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Seattle Motorcycle Injuries & Insurance

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 We all know that Seattle is a dangerous place to drive a car, or especially be a pedestrian. While Washington's new cell phone law is a start, a very  SMALL  and almost useless start in my opinion, there are still many distracted driver's out there that don't see other cars, trucks or pedestrians. And if you drive a motorcycle, you probably feel that there is some cloaking shield around you that makes you and your motorcycle invisible! If driver's can't " see " a SUV, they certainly won't see you on your bike. Ok, so now your motorcycle is a total loss and you have severe injuries and can't work. So how do you pay for your medical bills? If you are in your car, you simply use your personal injury protection (which everyone should have) to pay for your medical bills. But unfortunately, you discover that you do not have PIP coverage on your motorcycle, since no insurance company offers that coverage for motorcycles. While I haven't researched th

More Seattle Pit Bull Attacks

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 Yet another pit bull attack in Seattle. According to the Seattletimes.com, 71 year old Huong Le was severely attacked and mauled by two pit bulls when she was just feet from her SeaTac home where she works as live-in caregiver. Le spent more than 10 hours in surgery Monday at the trauma center at Harborview Medical Center, where surgeons worked to preserve her hearing and reattach her ears, both of which had been ripped from her head. Her jaw was broken and her right arm and wrist were crushed beyond complete repair. Both of the pit bulls had to be shot by deputies in order to save Le. The owner of the pit bulls also owned two other pit bulls which were seized.  https://askcompetentlawyer.com/  This is a very sad, but at the same time, infuriating situation. While I don't want to stereotype the breed, at least 95% of the dog bite cases I have ever handled have involved pit bulls. This isn't a coincidence. All of these savage attacks have occurred because the owners were comple

What's Subrogation?

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 So let's say you're driving into Seattle and unfortunately someone behind you is paying more attention to their Blackberry than driving, and rearends you. You're injured and need medical care, but at least you have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) which will take care of your medical bills. Did you know that in some circumstances you have to reimburse your insurance company for any payments made under PIP coverage? That's right, you pay them a premium, they provide PIP coverage, and then you pay it back. Ok, it sounds a little counter-intuitive, but it really does make sense. Lets take a couple different senarios. Number 1 - You are injured in a car accident, you use your PIP coverage to pay for your medical care and you do not pursue a claim against the other driver. Maybe you don't want to. or perhaps the accident was your fault. In this senario, you do not have to reimburse your insurance company because you did not receive a settlement from another party.  http

How Contingent Fees Work For Personal Injury Cases

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 Most of my personal injury cases are handled on a contingent fee basis. This simply means that I do not get paid unless I settle your case, or receive an arbitration award or verdict. No attorney fees will be paid if there is no recovery. Most attorneys handle personal injury cases on a contingent fee basis and charge one-third (33%) and forty percent (40%) if a lawsuit has to be filed and the case litigated. I value my services, but at the same time I realize that it was my client who was injured and who often has to deal with life changing injuries.  And my fees reflect this belief, and therefore, my contingent fees for personal injury cases are 30% if a case is settled, and 33% if a lawsuit has to be filed and the case litigated. When you are looking for a personal injury lawyer, make sure you ask the right questions about their fees, both for settlement and litigation.  https://askcompetentlawyer.com/civil-litigation/  Also be sure to ask if they charge any "extra" costs

When to use Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

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 When you're in a car accident and you are injured by the negligence of another driver, they (or in most cases, their insurance company) will pay for all of your damages including medical bills, right? While that's technically true, this answer fails to address the complete picture. The at-fault driver's insurance company will pay for your medical expenses, lost income, other out of pocket expenses and general damages (commonly called pain & suffering), but only as a lump sum when your case is settled or a verdict rendered. They do not act as your health insurer and pay for your medical care as you incur those costs for treatment.  This is where PIP comes in .  https://askcompetentlawyer.com/  When you open a PIP claim under your own auto insurance policy, this coverage pays for your medical expenses as you incur them. Essentially, your auto insurance company acts as a health insurer for injuries related to the car accident. Your insurance company then has a right to ge

Press Release - Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum

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  The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is pleased to announce that attorney John Meade Williams of Everett, Washington, has been certified as a life member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum,   www.milliondollaradvocates.com . The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements. The organization was founded in 1993 and there are approximately 4000 members located throughout the country. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.  https://askcompetentlawyer.com/  Forum membership acknowledges excellence in advocacy, and provides members with a national network of experienced colleagues for professional referral and information exchange in major cases. Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum must have acted as principal counsel in at least one cas

Hidden Danger for Seattle Motorcyclists

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 It's tough enough riding a motorcycle in the Seattle area and just trying to avoid being the next victim of an inattentive driver. The drivers of cars out there on cell phones or texting, well that's not a hidden danger, so what is it? It's their insurance companies and adjusters. So after you've been knocked to the pavement and your bike totaled, it just keeps getting worse. Accidents that clearly would be the other persons fault if two cars were involved, now transform because you are a motorcyclist! Insurance adjusters will do whatever they can to come up with some "comparative negligence" on your part. That essentially means that you're a percentage at fault because of x, y or z. I have seen them allege that inexperience played a role and if you were more experienced, you would have been able to avoid the accident. That's a good one they can apply to most all motorcycle accidents. They like to allege you were speeding, acting reckless, tailgating,