NSC Estimates 2023 Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Fatalities
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What is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal services to a person who claims that they were injured – either physically, psychologically, or financially – because of the negligence of another person, company, government agency, or other organization. Personal injury lawyers primarily practice in the area of law known as tort law. A local personal injury lawyer is best equipped to handle cases because they are familiar with the local laws, court system, expert witnesses, and judges. If your accident occurred in Bellingham, you will want a Bellingham personal injury lawyer on your side!
If you or a loved one is suffering from a personal injury caused by the carelessness or intentional act of another, our personal injury law firm is here to help. We walk our injury clients through each step of the claim process, keeping them in the loop with any progress or updates to their case. We start with a FREE consultation where we talk about your accident, injuries, medical bills and other damages. From there we discuss your legal rights and the value of your potential claim.
A good personal injury lawyer, handles all aspects of your personal injury claim to ensure you get the settlement (or jury award) that you deserve. Our lawyers:
- Ensure you receive the medical care you need by deferring medical bills, as needed.
- Interview and retain witnesses, investigate and research issues and gather supporting documents.
- Serve a “complaint” on the defendant.
- Handle the pretrial litigation phase.
- Negotiate a settlement or take the case to trial.
Look for a dedicated personal injury lawyer
Our primary practice area is personal injury law with a focus on car accidents, pedestrian injuries, medical malpractice and wrongful death. If you are looking for a dedicated personal injury lawyer with the experience to fight for you, you have come to the right place. Since 1979, we have helped thousands of injured people in and around Bellingham and Whatcom County fight for justice and recover losses for their car crashes and other personal injury accidents. We provide FREE case evaluations, home and hospital visits and no attorney fees unless you recover damages. Contact us now to schedule your free consultation.
What does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
There are no upfront costs or fees paid by our clients to pursue any personal injury claims, including claims for motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death or medical malpractice. We provide representation on a contingency fee basis for all personal injury cases. This means that while you will not incur any attorney fees if you do not win your case, Washington State law requires clients to reimburse the law firm for out-of-pocket expenses, typically as a percentage of the settlement.
What is a typical personal injury settlement?
There is a huge range when it comes to personal injury settlements, depending on the severity of the injuries and other damages inflicted on the injured party. Injury settlements can range between $15,000 for a small case to over 1M for very serious cases. An injury lawyer with personal injury law experience in your state will be able to tell you what the value of your claim is and the amount that you might be able to reasonably expect to get out of a settlement or jury verdict.
Seek the help of a personal injury lawyer
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 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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How to Protect Yourself from Violent Crime Committed by Strangers
While we shouldn’t sit around worrying about being the potential victim of violent crime committed by strangers, it’s also a good idea to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Here are some examples of violence committed by strangers:
- Aggravated assault
- Mugging
- Sexual violence / rape
- Armed robbery
- School shootings, workplace shootings, and other mass shootings
- Homicide
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How to Collect Your Money After a Personal Injury Judgment
The vast majority of personal injury claims are concluded with a settlement paid by the at-fault insurer. Personal injury lawyers work hard to negotiate full and fair settlements on behalf of their injury clients because it is preferable over taking a case to trial for several reasons. When a settlement cannot be negotiated out of court, the case is brought to trial. If the judge or jury finds the defendant liable for the plaintiff’s injuries, they may issue an injury judgment that is legally binding. In some situations, the debtor either refuses to follow the court order or cannot afford to pay the amount of the judgment. The question becomes: How to Collect Your Money After a Personal Injury Judgment?
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Personal Injury Terms for Understanding Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have been injured in an accident or by other circumstance because of the fault of another, you may be able to recover damages through a personal injury settlement. We understand that some of the terms used in personal injury law are not part of regular conversation. Read on to learn some basic personal injury terms that may help you better understand your personal injury claim.
Personal Injury Terms for Understanding Your Personal Injury Claim
Here are some useful terms for understanding your personal injury claim:
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Top 5 Reasons Insurance Companies Lowball Insurance Settlement Offers
If there is one thing you need to know about insurance companies it’s that they aren’t in business to pay out fair settlements. Their priority is their bottom line, not their clients and certainly not the person injured by one of their clients. If you were injured because of the negligence of another such as in a car accident, you likely received a call from the at-fault insurer shortly after the accident claim, to ask questions that will benefit them and/or to make a lowball settlement offer. It is important to seek legal guidance from a personal injury lawyer before speaking to an insurance adjuster and definitely before accepting an insurance settlement offer.
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Pedestrian Fatalities on the Rise
Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable to injury when they are struck by a motor vehicle. The combination of being hit by the weight of a vehicle and having no protection from the impact makes for a very dangerous situation. Sadly, pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise and despite the drop in traffic during the early days of the pandemic, more pedestrians were killed.
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How to Keep Your Family Safe During a Heat Wave
While it’s very rare for extreme heat events to affect the Pacific Northwest, especially as far north as Whatcom County, we know they can happen. We were recently reminded of this reality at the end of June and early July with three days of record-breaking heat. Sadly, the Washington State Department of Health reports that during the extreme weather event, one person died in Whatcom County and a total of 91 people died across the State of Washington. The last time we saw temperatures at these levels was in 2009, but scientists expect extreme heat events to become more common in the coming years.
For most people who live in a home without air conditioning, an extreme heat wave is very uncomfortable but not deadly. There are groups of people who are more vulnerable when exposed to very high temperatures, including:
- Seniors
- Infants and kids up to four years of age
- People who are obese
- People who are suffering from chronic illnesses or who are taking certain medications
Keeping your Family Safe during a Heat Wave
There are measures we can take to prevent tragic accidents from heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion.
These safety tips from redcross.org are a great place to start:
- Cars are extremely dangerous during heat waves because inside temperatures can soar in as little as a few minutes. NEVER leave any person or pet – but especially pets, infants, children, or people with disabilities – in a car without air conditioning running on a warm or hot day. Cracking a window open is not enough on a very hot day.
- Keep yourself and your kids hydrated. Cool, non-alcoholic, non-sugary, and non-caffeinated drinks are best during a heat wave. Water is ideal but sports drinks or coconut water are also important as they can help replace the mineral salts we lose from sweating. Speak to your doctor about the amount of water that is safe for you to drink if you have been asked to limit water intake or take water pills. You should also speak to your doctor before consuming sports drinks if you have diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic illnesses that affect the amount of salt intake that is safe for your body.
- Keep your pets hydrated. Make sure to provide cool, fresh drinking water for your pets during a heat wave.
- Do everything possible to keep yourself cool.
- If you have access to an air-conditioned space, spend as much time there as possible.
- Setup window or portable air-conditioning units in your most used room if you own them.
- Shut out the heat with blackout curtains or with a slab of cardboard with tin foil on the backside to refract the light.
- Avoid regular fans if your indoor space is above 96 degrees.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, and loose-fitting clothing.
- Avoid using your stove or oven, if possible.
- Avoid activities that raise body temperature such as exercise or yard work.
- Wear a hat and sunscreen and stick to shady areas, if possible, if you venture outdoors.
- If you have elderly or ill neighbors, friends, or loved ones, check in on them at least twice a day to make sure they are doing okay. Encourage them to drink cold water or sports drinks and to take cool showers as needed. Offer to take them to a place that has air conditioning if they do not have it at home. If they do not sound like themselves or tell you that they aren’t feeling well or are experiencing any combination of the symptoms of heat stress discussed below, it may be time to call an ambulance.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
According to cdc.gov, these are the symptoms of heat exhaustion to watch out for:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Irritability
- Thirst
- Heavy sweating
- Elevated body temperature
Seek the help of a personal injury 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 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!
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/heatrelillness.html
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Beware of Pressure Washing Injuries
Pressure washers are extremely handy tools. A pressure washer is a power tool that sprays water at high pressures. Countless homeowners and property managers use them every spring and summer to clean grime, loose paint, algae, and mold off of siding, roofing, farm equipment, patios, fences, driveways and sidewalks. But the very reason that this tool is so effective at cleaning sturdy, outdoor spaces, is the reason it can be so dangerous. To illustrate the power of pressure washers, we can compare them to the output of the standard garden hose. According to consumerrports.org, a garden hose produces water with water pressure at about 50 pounds per square inch (psi). By comparison, pressure washers can produce 1,500 to 4,000 psi. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is estimated that 6,057 people went to an emergency room with pressure washing injuries in 2014 alone. Out of those visitors, 14 percent required additional hospitalization.
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June is National Safety Month
The National Safety Council (NSC) has labeled June National Safety Month in the United States. The purpose of the label is to help bring awareness to the public about the health and safety risks that increase in the summer months in order to decrease the number of injuries and deaths that happen at home and in the community. Visit the National Safety Council website for tips and resources.
If you or a loved one was injured because of the negligence of another, you have the right to a settlement that will compensate you for your injuries. Contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your legal rights and get the help you need to get back on your feet.
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