Advanced Search
Classes and Resources for Learning How To Be a Safer Boater
Boaters can't control a lot of things - the weather and other boaters being two of the more potentially unpredictable factors. But there is one thing boaters should try to perfect - safety. Click here for a valuable list of resources and tips on how to be a safer boater.
Tips on how to be a safer boater
It's up to boaters to prepare themselves for worst-case scenarios, and that begins with property boating safety. If you've never taken a boating safety course, every state and national boating agency will encourage you to do so - even if your state doesn't require it. If you're just taking a course to get your license, you're taking it for the wrong reason. Safety is much more important than a card in your wallet. Click here for classes and resources on how to avoid boating accidents.
Lost wages is one thing, but what if an accident victim can no longer keep up with household chores?
It's easy to take health for granted, but if you are the victim of a car crash, suddenly a lot of things in life that were easy to do are harder - or impossible - to manage. Everyone automatically wonders about if they'll be able to work at the same job enjoyed before the accident - but what about other tasks? Attorney Bill Coats in Bellingham, Washington, talks about a rather obscure-sounding part of personal injury law where you can get money for yard work and other chores. Click here to learn about substitute domestic services in personal injury claims.
Neck surgeries needed after a bike accident can mean expensive medical bills
Attorney Bill Coats’ took on a personal injury case in Bellingham, Washington, that involved multiple defendants. He obtained a settlement of over $1M for his client who experienced spinal injuries after a bike crash because of some high school kids' prank that went horribly wrong. So often, an injury to the neck or spine can mean complicated surgeries as well as a high incidence of chronic pain. While this particular case's story is unique and doesn't guarantee the same results for your case, it can help to get a glimpse of how the legal process works in personal injury claims with spinal and neck damage.
A heartbreaking case of negligence in a wrongful death claim
Negligence can come in so many forms, but in essence means that someone was supposed to do something in a certain way, and did not. This heart-breaking case shows how a personal injury lawyer in Bellingham, WA worked on a wrongful death claim for a child killed because of a long chain of unfortunate events that could have been prevented if not for a government official's negligence.
What if the negligent driver hit you and doesn't have insurance? You have options.
It's yet another shock after someone crashes into you to learn that they don't have insurance at all, or not enough to pay for your losses. Yet about a quarter of drivers on Washington State roads don't carry insurance at all, even though it is a state law that they must. But this doesn't mean that you are stuck with the bills for an accident that wasn't even your fault. Click here to learn what to do when the negligent driver doesn't have insurance.
Want to avoid a DUI? Try these tips
There are the old-fashioned methods of crashing on a friend's couch, or designating a sober driver. Modern technology such as apps for our ubiquitous smart phones is another way to make sure no one gets behind the wheel while drunk. Bellingham lawyer Bill Coats of Bill Coats Law works for the victims of drunk drivers on Washington roads and has a few ways we can all drive safer. For tips on avoiding a DUI, click here.
A staggering number of people are on their cell phones while driving at any given moment
660,000. Recent statistics show that's how many people are on their phones while driving at any given moment. Not only is this becoming increasingly illegal by state law, it also means that a texting driver is 25 times more likely to get in an accident. Click here to learn more staggering statistics on distracted driving from Bellingham, WA lawyer Bill Coats.
If your auto accident left you paralyzed, you may be entitled to compensation for future wage loss
Paralysis is a devastating consequence from an auto accident, one of the worst imaginable. Life will be different forever after, and many victims may have to leave a job and be re-trained for another kind that accommodate such a disability, though that may mean less pay. If so, there is a way to be compensated for that wage gap, and it's known as "future wage loss" in personal injury lawyer terms. Click to learn more about what to do if you're facing future wage loss due to paralysis.
This one device can help keep drunk drivers from doing further harm
About the size of a cell phone, an ignition interlock device is wired into the ignition system of a drunk driver's car. To go anywhere, the driver must blow into the device and register no alcohol on his or her breath. If there's a measurable amount, the car will not start. Does this device work? Yes, and here's how.