Neck Pain Often Goes Untreated after Car Crash

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found that more than 70% of car accident victims still continue to have consistent musculoskeletal pain even six weeks after their accident. Sadly, the majority of these victims will not even seek treatment for their injuries—much less compensation. Why? It seems that car accident victims are afraid others will not take their claims seriously—especially if their injury involves neck pain.

According to researchers, nearly 4 million Americans go to the emergency department for evaluation after a car crash—and more than 90% are discharged promptly. Yet this is not the end of their story. Results showed that people who have been involved in a car crash experience persistent pain—despite being discharged from the E.R., and this pain could persist even six weeks following their accident. Even worse, more than 30% of study participants experienced pain in four or more body regions.

When the injury involves the neck, many car crash victims believe that their injury will be met with skepticism and doubt, and that they will be seen as someone who is just trying to sue. The study showed that a mere 17% of accident victims had contacted a lawyer six weeks following an accident—with the vast majority suffering in silence.

Of the accident victims who were injured, 28% had moderate to severe neck pain, 13% had widespread musculoskeletal pain in 7 or more body regions, and 4% had fibromyalgia symptoms six weeks after their crash. Yet despite the pain, many of these victims were not seeking treatment or compensation.

If you are suffering from neck pain after a car accident, it is important to know that you do not have to suffer alone. Neck pain is very real and very debilitating. When chronic neck pain goes untreated, it can lead to complications. Inflammation can cause nerve damage and result in limited mobility. At the very least, you need to be sure that insurance companies are taking your injuries seriously, so you have the money you need to pay for medical expenses, therapies, and lost wages.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries on the Rise

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Recent research from John Hopkins shows that traumatic spinal cord injuries are on the rise, due to an increase in falls. In particular, elderly victims are experiencing the highest rise in spinal cord injuries. These findings may be particularly important in premises liability cases, where a property owner’s negligence could increase the risk for a serious fall.

In the John Hopkin’s study, researchers analyzed 43,137 adults that were treated in emergency rooms across the country for a variety of spinal cord injuries between 2007 and 2009. They found that in victims over the age of 65, the prevalence of spinal cord injuries increased to 87.7 per million in 2009—up from 79.4 in 2007. Over the three-year period, falls were the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries, followed closely by motor vehicle crashes. The elderly accounted for 30% of these injuries.

Sadly, elderly victims who suffer traumatic spinal cord injuries are also 4x more likely to die in the emergency room, compared to younger victims. Even if they survive the initial injury and make it out of the emergency room, they are then 6x more likely to die from complications during their inpatient stay.

Spinal cord injuries are also a financial burden on the healthcare system in America with charges totaling more than $1.6 billion from 2007-2009 alone. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates that the lifetime costs of caring for a family member with a spinal cord injury ranges between $1 million to $5 million. This is due in large part to improvements in rehab care that enables spinal cord injury victims to live longer lives.

If you or someone you love has sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury in a slip and fall accident on another person’s property, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your injuries. If your injury was the result of negligence, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the responsible party to recover damages. Spinal cord injuries can be severe, requiring a lifetime of care. As such, you need a Seattle personal injury attorney who can fight the insurance companies and ensure that you receive the money you need to adjust to your new disability and changes to your lifestyle.

Contact Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys

If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Five Steps to Take After a Low Impact Car Accident

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Sometimes when people are injured in car accidents where their vehicle sustains little or no damage, they are not sure what to do for fear that their insurance company will deny their injury claim. Yet, the amount of damage sustained by the vehicle is not necessarily indicative of the severity of injuries sustained by the driver or occupants of the vehicle.

After Your Low Impact Accident

  1. Remove yourself from immediate danger and call 911.
  1. Identify the other drivers involved in the collision, and be certain to get their name, address, home and work phone numbers, make and model of vehicles, and the name of the registered owner of the vehicle. Identify any witnesses and get their names and phone numbers as well.
  1. Regardless of whatever emotions are flaring, keep quiet. Don’t say anything at the scene of the accident that could be misconstrued as an admission of guilt and later used against you. Instead, write down all the details about weather and road conditions, vehicle positions, and take pictures if you can.
  1. Seek medical attention from your personal or primary physician or urgent care clinic (not emergency room) as soon as you feel any symptoms of injury. This is of particular importance to your case because one of the hardest aspects of proving injury in a low impact collision is showing that the accident caused the injury. Make sure you visit your doctor in a timely manner, and that he or she documents that your injuries arose from the accident.

When you become injured in a low impact accident, the insurance adjuster will scrutinize every detail in an effort to show you are faking your injuries. Avoid treating with a chiropractor, physical therapist, acupuncturist, or other alternative course of action until you have received a referral from your physician.

  1. Call and report the accident to your insurance company even if you believe the other driver is at fault. Your insurance company is entitled to be notified in order to preserve your rights to insurance coverage.

Contacting a Seattle Personal Injury Attorney

The laws regarding accident injuries are complex, and while insurance companies are well aware of them, most car accident victims are not. A Seattle car crash attorney at Phillips Law Firm can represent your interests and will fight to get you the compensation you deserve for your injury.

If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Semi-Trucks’ Underride Guards Leave Drivers of Smaller Vehicles at Risk

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When a car and a truck collide, the car is at a serious disadvantage. One particularly devastating type of crash is when the car slides underneath the back of a heavy tractor-trailer. The federal government requires that most heavy truck trailers be equipped with underride guards, which are steel bars that hang down from the backs of trailers. These are designed to prevent the front of passenger vehicles from moving underneath in a crash to the back. Most do a good job, thus increasing survival chances during a crash, as shown by a recent test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, in crashes involving only a small portion of the truck’s rear, most trailers fail to prevent potentially deadly underride accidents from occurring.

Crash Test Results

The Institute tested trailers to see how well guards prevented underride in a 35 mph crash. Trailers were tested from eight different manufacturers, which together account for 80% of the heavy truck trailer market. Each trailer, which met U.S. and Canadian standards, was tested up to three times; in a full overlap crash test, a 50% overlap crash test and a narrow overlap crash test.

All trailers prevented underride in the full overlap crash test at 35 mph. All but one prevented underride in the 50% overlap scenario. And, only one, manufactured by Manac, prevented underride in all three-overlap tests.

Underride Guard Requirements are Inadequate

Modern cars are equipped with a crush zone at the front that is designed to minimize injury to occupants, but this crush zone only works in a collision with a trailer if the trailer’s underride guard stays in place.

Research shows that minimum strength and dimension requirements for underride guards are inadequate, prompting the Institute to petition the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for more stringent requirements. Already, though, trailer manufacturers have responded by installing guards that are significantly stronger that the agency mandates.

A likely reason for this is that trailers in Canada have had to meet tougher guard standards since 2007.

Underride Guard Improvements

In their successful underride guard, Manac engineers have moved the vertical supports further from the center of the trailer, which makes the ends of the guard stronger. With this guard, not only did the test car and dummy fare better, but the trailer sustained less damage and was less expensive to repair. The IIHS test indicates that the tougher Canadian requirements are a good first step, but that design improvements are necessary to make underride guards even more effective.

Contact Seattle Trucking Accident Attorneys

If you or someone you love is injured in a trucking accident, an experienced Seattle truck accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. Time is of the essence; so don’t delay. Trucking companies have large firms on their side that are dedicated to protecting their bottom line and limiting their liabilities. You need a firm on your side who knows how to take on the large trucking companies.

If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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How Does Car Insurance Coverage Impact Compensation for Your Injuries?

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Even when liability is clearly established after an accident, a victim’s recovery from injuries sustained in an auto accident is often limited by the ability of the at-fault party, or parties, to pay compensation for the victim’s damages. Most commonly, the majority of an auto accident recovery comes from one or more insurance companies. Unfortunately, if a driver without insurance injures you, or your injuries exceed the scope of the at-fault driver’s coverage, the situation could become more complicated.

Washington State’s Mandatory Auto Insurance Law

Washington state law requires all drivers to carry auto liability insurance and proof that they have insurance. The law requires anyone who drives a motor vehicle in the state to do one of the following:

  • Carry liability insurance- you must have liability limits of at least $25,000 for injuries or death to another person, $50,000 for injuries or death to all other people, and $10,000 for damage to another person’s property
  • Pay a deposit to the Washington State Treasurer, or
  • Have a liability bond of at least $60,000

This law does not apply to motorcycles, motor scooters, police or government-owned vehicles, or any specially licensed “horseless carriage vehicles” more commonly referred to as antique or collector vehicles. However, a driver is still responsible for any damages or injuries that result from the use of any of these exempt vehicles.

Most drivers choose to maintain coverage in excess of these minimum statutory requirements in order to protect their personal assets. For drivers who own homes, their homeowners insurance may provide some additional protection in the event their personal liability exceeds their auto insurance coverage.

How a Washington State Auto Accident Attorney Can Help

Insurance plays a key role in protecting parties from uninsured and underinsured drivers, who seem to be multiplying in today’s down-turned economy with increasing insurance, fuel and cost of living expenses. In situations where the insurance coverage is simply not there, injured drivers may be able to recover from their own insurance companies if they purchased additional protection against uninsured and underinsured drivers. As a last resort, a Washington State auto accident attorney may still hold the at-fault driver personally liable, attaching the person’s assets or even garnishing wages if necessary.

Obtaining the best recovery for clients means knowing how all these types of insurance work together and being creative in identifying other parties who may have contributed to the accident and may be partially liable.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Attorneys

If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help you obtain the compensation you need to recover. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawyers are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Road Rash can be More Severe than You Think

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When a motorcycle accident occurs, the results can be horrific. Injuries to the brain and spinal cord can lead to permanent disability and a lifetime of pain and suffering. Severe fractures and crushed extremities can lead to amputation or a lifetime of limited mobility. Yet road rash is one injury many people do not consider—and it can be significantly more severe than many believe.

Road rash is the name for a severe road burn or abrasion that occurs when a biker slides across the asphalt during an accident. If the motorcyclist is not wearing protective clothing at the time of the crash, his or her skin comes in direct contact with the pavement, leading to severe and often serious road rash injuries.

Road rash can be divided into three types based on their severity and the degree of injury suffered.

  • First Degree Road Rash: much like a burn, this type of road rash causes the skin to redden. While it can be a bit painful, no medical treatment is needed for this type of road rash.
  • Second Degree Road Rash: this type of road rash results when the outer layer of skin breaks. There may be bleeding and pain, but there should be little risk of scarring. Over the counter ointment is all that is needed to treat this type of road rash.
  • Third Degree Road Rash: This is the most severe type of road rash and occurs when all 5 layers of skin are exposed. Third degree road rash is very susceptible to serious infections, such as staph infections and MRSA. It can also result in permanent scarring and may require IV antibiotic medications, cosmetic surgeries, and even skin grafts to repair. Permanent damage to the muscles and tissues can also occur if not treated promptly.

Road rash is often more serious than many believe. If multiple body parts are injured, the victim could be hospitalized for weeks and plastic surgeons may need to be consulted to minimize scarring and repair the wound. Embedded glass, rocks, and road debris also increase the likelihood of injured bikers developing serious and life-threatening infections, further compromising their recovery.

Contact Seattle Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Report Shows Seattle Drivers Some of the Worst in the Country

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Seattle TrafficAllstate released its 9th annual “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report” and the results showed that Seattle drivers were some of the worst in the country. If you’ve ever driven through Seattle during rush hour traffic, you may agree with their results. Yet just how bad are Seattle drivers?

Allstate studied customers in 200 of the largest cities in the United States. According to their statistics, drivers in Seattle get into a crash once every 7.8 years. This is significantly higher than the national average of one crash every 10 years. In fact, it was so bad that Seattle ranked 160th out of 200 cities for safe drivers. And it seems that drivers in Seattle are getting worse. Last year, Seattle ranked 154th.

So what can be done about our bad driving? Drivers in Seattle can follow a few simple safety tips while driving.

  • Give Yourself Time: Allow yourself plenty of time to reach your destination. This prevents drivers from growing impatient and speeding, driving aggressively, or performing other dangerous driving maneuvers.
  • Listen to the Traffic Reports: Drivers who know what road situations are like can plan accordingly. This may mean leaving the house earlier than expected, taking an alternate route, or changing your plans all together.
  • Avoid Distracted Driving: Avoid using your cellphone while driving and try to keep your eyes and attention on the road in front of you. Stay focused and watch other cars to avoid collisions.
  • Keep Safe Distances Between Vehicles: Avoid tailgating and keep a safe distance behind other drivers. This will allow you time to react in emergency situations and apply the brake. Give even more distance when you are behind large vehicles, like semi-trucks, and never ever drive in a truck or car’s blind spot.
  • Watch for Pedestrians: At intersections and in neighborhoods, pay close attention to pedestrians in the road. Pedestrians are not always looking out for cars, so motor vehicle drivers should be even more vigilant, especially when there are young children playing nearby.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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Establishing Fault after a Pedestrian Accident

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In 2011, 4,432 pedestrians were killed and 70,000 injured in traffic accidents across the United States. On average, a pedestrian is injured every 8 minutes in traffic crashes. While these statistics are startling, they are not new. Pedestrian accidents have been on the increase in recent years due to numerous factors, including texting, distracted driving, and driving impaired.

As with all motor vehicle accidents, it is important to establish who is at fault for the accident. After all, not all pedestrian accidents are the fault of the motorist. Small children may inadvertently run out in front of an oncoming car or a pedestrian who is texting while walking may suddenly walk into an intersection unaware.

The State of Washington is a pure comparative negligence state. This means that a judge or jury will determine the level of responsibility you had for your accident. Then you are responsible for your percentage of the damages.

For example:

Susan was crossing the street not at a designated crosswalk. The driver of the vehicle was speeding around the curve when he hit Susan and caused serious injuries. If a judge determined that Susan was 40% responsible for her accident since she was not crossing the street at a crosswalk, then Susan would be responsible for 40% of her injuries and expenses. The negligent driver would be responsible for 60%.

Immediately after you are injured, it is important to contact an experienced Seattle pedestrian accident attorney. Your attorney will need to gather evidence to show that the driver of the vehicle was at fault for your injuries. To do this, accident recreation experts, eyewitnesses, and police reports might be needed. Determining fault is the key to obtaining the maximum compensation following a devastating pedestrian accident. Without legal representation, you risk receiving far less than you need to fully recover.

Once fault is established, your attorney will be able to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company to ensure that you are compensated for your injuries. A personal injury lawsuit may also be filed to obtain money for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship.

Contact Seattle Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle pedestrian accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Are Little Cars Really Safe?

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Crash Image From IIHS TestingIf you are considering a minicar as your next automobile purchase, you may want to think again. While smaller cars are becoming popular, they do not stand up to overall crash testing nearly as well as larger vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small overlap front crash test found that only 1 minicar out of 11 that were tested achieved an acceptable rating. The rest—FAILED.

Among those tested, only the Chevrolet Spark received an acceptable rating and good ratings in the Institute’s four other crashworthiness evaluations. This was enough to earn the Spark the 2014 Top Safety Pick award. No other minicar passed the test.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “The small overlap front crash test replicates that happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or object, such as a tree or utility pole”. When they perform the test, 25% of the minicar’s front end on the driver’s side must strike a rigid barrier—at 40 mph. This effectively bypasses the front-end crush zone and makes this test more difficult than other head-on crash tests.

While car manufacturers have found a way to improve vehicle structures on larger automobiles to achieve safety in these tests, minicars are at a disadvantage. Small cars are also at a disadvantage, but as a group, they performed better than minicars. 10 out of 17 small cars tested were able to achieve at least acceptable ratings.

When an automobile doesn’t perform well on the overlap front crash test, it means that vehicle structure is compromised. This can knock airbags out of place and collapse the driver compartment drastically causing serious and fatal injuries.

Of all the minicars evaluated, the Honda Fit and the Fiat 500 fared the worst with serious issues. The Fiat 500 even had its driver door torn off at the hinges. The crash test dummy also hit his head on the instrument panel because the airbag was compromised. He also sustained serious leg injuries as the steering components were pushed back into the dummy model.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car crash attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors are More Likely to Die Young

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A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry followed hundreds of thousands of traumatic brain injury patients in Sweden over four decades. The results were surprising. Even once traumatic brain injury victims recover from their injuries, they are more likely to die from suicide or accidents at an earlier age. In particular, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury patients were three times more likely to die prematurely than people without such injuries.

This research lends credibility to the belief that trauma to the brain can be deadly in ways that are not immediately apparent. This could result in physicians and psychiatrists monitoring traumatic brain injury survivors for depression and other types of behaviors long after they have recovered.

The data from the study focused on brain injuries involving skull fractures, internal bleeding and loss of consciousness for more than an hour. Yet the data also suggested that there were similar associations when people sustain concussions.

In particular, the data showed that the brain injury group had 574 deaths from various accidents and 522 deaths from suicides. The fatal accident rate of this traumatic brain injury group was 4x that of the control group, while they were 3x more likely to commit suicide.

What about mild brain injuries? Researchers conducted a separate analysis of 333,118 people who had sustained concussions and found that they were 2x as likely to die prematurely.

This new research has the potential to shake up how we view traumatic brain injuries. Presently, most of the focus is on short-term survival and recovery. Now, it seems that even once they survive and recover, traumatic brain injury victims are still not out of the woods.

If you or someone you love has sustained a traumatic brain injury in an accident, it is important to understand how your injury could affect your life—and your future. Since traumatic brain injury victims may be at an increased risk for psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, depression, and premature death, any compensation you receive should reflect these new findings.

Contact Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys

Traumatic brain injury victims are not alone–an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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