 when the last of the baby boom generation turns 65. The over-65 population is projected to be double in 2030 what it was in 2000, increasing from 35 million to 72 million. As the elderly population grows, more and more people will find themselves in need of care.
Read moreMore than 5 million workers are injured every year on construction sites, and an average of 16 workers are killed every day nationwide. Injuries from construction site accidents are often catastrophic
Read moreAs parents, we try to find the right balance between protecting our children and nurturing their independence. As children step out into the world, they face more dangers, and we hope and pray that other people they encounter will be on the lookout for their safety and will not put them in harm’s way. But people are sometimes careless, and accidents happen. When harm comes to a child because of someone’s negligence, we need to hold them accountable.
Read moreWith gas prices at a near all-time high, more people in Seattle are traveling on public transportation, which, for many, means relying on buses to get around. Nationwide, 13,261 bus crashes injured 15,575 and killed 295 in 2011, according to the National Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Causes of bus accidents include driver negligence, equipment malfunctions, hazardous roads, weather conditions, and poor maintenance. Fifteen of every 19 bus accidents are caused by driver negligence.
Read moreBurns are among the most painful of all injuries and can result in blistering, scarring, disfigurement, shock, and death. Survivors of severe burn injuries often face long-term, painful treatment.
Read moreEvery year in America, nearly 100,000 people suffer serious brain injuries that require medical treatment and affect their ability to perform everyday activities. According to the Brain Injury Association of Washington, one out of ten people in Washington is affected by brain injury. Traumatic brain injury occurs when an external force causes the brain to shake or bump violently against the skull.
Read moreEvery year thousands of people are injured in the United States due to defective products. Fortunately, individuals or companies responsible for these injuries are held accountable due to the product liability laws in the United States. Product liability cases are often complex and require an attorney with years of experience handling product defect cases.
Read moreAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year. Of those dog bites, about 800,000 cause serious injuries that require medical attention. Of the millions of people bitten by dogs each year, the majority are male and under 15 years of age. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that children ages five to nine are at the highest risk experiencing a dog bite injury.
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