Assault & Battery: Man Dead After Gunshot Wound in Ferndale WA
In a perfect world, we would be free from violence but sadly, sometimes physical altercations and attacks occur. When weapons are involved, the chances of a fatal injury increase dramatically. In an assault and battery incident, someone is harmed at the hands of another.
As reported by whatcom-news.com and kgmi.com, very early Sunday, January 23rd, a man was shot in front of the American Legion building in Ferndale WA. When Ferndale police and Whatcom County Fire District 7 personnel arrived at the scene about 12:20 a.m., they found the victim lying on the sidewalk outside the front of the building with bystanders administering first aid. The victim was transported by ambulance to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center where he later died. The official cause of death will be released after the autopsy report is released from the Whatcom County Medical Examiner.
Witnesses said the victim had gotten into an altercation with another man before gunshots were heard. Just after gunshots rang out, a smaller white passenger car was seen fleeing the area heading northbound on I-5 from Main Street.
As of today, no suspects have been apprehended and the Ferndale Police are still investigating the incident. Detectives are asking for help from anyone who has information about the incident by calling the Ferndale Police Department at 360-384-3390.
Assault and battery in personal injury
In the context of personal injury law, assault and battery are referred to as intentional torts or wrongs that indicate that the injury was caused with intentional infliction. An intentional tort can be the basis of a civil lawsuit, tried in civil court for the purpose of seeking compensation for injuries and other damages that resulted from the incident.
If you or a loved one was injured in an assault and battery incident you may benefit from speaking to a personal injury lawyer about your legal rights. Most personal injury lawyers take personal injury clients on a contingency fee basis, which means that clients pay only a percentage of the settlement. An injury attorney can help ease your burden as they fight for justice on your behalf.
What is assault vs. battery in a personal injury lawsuit?
In a personal injury case, assault and battery are defined separately. The tort of assault is usually defined as any intentional act that is meant to cause the victim to expect that they are about to be hurt or at least be touched in a harmful way by the offender. The tort of battery is typically defined by a requirement that the offender made intentional and harmful or offensive contact with the victim. Note that in most states the victim need not be actually physically harmed for a battery to happen under civil law as long as the contact was offensive or inappropriate to a reasonable person and the offender meant for it to happen. While assault and battery often occur in the same incident that is not always the case.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an injury as a result of the willful act of another or an accident or error caused by the negligence of another; you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
