Kirk Bernard – Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

A 48-year-old man was injured in a construction site accident in Bremerton. According to a news report in the Kitsap Sun, the man was working for a subcontractor at the Naval Base when he was hit by a spreader beam that was being lowered by a barge crane. The injured worker was taken to a local hospital with chest and back injuries. Officials are still investigating the cause of the accident.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates there are as many as 82 fatalities annually associated with cranes in construction sites. A majority of crane accidents occur due to operator error. And, many of these crane accidents can be avoided if construction companies and contractors follow safety standards that are spelled out by the state and federal governments.

Washington state Governor, Chris Gregoire, signed into law HB 2171 which states that effective January 1, 2010, no employer or contractor may permit a crane operator engaged in construction work to operate a crane unless the crane operator is qualified. The new law also requires cranes to be certified at least annually by a certified crane inspector. In any crane accident case in Washington State, a skilled Seattle personal injury lawyer would advise an injury victim to look into whether the crane operator was certified and whether the accident occurred due to the operator’s negligence.

Injured construction workers can seek compensation through their employer. However, they can also file a claim against a negligent person who caused the accident and injuries such as a contractor, sub-contractor or a defective product manufacturer. Such claims, which involve parties other than the employer, are known as “third party claims.”

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington construction accident, please contact the construction accident lawyers with The Bernard Law Group. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington construction accident cases, which has useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/feb/16/man-injured-at-naval-base-inserious-condition/?partner=yahoo_feeds

A number of serious auto accidents in Washington State and elsewhere in the country are caused by sleepy and tired drivers. Whether these accidents involve commercial truck drivers or drivers of regular passenger vehicles, fatigued driving is extremely dangerous. Such negligent driving practices can result in serious injuries or even fatalities, thus affecting not only the tired driver, but also others on the roadway.

According to a recent KHQ news report, the driver of an RV fell asleep at the wheel. His camper drifted off the roadway into a ditch, causing it to rollover onto its side. The crash occurred on Highway 2 just north of East Westmoreland Road in Deer Park, Washington. The driver in this accident was extremely lucky not to have sustained injury or have seriously injured another person.

As a skilled Seattle personal injury attorney, Kirk Bernard has seen first-hand how serious of a problem fatigued driving is; yet, it is often dismissed by motorists and seems to receive the least attention from drivers. In fact, many drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel 10 or more times in a year. Several studies show that driving fatigued can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety, the effect of being awake for 17 hours causes a performance on psychomotor coordination tests equivalent to that of someone who has a blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent. If they stayed awake a full 24 hours, their test performance compared with that of a person who had a blood alcohol level of 0.10. Some states consider you intoxicated at 0.08. Know your limits. If you are tired or sleepy, rest up and do not get behind the wheel.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington auto accident, please contact the experienced Seattle car accident attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful, educational information about Washington auto accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.khq.com/global/story.asp?s=11944700

Britax is recalling about 15,000 of its Blink brand umbrella strollers for a defective hinge mechanism, which could pose a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to children. Injuries could occur when the stroller is being unfolded or opened. According to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, this defective product recall involves all Britax Blink single umbrella strollers. The word “Blink” is printed on the metal frame on both sides of the stroller as well as below the hand grips.

The strollers involved in this recall were manufactured in China between May 2009 and September 2009. They were sold by retailers such as Buy Buy Baby and online at Amazon, babiesrus.com, target.com and diapers.com from July 2009 through February 2010. The products were sold for about $150 each.

This product defect recall is only one in a series of identical stroller recalls involving defective hinges that have caused serious injuries to young children. In January, Graco recalled 1.5 million strollers for the same problem with the hinge mechanism. In November, UK-based Maclaren recalled about 1 million strollers for a similar problem. Also in January, Regal Lager Inc. recalled about 1,200 Cybex strollers because the stroller’s hinge mechanism poses a fingertip amputation and serious injury hazard to young children. Seattle recalled products injury attorneys hope that consumers understand that the recalled strollers are a serious issue that may result in permanent injuries or disfigurement to young children.

If your child has been injured as a result of one of these defective products, please contact an experienced products liability attorney with The Bernard Law Group for a FREE, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2010/britax.html

At least four people were injured in a Seattle car accident after a full-sized pickup truck hit two other vehicles at a high rate of speed, King5 reports. The major injury collision occurred in the 11200 block of 1st Avenue South. Four people sustained injuries and one of those victims is said to be in critical condition. All four of the injured victims were transported to local hospitals. Initial news reports described the incident as a hit-and-run accident, but later reports clarified that the pickup truck was stopped further down the road, but did not leave the scene. An investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing.

In this particular case, initial reports suggest that excessive speed may have played a part in the crash. State law (RCW 46.61.400) sets Washington’s basic speed law and the maximum speed limits for state highways, county roads, and city streets. The statute also authorizes agencies to raise or lower these maximum speed limits, when supported by an engineering and traffic investigation. Experienced Seattle auto accident attorneys know the serious consequences that may result if motorists fail to constantly adjust their driving behavior to fit the conditions they encounter while driving. Speed limits encourage consistent travel speeds, fostering safety for the traveling public by reducing the speed differentials between motor vehicles.

If an accident and injuries are caused by excessive speed, the speeding motorist could be held liable. Accident victims in such cases could seek compensation to cover medical expenses, lost earnings, cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, physical therapy, surgeries, long-term care and any other expenses related to the accident. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, the motorist’s own auto insurance policy could help compensate for these expenses. However, insurance companies are extremely tough to deal with and may not readily pay the compensation that you are rightfully due.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington auto accident, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful, educational information about Washington car accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.king5.com/news/local/Multiple-vehicle-hit-and-run-accident-in-Seattle-83440922.html

A 62-year-old man recently sustained serious injuries in a Spokane area car accident, the Wenatchee World reports. The man was driving a pickup truck on Frosty Road about a mile east of Tonasket when his vehicle ran off the roadway, over an embankment and came to rest in a creek. Washington State Patrol officials said the man suffered a cut to his head and chest bruising in the accident. Officials are looking into what caused the man to lose control of his vehicle.

There are many reasons why single-car crashes occur. If the accident was not the driver’s fault, then it is important to look into whether the accident was caused by a mechanical failure or an auto product defect in the vehicle. If that was the case, the injured victim may file an auto product liability claim against the auto maker or the manufacturer of the defective product. In some cases, single vehicle crashes also occur because of a dangerous or defective roadway. An experienced Spokane car accident lawyer will be able to analyze a case from all angles and help determine whether you have a claim.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington auto accident, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful, educational information about Washington car accident cases to help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jan/21/driver-suffers-head-chest-injuries-in-accident/

Stork Craft has issued a product defect recall for more than 1.2 million of their cribs because infants could become entrapped and suffocate. At least four infant deaths have been reportedly caused by these defective cribs, according to a news report in Consumeraffairs.com. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety alert cautioning all parents and caregivers who own or have these cribs at their day care facilities. Consumers are asked to stop using these cribs immediately and wait for a free repair kit, which will convert the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side.

The cribs’ drop-side plastic hardware can break or go out of shape with wear and tear. This could cause the drop side to detach, creating a space between the drop-side and the mattress where infants and toddlers can become entrapped and suffocate. Children also face the danger of falling off these cribs if the drop-sides completely detach. CPSC and Stork Craft have received 110 reports of drop-side detachment in the United States and Canada. The four fatalities involved a 7-month-old and a 9-month-old in New York; a 7-month-old in Louisiana; and a 6-month-old baby in West Virginia. There were also 20 reported incidents of children falling from these cribs, which resulted in bumps and bruises.

These defective cribs were sold from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400 at several major retail outlets including JC Penney, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, Babiesrus.com, Amazon.com, Costco.com and BJ’s Wholesale Club. The products were manufactured in Canada, China and Indonesia.

Just over the last two years, more than 4 million cribs have been recalled in the United States. The problems that those cribs had were similar and most were drop-side cribs. The use of substandard parts in the cribs caused the drop-side to unintentionally detach causing serious injuries or death. Several infants and toddlers have died nationwide as a result of these defective cribs.

The product liability attorneys at The Bernard Law Group strongly believe that manufacturers of defective products must be held accountable for them, should they lead to serious personal injuries. If your child sustained major injuries due to these defective cribs, you may be able to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the crib’s manufacturer. Our skilled Seattle personal injury attorneys can help you seek compensation to cover medical expenses, even in cases where long-term treatment or therapy is required. Call Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today to schedule a free consultation.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2009/fisher_price_cribs.html