What Should I do When an Insurance Company Offers Me a Settlement Check?
One of the worst parts of being in a car accident is having to deal with insurance adjusters after the accident. You know they aren’t really on your side but they try to make themselves as friendly as possible to coax you into accepting their initial settlement offer. Inevitably, the offer is made before you have even had a chance to receive most of your medical care or had the damages on your vehicle assessed. It’s certainly made before you have had the chance to recover from your injuries. How can you possibly accept an offer before you know the full extent of your damages?
Still, we sympathize with those who are tempted to accept this initial settlement offer; it’s a stressful time and you may already have medical bills piling up that you are worried about paying for. If you think you will get sucked in by talking to an insurance adjuster, know that you are not obligated to speak to them. (You are required to report your accident to your own insurance company). When you hire a personal injury attorney, they will negotiate on your behalf, deflecting the common tactics commonly used to get injured victims to settle early on.
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Medical Factors That Affect Senior Drivers Accident Risk
Most of us are aware that as we age, safe driving can become more difficult. Adult children often get to a point with their elderly parents where they worry about their ability to drive safely. And there is reason to be concerned. According to cdc.gov, in 2018, almost 7,700 senior adults, ages 65 plus, were killed in traffic crashes. An additional 250,000 were treated in emergency departments for crash injuries. Older drivers, especially those 75 and up, are more vulnerable to injury in a crash than middle-aged drivers (aged 35-54); contributing to a higher crash death rate among this age group.
With an aging population, we will have an increasing number of senior drivers licensed to drive between now and 2030. Data from the Federal Highway Administration, points to a 60 percent increase in licensed drivers aged 65 and older in the United States between 2000 and 2018. What does this mean for safety on our roads? The good news is that older drivers tend to be more responsible than other age groups; they are less likely to drink and drive and more likely to wear their seatbelt.
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What to Do If you are Injured in a Car Accident in Another State
Traffic and personal injury laws vary from state to state. If you were involved in a car accident outside of your home state, you may be wondering how you can recover damages. What if the state you had the accident in has very different accident laws than your home state? Read on to find out the best way to ensure you get the settlement you deserve.
What Do I Do if I am Injured in a Car Accident in Another State?
Any time someone is injured in an accident that has the potential for a complicated accident claim, a personal injury lawyer should be consulted. If you were injured in an out-of-state accident, the best thing to do is contact a car accident attorney in that state for a free consultation. The reason for this is because, in most cases, your accident claim will need to follow the laws in the state you were injured. If your accident claim does need to be filed in your home state, the accident attorney can let you know during the consultation. In addition, the injury lawyer can discuss your legal rights, provide information about the value of your case, and explain how they can help you to get the settlement you deserve.
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US Probing Issues with Tesla’s Autopilot After Series of Crashes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), several collisions with parked emergency vehicles has prompted the U.S. government to open a formal allegation into Tesla’s autopilot feature. Officials are trying to determine whether the partially automated driving system has trouble spotting parked safety vehicles. The NHTSA posted the action to their website on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021.
Since June of 2016, the NHTSA has investigated 31 collisions that involved partially automated driver assist systems. Out of those crashes, 25 involved the Tesla Autopilot; 10 deaths were reported in these accidents. In 2018 alone, there were 11 crashes where 17 people were injured and one was killed while driving a Tesla on Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control.
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Rollover Crash Injures 3 People in Ferndale, WA
As reported by nationwidereport.com, three people were injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Saturday, August 14. The accident happened in a Ferndale residential neighborhood near the intersection of Malloy Avenue and Thornton Street. When first responders arrived, they found two people in the vehicle. One person refused medical aid, another was treated and released at the scene and the third person had fled the area before help could arrive.
Rollover Crash Injures 3 People in Ferndale, WA
According to bystanders, the vehicle appeared to be speeding as it traveled northbound on Malloy Avenue. At one point, it crossed the center line and ran off the road on the west side. It then rolled at least once, before ending up right-side up in the front yard of a residence. The residential yard and a car parked in the home’s driveway suffered property damage.
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How Do I Get My Lost Wages After a Car Accident in Washington State?
People who suffer serious injuries in an accident often lose wages while they take time to recover. This is why lost wages should and can be recovered as part of a car accident settlement. When people are in pain and feeling overwhelmed with their injuries, they may wonder, how do I get my lost wages after an accident?
How do I Get My Lost Wages After a Car Accident in Washington State?
The only way to recover lost wages after an accident is by filing a personal injury claim and proving that you lost wages as a result of the injuries you sustained in the accident. This is often easier said than done. A car accident attorney will help you place a value on your lost wages and gather all the documents you need to prove your losses. They will also walk you through the injury claim process, negotiate on your behalf and file a lawsuit, if necessary. If you are struggling to make ends meet as you work on a full recovery, call an accident lawyer for help. You will pay no fees up front or anything if you do not recover; injury lawyers are compensated out of a percentage of the settlement.
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Summer Rain Can Cause Slick Roads that Lead to Accidents
Whatcom County has seen one of the hottest, driest summers on record with warm temperatures starting in mid-June and daytime temperatures only dipping below 70 degrees a few times since then. It’s been almost straight sunshine for the last two months as well. With little to no rain to wash it away, the roads have had plenty of time to build up liquid leaks from vehicles and rubber from tires. This type of buildup isn’t a problem until a significant rainfall arrives, like it did over the weekend.
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Fatal Car Vs Pole Crash Takes Life of 32-Year-Old Man in Sumas, Washington
As reported by Whatcom News, a fatal car vs pole crash occurred early this morning at S Pass Road and Kendall Road in Sumas. First responders were called to the scene of the accident about 5:45 a.m. According to a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper, 32-year-old driver, Gerald R Caron, was confirmed dead at the scene.
The press memo issued by the WSP indicated that the driver was speeding while driving northbound on Kendall Road and was unable to navigate the turn at S Pass Road. The vehicle left the roadway, crashing into a power pole. Caron was not wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred; it is not known if drugs or alcohol were a factor.
Factors affecting the fatal car vs pole crash
While we don’t know if the driver had consumed drugs or alcohol before getting behind the wheel, there are some factors that we can take a look at in this accident: speed, single-vehicle accident and not wearing a seatbelt.
Speed
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), for more than the past two decades, speeding has been a crash factor in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. In 2019, speeding was identified as a contributing factor in 26 percent of all traffic fatalities.
Speed is generally considered to be an exacerbating factor in crashes. It’s important to understand that even small increases in speed can cause a disproportionately bigger increase in the risk of a crash. For example, a five percent increase in average speed leads to approximately a 20 percent increase in fatal crashes.
Single-vehicle accident
A single-car crash means that only one vehicle is involved in an accident. Just like the accident we’re talking about today, a single-vehicle accident is often a runoff-road (ROR) crash. A ROR accident is when a vehicle leaves the roadway and moves onto the shoulder, median, roadside or parking lane, etc. and then crashes into an unmoving object like a tree, pole, wall or fire hydrant. In this case, the driver ran off the road and collided with a power pole. In a single-car accident, property damage and personal injuries are the typical outcome. You may be surprised to hear that single-car collisions carry a higher fatality rate than head-on or side-impact collisions. More than 8,000 people die in single-vehicle rollover crashes in the United States each year.
Not wearing a seatbelt
It was determined that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. According to cdc.gov, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45 percent and cut the risk of serious injury by 50 percent for drivers and front-seat passengers. Most importantly, seat belts prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected from the vehicle through the windshield during a crash. Drivers and front-seat passengers who are not wearing a seat belt at the time of a crash are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle.
Seek the help of a car accident attorney
If you or a loved one was injured because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced car 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 larger 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!
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Driver Flees Scene of Head-On-Crash; Probable Cause for Hit-and-Run-With-Injury and Vehicular Assault
A head-on-crash turned into a hit-and-run accident when a driver fled the scene of an accident on foot at the 1700 block of Birch Bay-Lynden Road. When Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies and North Whatcom Fire & Rescue personnel arrived on scene, they found a man trapped in his car with a shattered femur. The “jaws of life” were used to remove the trapped man from inside their vehicle. The man was then transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center by ambulance and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
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Teen Driver Safety: 10 Best Cars for Teen Drivers 2021
By default, teenage drivers are inexperienced and inexperienced drivers are much more likely to make a mistake or error in judgement that can dramatically increase the chance of being in a car accident. In fact, most fatal teen car crashes happen within six months of obtaining a driver’s license. In 2021, motor vehicle accidents are still the number one cause of death among American teenagers. Teen drivers are 10 times more likely to be in a fatal car accident than adults. Fatal teen accidents can be reduced through proper driving education, parental input about safe driving behaviors and vehicles with high safety ratings.