Articles Posted in Wrongful Death

A recent news article reports that a 53-year-old Washington construction worker was killed when he and another employee were installing an electrical line at a shopping center. The accident happened when their bucket truck failed. The worker was thrown from the bucket and struck the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Washington State construction site accidents have the potential to result in debilitating injuries or even death. Where serious or catastrophic injuries are involved, construction workers and their families come under tremendous emotional and financial strain. In many cases, families lose their primary wage-earner or sole breadwinner, which puts them in quite a tough predicament. Still, the fact remains that a majority of Seattle construction site accidents, which lead to such tragedies, can be easily prevented and avoided by following safety standards. Sometimes, these tragedies are also caused by defective products and equipment malfunctions. Equipment failure can happen because of a manufacturing defect or because it was poorly maintained. If maintenance is the issue, the injured worker or his family could file a claim against the contractor or sub-contractor in charge of maintenance. If the malfunction was caused by a product defect, the worker or his family can file a third-party claim against the manufacturer of the defective product.
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An alarming report in the Chicago Tribune talks about an increase in reports of violent attacks by felons living in nursing homes. Many nursing home facilities are apparently not complying with a four-year-old disclosure law that requires them to notify state and public health officials when they admit offenders. As a result, some offenders in that state have been living in facilities undeclared for as long as a year.

There have been several recent incidents involving felons abusing or seriously injuring other nursing home residents. Most recently a 22-year-old mentally ill felon pleaded guilty to brutally raping a 69-year-old woman who lived in the same nursing home. In that case, the felon’s background screening had been improperly handled by the nursing home because they used the wrong birth date. In Illinois, nursing homes are required to conduct criminal background checks on all new residents and immediately notify state health authorities when someone with a serious felony conviction is admitted.

However, some homes still fail to conduct these important background checks or make serious errors on the checks, or simply fail to report these felons to officials. Some of these offenders, as a result, went on to commit assaults and serious crimes inside the homes. As a result of the nursing home’s negligence and their failure to take these background checks seriously, they exposed their own residents to danger.
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Washington State Patrol officials are looking for a driver who they say caused a fatal car accident and then left the scene of the crash in Whatcom County. According to a KGMI news report, the car struck and killed and pedestrian on Blaine Road south of Lynden-Birch bay Road. Witnesses described the car as a dark-colored sedan. Authorities believe that the car may have front-end damage.

Leaving the scene of any traffic accident is a serious crime in Washington State, especially if another individual has been seriously injured or killed. According to the Revised Code of Washington Section 46.52.020: “A driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in the injury to or death of any person or involving striking the body of a deceased person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close thereto as possible but shall then forthwith return to, and in every event remain at, the scene of such accident until he or she has fulfilled the requirements of subsection (3) of this section; every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.”
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A construction worker was killed at a work site on Guemes Island, according to a KIRO TV news report. The accident reportedly occurred when an 1,800-square-foot home fell off its foundation and crushed one of the workers to death. Six workers were lowering the house in order to comply with building codes, when the house slipped. Five of the workers apparently, were able to escape, but one worker was killed after being trapped and crushed by pieces of the structure.

A majority of construction accidents are caused by falling objects. Many of these involve catastrophic injuries or death because of the nature of such accidents. However, the sad truth is that most of these accidents are entirely preventable. The big question in such cases is whether the construction company or contractor was following all federal and state construction safety standards. In this case, were all the workers trained to perform the job they were doing? Did they follow all safety procedures? Were they being properly supervised? Was this accident the result of someone else’s negligence or a defective product?
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A jury has awarded $51,000 to the family of a nursing home resident, who died after suffering a large bed sore that ate through her skin, to the bone. According to a recent news report, the jury also decided that the nursing home should cover attorney’s fees incurred by the resident’s children over five years. The 88-year-old resident died in December 2004 after she underwent a procedure to remove bedsores and treat bone infections caused by the nursing home’s extreme neglect including, failing to clean her. Nursing home administrators maintained that the woman had bedsores on other parts of her body and that she did not suffer them as a result of negligence.

Nursing home negligence lawsuits may not yield as much as other personal injury cases in terms of damages. However, in this case, the family gets the satisfaction of holding the facility accountable for their wrongdoing. The civil justice system is about righting a wrong and holding those who broke our nation’s civil laws responsible and financially liable to the victim. That’s exactly what happened here. The nursing home has been made to pay for their wrongdoing.
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A Consumer Reports analysis of a federal safety complaints database is showing that more than 40 percent of sudden acceleration complaints involve Toyota and Lexus models. According to a recent news report, the study looked at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) safety complaints database, which apparently also found Ford standing out with a significant number of complaints relating to sudden acceleration.

Consumer Reports analyzed all 5,916 reports on 2008 models and identified 166 cases in which the complaint described unintended, sudden acceleration that the driver could not control. A fatal car accident in San Diego which killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family led Toyota and NHTSA to issue a safety advisory on floor-mat entrapment. Toyota is also preparing for a massive recall involving 4 million vehicles to modify gas pedals and make other changes to remedy potential sudden acceleration problems. Consumer Reports’ research found that sudden acceleration incidents were distributed over 22 brands with 47 complaints about Toyota models and five about Lexus vehicles.
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A pedestrian has been struck and killed in a Seattle car accident after a wrong-way driver hit him and fled the scene. The hit-and-run suspect was later apprehended by police and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. According to an Associated Press news report, the accident occurred as the pedestrian was crossing at the intersection of Bell Street and Western Avenue. The motorist was going west on Bell Street in a white 2006 Honda. The Honda then turned left at Western after hitting the pedestrian, traveling the wrong way down the one-way street. The pedestrian was transported to a Seattle hospital where he died shortly afterward. The driver of the Honda was later stopped and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular homicide.

Driving under the influence of intoxicants is a serious crime in Washington State. According to the Revised Code of Washington Section 46.61.502, driving under the influence is when “a person is guilty of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug if the person drives a vehicle within the state.” It is also illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher.
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Washington construction site accident can result in serious if not catastrophic or fatal injuries. A lot of construction accidents in Washington State and elsewhere in the country occur because of trench collapses in the construction site. A recent construction site fatality was caused by a loose embankment. This incident caused the death of a 27-year-old worker. The embankment reportedly gave way, burying the worker. The injuries he sustained proved fatal.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are apparently investigating how and why this embankment collapsed. They should inspect the construction site for safety violations, verify whether this worker had sufficient training to do his job and also whether he was being properly supervised. OSHA must also look into how well the embankment was secured before the man began work and the contractor’s prior history to check if OSHA had investigated them in the past.

OSHA investigations typically take up to six months. But, if you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington construction site accident, it definitely, would not be advisable for you to wait that long before contacting an experienced construction accident lawyer. What many workers and their families do not realize is that employers are constantly protecting themselves, thanks to their team of insurers and attorneys who watch their backs. But, who is looking out for the victim? Who’s watching your back?
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Rollover accidents can be extremely devastating for the occupants of a vehicle. Because of the intensity of a violent rollover, victims may suffer catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries or even death. Sometimes, factors such as vehicle defects including tire defects, seatbelt defects, or seatback failure could cause or contribute to these injuries. That is why it is extremely important that these auto accident victims or their families consult an experienced Seattle personal injury lawyer if they suspect auto product defects, roadway defects or negligence on the part of another driver.

A recent car crash in Yakima, Washington, shows how deadly a rollover accident can be. A 67-yar-old man was killed in Pasco after his car hit another driver’s SUV. According to a news report in the Yakima Herald-Republic, the crash occurred on the Interstate 182 in Pasco. Both drivers were westbound on the highway when the man’s Honda Accord clipped the rear of a Dodge Durango SUV. The impact of the crash caused the Honda to roll over and land on its top. Officials determined that the man was not wearing his seatbelt and believe that speed may have played a part in the crash as well.
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Authorities say alcohol was a factor in a Washington car accident involving four vehicles, which sent one person to a Seattle hospital. According to a news report in the Columbia Basin Herald, a 23-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular assault and DUI. The driver was apparently driving at a high rate of speed and lost control of his car, causing a chain reaction crash involving three other cars, which were legally parked on the street and thankfully, not occupied. The suspected drunk driver sustained head injuries. His passenger suffered facial injuries and was also transported to the hospital. The suspected drunk driver reportedly did not have car insurance.

Drunk driving is a serious crime in the state of Washington. It is against Washington law (Revised Code of Washington Section 46.61.502) to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs or drive a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher. When a drunk driver injures or kills individuals other than himself, he could not only face criminal charges, but may also be held civilly liable for his wrongdoing.
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