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

The Seattle Times tells the story of a West Seattle man whose Toyota Prius was totaled a year ago as a result of “unintended acceleration.” According to the news report, the driver lost control of his Prius, knocking down a fence post and jumping a retaining wall in West Seattle. In this particular case, the driver escaped without injuries. However, the vehicle was declared a total loss by insurers and he filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This driver is not alone. This man’s complaint was one of more than 100 submitted by American drivers who had issues with Prius speed controls for 2004 to 2010 models.

Last year, Prius models were involved in Toyota recalls where consumers were advised to remove floor mats in order to prevent the gas pedals from getting jammed. Now, the company in the process of looking into brake failure problems reported by drivers of 2010 Prius models. In the West Seattle incident, the driver reported that as he slowed down his Prius to make a right turn to park, his car raced forward. His brakes did not work.

I hope Toyota is seriously investigating both the unintended acceleration and brake failure problems in the Prius. It is indeed fortunate that this West Seattle driver did not get seriously injured or killed in this accident apparently caused by either brake failure or unintended acceleration. If you are a Toyota owner and have sustained injuries because of these or other product defects, please contact a Seattle auto products liability lawyer to find out about your legal rights and options. Knowledgeable auto product defect lawyers would advise victims to preserve the crashed vehicle in its current condition until it can be properly examined for auto defects or malfunctions. In any auto products liability case, please remember that the vehicle is the main piece of evidence.

If your loved one has been seriously injured by a defective auto, please contact the reputed Washington auto products liability lawyers at The Bernard Law Firm to find out about your legal rights and options. Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com to schedule your FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington auto product defect cases, which has useful, educational information to help you better understand your rights. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010986936_toyotaseattle05m.html?syndication=rss

Only 10 percent of construction cranes in Washington State have been certified to new safety standards, which took effect January 1, 2010, the Department of Labor and Industries has announced. According to a news report in the Puget Sound Business Journal, out of the 7,000 cranes used in Washington construction sites, only 700 have been certified. That includes only 20 out of the estimated 100 tower cranes in Washington State. The Department of Labor and Industries is now warning businesses that they should work on getting these cranes certified. Washington State adopted new rules for crane safety after a November 2006 construction accident in Bellevue where a 210-foot crane fell, killing a Microsoft employee in a condominium complex nearby.

Washington State, in April 2007, became the 15th state in the nation to require crane operators to be certified after Governor Chris Gregoire signed HB 2171 into law. Effective January 1, 2010, no employer or contractor shall 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. I certainly hope that the state enforces this new law and pushes businesses to comply with this much-needed safety standard.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Seattle crane accident, please contact the skilled personal injury lawyers at 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 informational 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://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/12/21/daily12.html

Working with heavy equipment and building materials when balancing on the limited space of a scaffold is a challenge and a danger for construction workers. Without fall protection of safe access, it can be extremely dangerous. Falls from such improperly constructed scaffolds can result in injuries ranging from minor sprains to catastrophic injuries and deaths. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that all scaffolds be constructed according to manufacturer’s instructions, that guardrails are installed along all open sides, ends of platforms, and guardrail systems, and that personal fall arrest systems are used.

In fact, OSHA recently proposed a $140,000 fine against a masonry company for workplace safety violations, which contributed to the death of a worker in a scaffolding collapse. A 52-year-old man died in July when scaffolding collapsed as he and two others were laying brick at a construction site. The man fell 37 feet to his death. The company was cited for 11 violations, including improperly modifying the scaffolding, failing to properly install bracing and not ensuring the scaffolding was secured to prevent tipping.

Where construction accident deaths are caused by such serious violations on the part of the employer or a contractor, workers may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings, cost of hospitalization, therapy and other related damages. In case of fatalities, families of deceased workers may file a wrongful death claim.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington construction accident, please contact the skilled Seattle personal injury 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 informational 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 experienced legal team today.

Source:http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/30/osha-proposes-fine.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

A Spokane Washington man has filed a $500,000 lawsuit against the state of Idaho for injuries he says were caused by potholes on the Interstate 90, the Associated Press reports. The 22-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle pulling a trailer when the trailer became dislodged while running over potholes. According to court documents, the driver pulled into the median to reattach the trailer when another vehicle hit the same series of potholes, causing that vehicle’s steering mechanism to break. The vehicle then struck the trailer, which in turn hit the Washington man. He sustained pelvic injuries as a result of this crash.

Dangerous or defective roadways can cause serious accidents that result in catastrophic injuries or deaths to vehicle occupants. In this particular case, the potholes seem to have been extremely dangerous. If they caused a vehicle’s trailer to come loose and another vehicle’s steering mechanism to break, those were some potholes! Kirk Bernard and his legal team have represented several clients who sustained severe or fatal injuries in car accidents or motorcycle accidents as a result of poorly maintained roadways with potholes or uneven pavement.

In such cases, the governmental agency responsible for maintaining that roadway could be held liable for the accident and resulting injuries. Victims could seek compensation to cover medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, physical therapy and other related damages.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident in Seattle, please contact the experienced Seattle 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 informational brochure, which has useful educational information about car accident cases to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard today.

Source:http://www.nwcn.com/news/Spokane-man-files-pothole-lawsuit-against-Idaho-80140822.html

A 26-year-old man was fatally injured in a pedestrian accident in Marysville after he was struck by a suspected drunk driver, The Seattle Times reports. The fatal pedestrian accident occurred in the 10400 block of Smokey Point Boulevard. The pedestrian was walking along the street when he was struck. Passers by attempted to administer CPR to the victim, but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The 34-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

When the act of drunk driving causes a fatality to an individual other than the driver, the intoxicated driver could face vehicular homicide charges, under Washington law. The Revised Code of Washington Section 46.61.520 states: “When the death of any person ensues within three years as a proximate result of injury proximately caused by the driving of any vehicle by any person, the driver is guilty of vehicular homicide if the driver was operating a motor vehicle: (a) While under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, as defined by RCW 46.61.502 or (b) In a reckless manner; or (c) With disregard for the safety of others.”

If you are the victim of a drunk or negligent driver or if you have lost someone as a result of such negligence, please understand that you have rights. You may be able to file a personal injury claim or a wrongful death claim against the at-fault party. You could seek compensation to cover medical expenses or funeral expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization, physical therapy or long-term care if the accident resulted in catastrophic injuries to the victim.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys of 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 informational brochure, which has useful educational information that will help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2010548385_a_34-year-old_marysville_man_w.html

Whole Foods Market is recalling several batches of organic raw hazelnuts that were sold in bulk to several states including Washington. According a news report in Consumeraffairs.com, the hazelnuts are being recalled because of possible salmonella contamination. This food-borne illness recall involves non-organic dry roasted hazelnuts sold in bulk through Whole Foods stores in Washington as well as non-organic hazelnuts or filberts sold in bulk through Whole Foods stores in Washington. The possible salmonella contamination was apparently discovered during a routine sweep of one of the Oregon-based company’s production facilities. So far, no illnesses or deaths have been reported as a result of this salmonella contamination.

The most common symptoms of salmonella infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. This illness usually lasts four to seven days and most patients recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient may require hospitalization. In these patients, the salmonella bacteria may spread from the intestines to the blood stream and to other body sites causing death, unless the patients is properly treated with antibiotics. Infants, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to have severe salmonella infection symptoms.

If someone else’s negligence has caused your serious food poisoning injuries, please contact the skilled Seattle personal injury lawyers at 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 informational brochure about Washington food-borne illness cases, which has useful educational information that will help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his experienced legal team today.

Source:http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/12/hazelnut_recall02.html