http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Hearst Newspapers has written an extensive article about the prevalence of medical mistakes and how they are the #1 cause of accident deaths in America. You can read the story on the Seattle Post Intellingencer�s web site. The article states that 98... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1082775_15.html 14th September 2009 Private Insurance Oftentimes the dog owner has a homeowner�s insurance policy. Most homeowner�s policies will provide coverage for damages or injuries inflicted by the owner�s dog. However, most coverage questions are dictated by the terms of the... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1081560_15.html 13th September 2009 The issue of breed-banning has stirred quite the controversy over the last few years, with concerned citizens and dog owners fighting it out over which direction to take such litigation. Seattle has informally considered banning some dangerous breeds suc... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1072877_15.html 07th September 2009 Contingency Fee Understandably, most people are wary of hiring an attorney because of the expense. Cases involving injury claims, including those involving dog bite injuries, are usually handled by experienced lawyers on a contingency basis. With a con... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1069808_15.html 07th September 2009 This is a true story. I represent a young man I�ll call �Jerry.� Jerry was injured in a rear-end auto accident more than 3 years ago. He sustained fairly significant neck and back injuries which plagued him for at least a couple of years, and w... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1055755_15.html 30th August 2009 The Advantages of Hiring a Lawyer If you have suffered injuries caused by a dog, you may want to hire a professional who has years of experience dealing with insurance companies to protect your interests. Remember, the insurance company will be doing e... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1044130_15.html 20th August 2009 Many people do not know what an experienced lawyer can do in these types of cases. I can�t speak for every experienced personal injury attorney, but here is a list of the types of services that my office will often provide to our clients: - Conduct i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1039218_15.html 18th August 2009 If you cannot settle the case with the dog owner�s insurance company, the next step is to start a lawsuit in court. Documents, called pleadings, must be filed in court along with a fee paid to the court clerk. These pleadings are called the summons and ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1038759_15.html 18th August 2009 Does the Dog's Breed Matter? This is a controversial issue. There are some who believe quite strongly that certain breeds have innate traits of aggression that make them more likely to inflict harm on human beings than other types of breeds. Opponents ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1038225_15.html 18th August 2009 Another dog attack on a child was reported by KOMO 4 News. The baby, just 9 months old, was apparently left exposed to her grandmother�s dog. The child received vicious injuries which were considered life-threatening according to reports by Childrenï¿... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1037532_15.html 17th August 2009 Putting a monetary value on any injury case is difficult, and it gets even more complicated when dealing injuries a child may have sustained in a dog attack. One of the issues to consider is when to start the litigation or settlement process. Although m... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1032958_22.html 13th August 2009 Parental Immunity One question that arises is whether a child's parent can be held responsible for injuries inflicted upon the child by the family dog. The answer is often no. Washington State recognizes a law called the Parental Immunity Doctrine. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1014641_22.html 03rd August 2009 In Washington State, a person injured in any accident where negligence is an issue has the right to recover compensation for "intangible" damages. Such intangible harms are difficult to calculate because they include those subjective harms that the dog bi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1011660_22.html 01st August 2009 No two dog bite cases are alike, even if the incident and/or injuries involved are nearly identical. This means that the evaluation of two cases where a dog attack occurred that appear to be similar on the surface may actually produce widely different ev... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1002964_22.html 29th July 2009 In Washington, there are special conditions that must be met for the settlement of a child injury claim. In every settlement of a minor's claim, whether filed in court or not, the Superior Court shall determine the adequacy of the proposed settlement and... http://www.articlealley.com/article_998094_22.html 24th July 2009 Getting attacked by a dog can turn into a horrific ordeal of medical bills and emotional trauma. It's important to understand how much the owner of an attacking dog is responsible for in such an event. Being able to valuate your specific case is therefo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_996382_22.html 23rd July 2009 There is no magic formula or process by which someone can predict with certainty the amount of money that a dog bite case may be worth. About 25 to 30 years ago there was some limited consensus among lawyers and insurance adjustors that a general persona... http://www.articlealley.com/article_986482_22.html 17th July 2009 Also, if you appear too eager to settle the claim, this can negatively impact the case. Insurance adjustors are trained to look for signs that may weaken your negotiating position. If you are in debt or need money fast, the insurance company will use th... http://www.articlealley.com/article_983578_18.html 16th July 2009 In Dog Bite personal injury cases, there are certain mistakes to avoid so you have the greatest chance that the insurance company will pay out the maximum amount of dollars to settle the claim. Here are the mistakes to avoid: Mistake #4 - Giving a reco... http://www.articlealley.com/article_977736_18.html 12th July 2009 In previous chapters I discussed Washington state's "Dog Bite Statute" as well as this state's common law regarding the dog owner's civil liability for injuries and damages inflicted by the dog upon another person. These laws give dog bite victims the leg... http://www.articlealley.com/article_967447_18.html 05th July 2009 A good portion of our society believes that our justice system is out of control. There have been dozens and dozens reports by the media over the years about how some person received millions of dollars from a jury for what at first blush appears to be a... http://www.articlealley.com/article_958661_18.html 30th June 2009 There are certain defenses available to a dog owner who is criminally prosecuted for owning a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog. One defense is provocation of the animal, which is the same defense available under the civil "Dog Bite Statute" discusse... http://www.articlealley.com/article_947811_18.html 22nd June 2009 Contributory Negligence The concept of contributory negligence and assumption of risk may also apply in cases involving dog bite injuries. The phrase "contributory negligence" refers to the negligent conduct of the person who was bitten by the dog. If ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_935944_18.html 15th June 2009 A person who is the victim of a dog bite attack has a legal right to recover compensation as long as liability can be imposed against the owner or person responsible for the dog. Given this right, the insurance company who is legally obligated to compens... http://www.articlealley.com/article_923428_18.html 09th June 2009 First, a common law claim against a dog owner may be pursued in addition to a claim brought under Washington?s specific dog bite statute. The two types of claims are not mutually exclusive. Thus, a bite victim can pursue both common law and statutory vi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_909866_18.html 01st June 2009 The state of Washington does not maintain an accurate state-wide database of all dog bite attacks that occur. But in King County there are more than 1,000 dog bite incidences reported each year. According to the Seattle Animal Shelter, pit bulls accoun... http://www.articlealley.com/article_909655_18.html 01st June 2009 The Location of the Incident is Important Washington's dog bite law states that liability can only be imposed against the dog owner if the victim "is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place including the property of the owner..." ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_909533_18.html 01st June 2009 Liability Imposed Against the Dog's "Owner" Washington's dog bite statute only imposes liability against the "owner" of the dog. So occasionally a dispute arises about who actually owns the dog. For instance, if the person who harbors and takes care ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_909023_18.html 01st June 2009 Washington State's "Dog Bite Statute" holds dog owners strictly liable for damages caused by injuries inflicted by their dogs. The phrase "strictly liable" means that the dog owner is liable regardless of whether the owner knew about the dog's dangerous ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_900533_18.html 18th May 2009 It is a dangerous practice to wait to settle a claim or file a lawsuit right before the statute of limitations period expires. If a lawsuit is filed right before the deadline and if the defendant cannot be found, or if the wrong defendant is served, the ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_833381_18.html 25th March 2009 Depending on which county the lawsuit is filed in, the discovery phase can take many months or sometimes more than a year. When discovery is completed, and each side knows what evidence will be offered at trial, this is the time when the parties may cond... http://www.articlealley.com/article_827426_18.html 17th March 2009 The damages recoverable for the wrongful death of a child include medical, hospital, and medication expense, and the loss of consortium (love, companionship, services and support) that the child provided to the parents. The parents are also entitled to r... http://www.articlealley.com/article_823015_18.html 13th March 2009 In the context of the specific wrongful death statute, the term "support" generally means to provide for a child's needs for housing, food, clothing, education and health care. Usually, a non-custodial father who is obligated by a court order to make chil... http://www.articlealley.com/article_813892_18.html 10th March 2009 Nothing is perhaps more tragic or sad than the wrongful death of a child. As a parent myself, I cannot imagine anything much more painful than the thought of losing one of my own children. I can only guess how painful this loss must be for a parent. Th... http://www.articlealley.com/article_813513_18.html 09th March 2009 The legal process for child injury claims differs from the legal process for cases brought by adults. For starters, a child under the age of 18 is considered a minor. In Washington, a minor cannot file a lawsuit on his or her own. This can only be done... http://www.articlealley.com/article_807707_18.html 04th March 2009 Here are some of the tactics the adjustor will use to wear down injured claimants so they will accept much less money than what the claim is worth: 1. Using Delay Tactics. The adjustor is a master of using delay tactics to wear people down. He knows ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_793560_18.html 20th February 2009 If a lawsuit has been filed to recover financial compensation for the child's injuries, that child may be called to testify in court. However, most cases involving children never go to court. So the chances that a child will be forced to testify in cour... http://www.articlealley.com/article_776791_18.html 02nd February 2009 Unfortunately, brain injuries are very common with children who are victims in accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly one million children suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. More than 100,000 of these children req... http://www.articlealley.com/article_776662_18.html 02nd February 2009 Usually when a child has been injured in an accident, the conduct of the child's parents is called into question. Typically the insurance company will try to argue that the child was injured in large part due to the parents' failure to adequately supervi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_769589_18.html 28th January 2009 Washington's law of comparative negligence means that the proportionate share of fault of all potential negligent parties must be considered, even if it involves the conduct of a child. This means a child can be held negligent and therefore wholly or par... http://www.articlealley.com/article_767843_18.html 26th January 2009 In those cases where a child has been injured by a negligent party with insurance, the parents will at some point have to deal with the insurance company. Parents will need to address questions of liability and damages, including payment for past and fut... http://www.articlealley.com/article_765559_18.html 22nd January 2009 The Acid Test: Does a Legal Claim Exist? A child may have a legal claim arising from an injury accident. A legal claim arises when the child is entitled to compensation for the injuries and damages proximately caused by the accident. Whether a child has... http://www.articlealley.com/article_763710_18.html 21st January 2009 In Washington, there is an exception to the rule of comparative fault. That exception occurs when the injured child is considered fault-free. In that situation, if there are multiple negligent parties who have caused injury to the child then each of the... http://www.articlealley.com/article_760048_18.html 20th January 2009 The CDC reports that there are on average nearly 10 drowning accidents occurring every day. More than one in four fatal drowning accidents involve children ages 14 and younger. For every child who drowns, there are at least 4 others who visit the emerge... http://www.articlealley.com/article_756497_27.html 16th January 2009 Every state, including Washington, requires the use of approved child safety seats for children under the age of 5. According to NCSA there is only a 90% compliance rate with respect to using approved safety seats for children under this age. The Washin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_751716_18.html 13th January 2009 Children who are victims of medical malpractice often suffer significant injury or death during the birthing process. Birth injuries are generally caused by something that went wrong during pregnancy or during delivery, while birth defects usually are ha... http://www.articlealley.com/article_747306_23.html 09th January 2009 By far the most common type of injury accident involving children are those that also involve motor vehicle collisions. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), nearly 250,000 children are injured every year in car accidents. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_743332_18.html 08th January 2009 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are an estimated 68 million dogs kept as pets in the United States. There are more than 1 million dog attacks reported each year. And there are estimates that an equal number of do... http://www.articlealley.com/article_738271_27.html 06th January 2009 Pedestrians account for about 30% of all traffic fatalities involving children under the age of 15 years. NHTSA estimates that more than one-fifth (22%) of children between the ages of 5 and 9 who were killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians. Approxi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_724745_18.html 17th December 2008 Every state, including Washington, requires the use of approved child safety seats for children under the age of 5. According to NCSA there is only a 90% compliance rate with respect to using approved safety seats for children under this age. The Washin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_705608_18.html 02nd December 2008