Washington Car v. Horse Accident Results in $2.7 Million Verdict

Seattle and Kirkland Washington car accident lawyers. Injured in accident? Order your FREE book “The Guide to Washington Injury Cases” by calling 425-822-5700 before signing any forms or talking to any insurance adjusters. The experienced Washington car accident attorneys at Scott McDonald And Associates can help if you have been injured in a Washington car accident.

Tickets Flying - New Washington Cell Phone Law

Kirkland WA distracted driver accident lawyer, Seattle cell phone accident attorney, Washington distracted driver caused auto accident. Call 425-822-5700 to talk to Seattle and Kirkland's highly experienced distracted driver accident lawyers.

Hit & Run Car Accident in Bellevue Shows Why UM Insurance Needed

If you have been injured in a Seattle or Kirkland Washington hit & run car accident order your FREE book “The Guide to Washington Injury Cases” by calling 425-822-5700 before signing any forms or talking to any insurance adjusters. The experienced Washington car accident attorneys at Scott McDonald And Associates can help if you have been injured in a Washington car accident.

Drive While Texting, Go To Jail? l Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

Distracted driving is dangerous. Texting while driving has been shown in studies to be like driving drunk. Shouldn't the same penalties apply. Serious injuries can result from Washington car accident caused by texting drivers. Perhaps a day or two in jail will be enough to deter drivers and take the danger seriously. If you have been in a Seattle car accident that was caused by a texting driver call the attorneys at Scott McDonald And Associates at 425-822-5700 for a free consultation.

Nine Injured in Rollover Car Accident on I-5 in Dupont, Washington

Dupont, WA - June 9, 2009 - I-5 freeway 

Two kids were left severely injured along with seven other people after a two vehicle accident near Dupont, WA on I-5.  All 9 injured people were admitted to local hospitals.  The nine people included six kids and two pregnant women all riding in a 8 passenger Ford Explorer. 

All 9 people failed to wear seat belts, and none of the children were in child seats.  The two most severly injured kids were ejected from the vehicle and found on the highway.  They all were lucky that no died, especially the three people ejected from the suv.  Seatbelts save lives as do child safty seats.

A Federal Way man caused the car accident that resulted in the Ford Explorer being launched over the jersey barrier rolling into oncoming I-5 traffic.  The Federal Way man was arrested for investigation of DUI and attempted vehicluar homicide.  The vehicular homicide charge seems to imply the man may have intentionally caused the accident and wanted to hurt the women and children in the Ford Explorer.

Motorcycle Riding in Wet Weather

Found an interesting article at SoundRider.com about riding motorcycles in wet and cold conditions.  Great observation made by Dave Preston, 85% of the problems with riding in the wet melt away once you have the right clothes and are dry and warm.  Amen to that! 

Check out the article for more good advice on riding in the rain.  The advice in the article can also help you avoid being involved in a Washington motorcycle accident during the wet weather months here in the Pacific Northwest. 

5 Tips for Safe Motorcycle Riding in Washington Winter

Normally by the time you flip the calendar to October the foul weather has arrived in Washington state.  However, does that mean you have to put the bike in the garage until spring, of course not.  Some hardy souls say "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear."  It's that kind of attitude that allows you to keep riding even when the conditions are not ideal.

However, riding a motorcycle in bad weather requires the right equipment, good judgment, and safe riding skills.  Without these three things you could find yourself in a Washington motorcycle accident with serious injuries.

Here are a few tips for riding your motorcycle in Washington this Fall and Winter.

Never ride on snow or ice.  Snow and ice are especially dangerous for two wheeled motorcycles and should be avoid at all costs.  If the weather forecast calls for freezing temperatures or snow, take the car.

Sit out the first 30 minutes of a rain shower.  Excess dirt and debris can be on the road if it hasn't rained in a few days.  This can make the road extra slippery in the first 30 minutes of a rain shower.  If you're riding and it starts to rain, find a safe place to pull over and wait 30 minutes.  Give the dirt, oil and other debris a chance to wash away.

Avoid wet leaves on the road.  When the trees lose their leaves they can quickly become smashed flat on the road.  Add a little water and those leaves become very slippery.  Pay attention to changes in color of the pavement ahead.  This can be an indication of leaves on the roadway.  Wet leaves on a road are very dangerous and should be avoid if at all possible.

Get some heated riding gear.  Cold is dangerous for riders not properly geared up.  Windchill can be freezing in the Fall/Winter and if you're not careful you could be flirting with hypothermia before you know it.  Heated riding gear is a must for cold weather riding.  Heated hand grips and seats are also available on many motorcycles.  If you're thinking about how cold you are, it can be difficult to focus on riding safely. 

Dress to be seen. Visibility is key.  Cars have a hard time seeing you on a clear day, imagine if it's cloudy, grey and raining.  Recipe for invisibility is not wearing bright colors.  Reflective materials on jackets or vests is even better.  The more visible you are to other vehicles the better your chance of not being hit.

Toddler Killed by Truck Backing Out of Driveway near Ferndale, WA

If a loved one has been taken from you as a result of another person’s negligence you may have a Washington wrongful death claim. When you have worked through he shock and need answers the experienced Seattle and Kirkland wrongful death attorneys at Scott McDonald and Associates, 425-822-5700, can answer your question about how to handle an unexpected fatality and death of a family member. Call now for a free consultation.

Confessions of a Washington Trial Attorney l Kirkland Injury Attorney Max Meyers

As a Kirkland Personal Injury Trial Attorney I most often represent people making claims against another driver.  A typical personal injury case has three phases: 1) client treating injuries, 2) pre-litigation negotiations, and  3) litigation.  My job as a plaintiff's trial attorney centers on my litigation skills and experience.  However, there is another factor that I see coming into play more and more, my gut.  In a recent case my gut reaction on the first day of trial was so strong I felt nauseas.

You often here the phrase "Go with your gut" when faced with a difficult decision.  As a young trial attorney that seems crazy, lawyers only go with what they know for a fact.  Lawyers after all do not ask questions in trial that they do not know the answer to already, right!?  Well at least that's the mindset.  Nothing is left to chance or instinct when it comes to trial.

I generally agree with this thinking when it comes to the nuts and bolts of preparing your case for trial.  However, your gut instinct can come into play along the way.

Recently I had a case going to trial.  It was a dispute between two former friends over ownership of certain objects.  In this particular case I was representing one of the defendants in the lawsuit.  There were many ill feelings between the former friends.  One side claimed the other was basically a thief while the other claimed the disputed property was given in trade for work performed. 

Documents were exchanged, depositions were taken, and witnesses were interviewed.  Settlement negotiations in the case had never been fruitful  because of the polarized positions and hurt feelings of the parties.  However, after gathering all of the facts and evidence I strongly recommended my client settle the case.  My client made a small settlement offer in the days before trial but it was refused with no counter offer.  Meaning we were going to trial.

Any trial attorney will tell you that preparing for a trial is a hugely time consuming and stressful endeavor.  Late nights and early mornings are very common in the days leading up to trial.  This case was no different in that respect, but there was something different in how I felt physically. 

As I worked on my cross exam of the adverse party the night before the trial I began to feel a knot in my stomach.  I knew the case would be difficult to win, I thought we had maybe a 50/50 shot depending on which witness showed up and what each of them said.  I wrote it off as normal stress of the case.  The next morning I woke up feeling sick to my stomach, which was not normal.  Normally I have pre-trial jitters because of the adrenaline pumping in anticipation of the start.  But this time it was different.

I knew I wasn't sick with the flu or anything like that, instead it was the trial.  This is a difficult thing for me to admit and no attorney wants to acknowledge in the moment before walking into court on day one of trial, but my gut was telling me that we were going to lose.  No question, absolutely lose.

This had never happened to me in over eleven years of trial work.  The feeling did not pass and as I sat with my client outside the courtroom in the hallway.  I was left with a decision.  Do I tell him or not?  Of course you do, I confided in my client that I felt deeply troubled that he was making the wrong choice to proceed to trial and we should make one last attempt to settle the case.

Luckily, my client trusted me as his lawyer and friend to give sound advice, which in this case was based on a very strong gut reaction.  We made a last minute settlement offer and were able to work out a decent settlement literally at the front door of the courtroom minutes before the trial was to begin.  I later heard the other party calling their witnesses and telling them not to come, two of which would have in all likelihood doomed my client.

Lesson learned, when your gut tells you something in such strong terms, Listen! 

Max Meyers, Esq.