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Car Accidents
3 Reasons to Hire Phillips Webster

Our attorneys have decades of experience negotiating with insurance companies regarding all types of vehicle accidents. If you have been injured in a wreck, contact us today.

  1. We represent EVERYONE in need anywhere in Washington - Minor and Major Injuries
  2. Experienced trial attorneys that will fight for your right to recover compensation
  3. FREE Case Review and we only get paid if you get paid
Learn more about our:
Washington Car Accident Lawyers

Washington Legal Broadcast

Verdicts & Settlements

$20 MILLION - Commercial Injury
Confidential settlement for a commercial injury case

$19  Million - Grant of Coverage
Grant of coverage in insurance coverage case

$2 MILLION - INSURANCE BAD FAITH
Settlement in insurance bad faith case

$1.5 MILLION - CAR ACCIDENT WRONGFUL DEATH
Vancouver, Washington car accident that resulted in a death

$1 MILLION - DUI ACCIDENT VICTIM
Settlement for young man hit by a drunk driver

Our jury trial experience shows in the results we get both inside and outside of the courtroom.

More Verdicts and Settlements

 

Medical Bankruptcy: The Hard Numbers

February 8th, 2010: Law Blogger

medical bankruptcy
In a large collaborative study recently released by the Department of Medicine in the Harvard Medical School, Department of Sociology at the Ohio University, and the Harvard Law School some concrete realities have been revealed that might make you rethink your position on the impact of the Healthcare System and also consider your options if you are also getting buried under a pile of medical bills.

The study was conducted between 2001 to the end of 2007. Right about in the middle of this study in 2005 the Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act was passed by congress with the intent to discourage consumer bankruptcy and seek alternative options. But unfortunately, injuries and sickness certainly don’t care about your responsibilities and most of all, political ideologies.

Here are some of the main points from the report:

  • In the time between 2001 and 2007, the percent of medical bankruptcies went from 49.6% to 62.1% as encompassing the percentage of all bankruptcies. That translated into approximately 866,000 medical bankruptcies in 2007.
  • Legacy variables from the 2001 study to calculate the percent of medical bankruptcies in 2007 reveal a 50% increase.
  • 77.9% of those who attributed their illness or injury to their bankruptcy bankruptcy had health insurance at the onset of the medical condition.
  • Most of the medically bankrupt families were middle class before the illness or injury–they owned homes, had attended college, and had middle-class occupations.
  • For medically bankrupt families, most of their non-housing monthly expenditures went to hospital bills.
  • The average out-of-pocket medical expenses since the onset of the illness or injury were $17,943 for families in medical bankruptcy.

You don’t have to allow a medical setback to destroy your future. If you find yourself debilitated by medical bills and you can’t seem to find a way out, call Phillips Webster today for a consultation.

Fatality Crash Causes Late Morning Slowdown on Hwy 167

Auto Accidents, Seattle auto accident attorneys, wrongful death lawyer

February 8th, 2010: Law Blogger

HWY 167 at 15th st. NW

Auburn – A truck veered off of the road, down the center median, and struck a concrete pillar on Highway 167 just north of the 15th Street Northwest overpass around 9:15 am today, State Troopers said.

The driver was a 66 year-old Auburn man, who died as a cause of the crash. His name has not yet been released pending notification of his family.

Police investigating the scene have not released any further details as to the cause of the crash, but have confirmed that drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the accident.

Pain Pumps Take Away Pain but Cause Lifelong Suffering From Chondrolysis

defective products, pain and suffering, washington defective drug attorney

February 8th, 2010: Law Blogger

JusticeA week ago the first of what is expected to be an avalanche of lawsuits came through in Oregon with the jury awarding $4.75 million dollars to Matthew Beale, a father of four residing in Portland, Oregon, from I-Flow, a post surgical pain pump manufacturer. It is one lawsuit out of what the New York Times reported as 119 more cases involving 412 patients for which I-Flow, is a defendant.

The dispute was over whether the I-Flow pump caused Beale to contract postarthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis (PAGCL) or chondrolysis, a loss of cartilage in the joint.

The Cause

In the late 90’s the pain pump was introduced as a safe and effective way to control joint, in particular shoulder, post-surgery pain for sports injuries. Joints are held together by cartilage, which is comprised of cells called chondrocytes.

The pump is inserted in the area and dispenses a local anesthetic, regulating the use mechanically so to eliminate the need for monitoring by a nurse or doctor. This reduces time in the hospital and most importantly, cost.

The problem is that to maximize the relief, the anesthetic was pumped directly into the joint rather than the area. According to studies done by Dr. Constance R. Chu of the McGowen Institute of Regenerative Medicine in the University of Pittsburg, certain anesthetics, when applied locally, kill chrondrocytes.

Bupivacaine is an anesthetic that is produced by AstraZeneca, another defendant in a series of lawsuits regarding this issue. Apparently bupivacaine is the commonly used anesthetic used by pain pumps.

When the anesthetic is applied directly to the joint, according to Dr. Chu, the reaction is rapid. The cartilage is killed leaving the joint to function bone on bone causing excruciating pain, limiting the use of the whole limb, and reducing the patient to a lifetime of associated problems.
Cartilage

Follow the Wagging Blame Finger

In 2006, when the research spearheaded by Dr. Chu came down, including an important patient study and one done on rabbits , I-Flow changed the directions on its packaging inserts and posted a bulletin on their website in August of 2008.

Unfortunately their product was already in use for a decade by the time their warning came out and more than two years after the initial study done by Dr. Chu was published. This is part of the argument of the lawsuits that they were far too slow to react to the studies and allowed their product to continue to effect patients.

The California based I-Flow was purchased for $325 million last year by household good behemoth Kimberly-Clark Corp. (producer of Kleenex and Huggies brands) who, according to the Oregonian, made just over $2 billion dollars in 2009. A spokesman for the company told the Oregonian that they are very disappointed about the outcome and plan to appeal.

AstraZeneca told the New York Times that they deny permitting the use of their product in pain pumps and plan to fight any lawsuits.

According to Beale’s attorneys, the doctor that applied pain pump to the joint was encouraged by I-Flow to apply the catheter of the pump directly to the joint for a more effective treatment and a way to lower costs. I-Flow of course deny that allegation.

The FDA, posted a warning on their website in 2009. According to the New York Times, they had been approached by another pain pump manufacturer, but had not approved the procedure applying the anesthetic directly to the joint.

The Solution

On top of the $4.75 million dollar settlement that went to Matthew Beale, $1.275 was also awarded to his wife Krista Beale because from now on she literally has to be his right hand. Though Matthew Beale still maintains a job at a brokerage firm he contends that he will not be able to sustain his career to retirement age because of his ailment.

If you have had a procedure to your joint since 1998 and used a pain pump and are now affected by pain, discomfort, limited movement, loss of movement, loss of livelihood, or your personal life has been adversely changed by this procedure contact Phillips Webster to find out your legal options.

Written by Jeremy Cairns

Snohomish Head-on Collision Injures Family of 4; Causes Separate Miscarriage

auto accident, Car accidents, Washington auto accidents lawyers

February 8th, 2010: Law Blogger

Highway 303 at Ridgetop Blvd Exit

Snohomish – A 1994 Chevy Suburban driven by Dennis Johnson, 47, of Snohomish, was traveling northbound on Highway 303 near Ridgetop Blvd when it crossed the meridian into the southbound lanes into oncoming traffic. That’s when it collided head-on with a 2001 Hyandai Accent driven by a 22-year-old pregnant Bremerton woman.

Johnson’s wife and two kids were all taken to Harrison Medical Center in Silverdale and treated for minor injuries then released.

Johnson and the woman were both rushed to Tacoma General Hospital with serious injuries. Johnson suffered face and chest injuries. The woman suffered leg, chest, and abdominal injuries that were severe enough to cause her to miscarry her unborn child.

No known charges have been filed yet.

Escaped Convict Causes 4 Police Cruiser Wreck; Injuries

auto accident attorney, Auto Accidents, Washington auto accidents lawyers

February 8th, 2010: Law Blogger

Seattle Road Near Accident Everett – Everett Police have a policy that they will not chase a vehicle if it takes off. The Sheriffs office has a different policy, they can chase if they deem it necessary. These opposing views were put to the test late last week and resulted in a painful and expensive end. Now there is an investigation regarding exactly what happened and why.

At around 2:20 a.m. on Wednesday, a sheriff’s sergeant tried to pull over a man who was driving a red 1992 Honda Accord recklessly south of Everett in the 3500 block of 132nd Street SE. What he didn’t know at the time was that the car was stolen and was being driven by Andrew Wayne Holden, 32, of Snohomish.

Holden has made somewhat of a name for himself to law enforcement; not exactly the best place to be famous. He has been part of an ongoing investigation by the Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force for multiple car thefts. On top of that he was wanted by the Department of Corrections on an escape warrant. A list he could be proud of when he sees his pals back in prison. But it was the fiasco he caused that will make him a hero in the clink.

When Holden took off the sheriff’s sergeant took off after him. He called it into dispatch and dispatch recognized the situation. They alerted Everett police who, with another sheriff’s deputy, created a road block with two squad cars and laid down a spike strip along Broadway right by Comcast Arena.

The spike strip was successful. It burst the tire of the suspect, sent the car out of control, where he proceeded to hit a telephone pole. He then jumped out and ran. The officers, who had exited their cars to chase the suspect on foot, were all of a sudden jumping for their lives.

Going southbound to on Broadway was a speeding patrol cruiser from the sheriff’s department, driven by a young but experienced deputy, 26, eager to join the chase. A representative from the Everett police department described the car as slamming into the roadblock with such force that it sent the two stationary patrol cars spinning across Broadway. Unfortunately, it gets worse.

An Everett patrol cruiser speeding northbound in the opposite direction at almost the exact moment of the wreck had to swerve suddenly to avoid the wreck and ended up wrecking their cruiser also.

The injuries were to the police officer and the sheriff’s deputy who had to leap out of the way. The officer suffered two broken wrists and a broken knee when he was hit by his own patrol car. All other officers received minor injuries.

The clean up and investigation went well into the morning commute and held up traffic on the heavily traveled Broadway while both departments sorted out the details.

The good news is that Holden was captured and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting arrest.

Man Critical in Harborview After 3 Car Collision

auto accident lawyer, Auto Accidents, injuries

February 5th, 2010: Law Blogger

first ave s & 112 ave s

White Center – A car and a truck were stopped at a red light on the corner of First Avenue South and South 112th Street when a speeding truck plowed into both of them. Both men in either truck sustained minor injuries. The man in the car on the other hand was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. There has been no update as to his condition.

This particularly nasty wreck mangled the car into an almost unrecognizable ball of metal and locked up traffic in either direction of the road for 5 hours.

FDA Warns Doctors of New Tysabri Side Affect; Death

FDA, FDA warning, pharmaceutical, side effects

February 5th, 2010: Law Blogger

FDA WarningToday the US Food and Drug Administation (FDA) released a warning to doctors that the Biogen Inc. drug Tysabri (natalizumab) causes a rare brain infection that could be fatal to patients. The drug is used to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis patients. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system. Doctors also use it to treat Crohn”s disease, an uncomfortable inflammatory bowel disease.

What’s the Cause?

Tysabri is proven to cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) due to a low autoimmune system. According to the Nation Institute of Health (NIH), PML is caused by the reactivation of a common virus in the central nervous system of immune-compromised individuals. Mortality is around 50% and those who do not die from the disease are generally left severely mentally impaired.

Problems From the Start

The FDA approved the drug in 2004, but Tysabri was pulled in 2005 due to those in the clinical trials coming down with PML. In the FDA report it said that the onset of PML became much higher after Tysabri, usually dispensed under supervised infusion, had been administered regularly for 12 months.

According to the Wall Street Journal, 66,000 people around the world take the drug. Only 1 in 1000 people contract PML. There have been 31 cases reported since it was reintroduced by Biogen in 2006. Biogen attributes the lower number to close monitoring of the patient during the infusion. Also, few patients have received more than 36 infusions.

Warning the Public

On the Tysabri website in the side effects section, it specifically states,

TYSABRI increases your chance of getting a rare brain infection that usually causes death or severe disability. This infection is called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

The actions of the FDA today specifically require a change in the instructions on the bottle and with the packaging of the drug, warning the public of the chances and risks of PML.

The FDA further deemed that it would not reduce or restrict production because the occurrence of PML in patients is low enough not to outweigh the benefits over all to patients using the drug.

What To Do If You Contract PML from Tysabri

If you or a loved one contracts PML or shows symptoms of PML from taking Tysabri infusions please:

  • Talk to your doctor.
  • Request to be immediately taken off of the drug (as per Biogen’s instructions)
  • Seek legal council by calling Phillips Webster to learn about your legal options.

Written by Jeremy Cairns

Charlie Sheen’s Mercedes Stolen, Found in 400 ft Ravine.

Auto Accidents, car theft, charlie sheen, uninsured motorist coverage

February 5th, 2010: Law Blogger

Charlie SheenLA – Don’t panic, the star of the CBS comedy “Two and a Half Men” is fine, but his car took a tumble down a steep 400 foot ravine on the notorious Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest, the home many of Hollywood’s movers and shakers.

According to the LA Times, Sheen called the police at 5:15 to report a possible prowler at his Sherman Oaks Home. When Los Angeles police Officer Bruce Borihanh showed up at the home he reported back that there was a “hot prowl” as in, a prowl in progress.

He car was later found by police helicopter at the bottom of the ravine, as police described it, “badly damaged.” This description gives the impression that it can be fixed, when, if 70’s car chases have taught us anything, when a car drives off of a cliff, they don’t drive back up.

The story gets more bizarre by the fact that there was no evidence of the suspect who, the police say, would have been trapped in the ravine if they had miraculously survived the crash. This leaves the impression that the suspect must have bailed out of the car prior to depositing into the ravine.

It was later revealed by police that the garage had been left open and the keys had been left in the ignition, leaving one wondering if Sheen thinks he lives in Canada rather than Los Angeles.

Spokane’s Photo Red Program Sees Accidents Rise

auto accident, auto accident lawyers, rear end collisions

February 5th, 2010: Law Blogger

Red Light CameraSpokane – On the heals of yesterdays ruling in Seattle traffic court by judge Francis deVilla that put into question Seattle’s red light camera program, Spokane’s system has come out with their results after a year of operation and the results are surprising.

The main argument for many municipalities across the country for installing cameras at major intersections is to discourage drivers from running red lights. On average across the nation red light running kills more than 800 people and injures up to 200,00 per year. Public knowledge that they will be ticketed for running the red light regardless of the presence of law enforcement officers, in turn, causes accidents from running red lights to lower. Since incidents of running red lights also have a very high injury rate as people who run red lights are usually speeding up to do so, it just seems like common sense right?

The Thin Line Between Common Sense and Reality

As in life, sometimes what seems to make sense on the surface doesn’t always reflect statistical reality, and for Spokane, the research isn’t panning out. They had an annual average of crashes caused by running red lights at 11 leading up to the implementation of the program. This number held steady for the first year of the program, but in 2009 it went up to 14. That’s a 22% increase! How could this happen?

According to the Seattle Times today, traffic safety experts caution that crash statistics fluctuate every year and that it’s difficult to prove cause and effect with only a year’s worth of data. Police say they’re confident that crash numbers will fall as the public becomes more aware of the cameras.

The Hard Numbers

According to the Virginia Transportation Research Council 2007 report, it may not be the fact that there is a camera at the intersection, but the intersection itself.

They conducted a 7 year study between 1998 and 2004 on intersections in six jurisdictions. Over the 7 year study they found that red light running crashes decreased by 8%, but rear-end crashes increased by 27%. That is a demonstrative increase. Rear-end crashes are far less likely to be fatal they could lead to long term spinal injuries and other health concerns.

Speaking to the Spokesman Review, John Miller, associate principal research scientist at the Virginia research council said, “You have to work very hard to decide the right locations where they should be used.” He went on to say, “Factors for choosing locations include ensuring that the intersection doesn’t already have a significant problem with rear-end crashes since they might get worse after installing cameras.”

This means that just because the intersection has a large volume doesn’t exactly mean that it is at risk for more red light running accidents and may in fact be more prone to rear-end collisions even prior to the installation of the cameras. This requires more research, which takes time and money. Time and money the cities need once they see the revenue the cameras yield.

Municipal Cash Machine

According to public records submitted to the Spokesman Review, Spokane issued 5690 tickets over the 13 month time period in three main intersections resulting in $419,000 in revenue for the city. The good intentions of the program has not yielded results. Even in light of the numbers, the city council chooses the numbers that suit them.

If we’ve got 6,000 people running red lights in this city, it’s a concern,” City Council President Joe Shogan told the Spokesman Review. “You never know if we would have had more accidents without the red light (cameras).”

As the council inflates the number and doesn’t address the real issues of whether the cameras actually aid the citizens, the Seattle city council also has some issues to address. Hopefully they don’t gloss over the research in the blindness caused by the revue. The city attorney’s office has already stated, they choose revenue over the citizens.

Written by Jeremy Cairns

Injury Crash in Pierce County Yields Drugs

auto accident lawyer, Auto Accidents, personal injury lawyers, Seattle auto accidents

February 5th, 2010: Law Blogger

Interstate 5 South bound lanes outside of TacomaTacoma – A state trooper just happened to be following three girls in a 1992 Nissan on Interstate 5 at 9:15 am on Wednesday when the driver fell asleep. The vehicle veered into a tree, vaulted into the air, and slammed into an overpass column. The wreck was reported to have been captured on the troopers dashboard camera, but the footage has not yet been released.

The driver, Crystal Green, 23, of Tacoma, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. One of the passengers was a 16-year-old girl who possessed methamphetamine, 13 Vicodin pills, and $3,700 in cash. The other passenger, Ahria J. Graham, 21, had a warrant for her arrest. Both passengers were treated at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood.

Green was cited for second degree negligent driving. The other two passengers were booked into the Pierce County Jail upon their release from the hospital.