Often times, after an auto accident an insurance adjuster will contact you on behalf of the at fault party who caused the collision. The insurance adjuster is looking to take advantage of your vulnerability because they know that it is easier to convince you to take a lower settlement during a stressful situation. It is your decision whether to handle matters on your own or to contact a personal injury attorney. The following is four criteria as to why you should speak with a personal injury attorney. 1. You have been seriously injured, or a loved one was killed as...[ Read More ]

Your dog loves car rides. He loves feeling the wind on his face as his head sticks out the window and the privilege of going everywhere his owner goes. Pets are a common driving distraction. Unrestrained cats and dogs inside a car can be just as distracting as swatting an insect or changing the radio station. In the event of a crash, an unrestrained pet can become a serious hazard to everyone. In a 35-mile-per-hour accident, an unrestrained 60 pound dog will carry the force of a 2,700 pound projectile when they are sent flying. Additionally, they are more likely...[ Read More ]

In Washington state, where marijuana is legal, many people might not realize that D.U.I. laws apply to any mind altering substance. While approximately 88% of drunk drivers can be identified through a field sobriety test, only 30% of people under the influence of THC failed the same test in a 2012 study published in the journal Psychopharmacology. The determining factor seemed to depend heavily on whether or not the driver was accustomed to being stoned. This raises the question, how dangerous is it to drive while stoned. Independent researchers estimate that the risk of an accident doubles when there is...[ Read More ]

Americans eat more in the car than any other country. As a matter of fact, a study in 2009 published in the Daily News found that 80% of U.S. car accidents are caused by distracted drivers who are preoccupied with eating and driving. Eating is problematic while driving because drivers are unable to react quickly and tend to be unable to turn sharply while one hand is on a burger. Additionally, drivers take their gaze off the road to look down and see if anything has spilled. Speaking of spillage, our love for wide cups doesn’t align with our love...[ Read More ]

More than 15,000 lives are saved each year in the United States due to seatbelts. However about 20,000 lives are lost as a result of not wearing them. There are five ways that seat belts protect us when we are in a car accident: Seatbelts keep occupants of a vehicle inside. Otherwise your body could be thrown from the vehicle, increasing the likelihood of fatality by four times. The strongest parts of the body are restrained. Contact is made at the strongest parts of your body (hips and shoulders). Force from a collision is spread out. This means less stress...[ Read More ]

As distracted driving receives more attention by our local police departments, research is being gathered to potentially implement "distracted driving" laws. In a CBS2 News investigation in Chicago, cameras were installed in vehicles of drivers with a variety of situations. Some had no children, but talked on their cell phones and others had multiple children. Researchers watched for the amount of time drivers had their eyes off the road during an average trip and compared distraction levels among all participants. They found that mothers of young children were the most distracted, frequently looking back to check on their children and...[ Read More ]

Do you get distracted while driving when you see a billboard? Emotionally charged billboards actually affect people's ability to drive according to researchers at the University of Alberta. Driver distraction is the primary cause of car accidents and studies have shown that when subjects see emotional stimulus as opposed to a neutral one, they are slower in reaction times slower at visually searching. A study involving 30 college students simulated driving past 20 billboards. Each one contained a series of words that were emotionally positive, negative or neutral. Positive words included excitement, fame, happy cash, love, sex and win. Negative...[ Read More ]

As cliché as it might sound, honesty is the best policy. Do not fake or exaggerate information about your injury. Doing so is the best way to ensure that your personal injury claim is ruined because one way or another the lie will be discovered. Some people believe that they will receive a higher settlement if they stretch the truth and lie to a doctor about their injuries, but the fact of the matter is that this type of mentality will destroy your case. Insurance companies routinely employ private investigators to do video surveillance on people who are claiming to...[ Read More ]

Providing a recorded statement can have a negative impact on your case. The insurance company for an at-fault driver is not on your side nor are they looking to help you in any way. The insurance company will commonly request a recorded statement from the person who could potentially make an injury claim.  These companies know that the faster they can obtain a recorded statement, the easier it will be for you to make mistakes that could potentially damage your claim. As an injured person you are under no obligation to give a recorded statement to a claims adjuster without...[ Read More ]

You're driving on the freeway in steady traffic and your exit is coming up so you look in your blind spot to change lanes. While your head was turned the car in front of you hit their breaks and now your fight or flight instincts kick into full gear. You couldn't avoid the impact but the physical damage was minor. Months later you begin to feel anxiety every time you get onto the freeway. It worsens during high traffic, in unfamiliar terrain and at night. The effects of such anxiety can be crippling as your heart races and your hands...[ Read More ]