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Anyone who has been involved in a serious pedestrian accident in Yakima or anywhere in Central Washington knows how terrifying the experience can be. The slow-motion nature of the crash itself, the sense of helplessness and fear during the event, and those awful moments following the crash when the extent of injury is unknown and the wait for help seems to take forever. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious car, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accident in Yakima, Pasco, Richmond, Kennewick, or anywhere in Central Washington, knows how frightening and traumatic the experience can be. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

Anyone who has been involved in a serious car, motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accident in Yakima or anywhere in Central Washington, knows how frightening and traumatic the experience can be. And for a fatality collision, the shock and trauma for all people involved can be unimaginable.

After any car accident, regardless of how serious the damage and injuries, an insurance claim is typically launched.

Here is an overview of the process and valuable information on insurance claims and settlements.

An insurance adjuster’s job is to:

When someone dies as the result of an accident or a negligent act in Yakima, Pasco, Richmond, Kennewick, or anywhere in Central Washington, certain survivors may file a wrongful death claim against the responsible party. The goal of a wrongful death claim is to recover financial compensation for the deceased's medical bills, funeral and burial expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of their companionship.

On Tuesday, Antoinette Jordan experienced every mother’s worst nightmare. After picking up her children from an Orlando daycare, she came back out to find that her car—along with her 9-month-old daughter—had disappeared. Jordan told reporters: "I thought somebody kidnapped her because my oldest daughter said, 'It was two white males [who] got in the car and they just left.'"

ATV rider and his lawyers win case against Honda Motor Company for negligent vehicle design

Accident Type: 
Other Type of Accident
Result Date: 
Monday, May 4, 1992
Monetary Result: 
$840,000
  Robert Rangel, 17, was riding his Honda three-wheeled all-terrain-vehicle at a popular off-road riding area in Southern California when he collided with a dunebuggy at a blind curve. In the accident, Rangel lost the use of his left arm, suffered possible brain damage, and facial injuries. He underwent one surgery and two hopitalizations totaling ten days. Due to his injuries, Rangel hired an attorney to sue the makers and dealers of the ATV, the Honda Motor Company. He and his lawyers alleged that the vehicle's design did not permit him to turn in time for the accident. In addition, formal training should have been recommended by the constructor and the dealers of the vehicle. They also claimed that a roll-over structure should have been a saftey feature on this ATV. Honda and its lawyers countered that Rangel entered a blind curve on the wrong side of the path and that he was at excessive speed. In the end, the jury sided with Rangel and his lawyers, awarding him $4,200,000, however he was found 80% at fault. Honda was found 5% at fault and the dealers 15%. Due to a joint and several liability law, which provided that a party at fault with the means to pay the full liability must do so, Honda payed Rangel $840,000.

Motorcyclist and his lawyers win his case after being injured in an accident with a vehicle in a funeral procession that ran a red light

Accident Type: 
Motorcycle Accident
Result Date: 
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Monetary Result: 
$790,000
John McCord was stopped at an intersection in Sacramento County, California on his motorcycle as a funeral procession was passing by on a cross-street. When the light turned green, he entered the intersection. A vehicle in the funeral procession, operated by Ivan Semenyuk, ran the red light, assuming he had the right-of-way in the procession, striking McCord. As a result of the accident, McCord suffered a fractured pelvis, requiring a total hip replacement, and a knee injury.  Mr. McCord decided to sue the parties involved in his accident, including Semenyuk; Wayne McMahon, the funeral escort officer controlling both the procession and the intersection; the California Funeral Escort Company and its owner, Sam Oliver; and the Lind Brothers Mortuary.  Mr. McCord and his lawyers argued that McMahon, the escort officer, was negligent in leaving the intersection before the procession had fully crossed it. He also argued that the mortuary company was negligent for only hiring a single motorcycle escort for a procession involving 50 to 75 cars over a six mile journey to the cemetary. In addition, Semenyuk was negligent for running the red light when the escorting officer was not present at the intersection. Semenyuk argued that while he did run the red light, the other defendents were responsible, since they had failed to control the intersection and the procession. The other defendents argued that the negligence was Semenyuk's alone, as he ran the red light when the escort officer was not present or in control of the intersection. In addition, the defending parties argued that the knee injury was pre-existing and that McCord would not require any future knee or hip surgeries. In the end, the jury sided with Mr. McCord and his attorneys. They awarded him $790,000, finding Semenyuk 5% liable, and McMahon and his employer 95% liable. The mortuary was not found liable.
"Worried about what to worry about? Accidents should move higher up your list. Worldwide, road injuries kill more people than AIDS. Falls kill nearly three times as many people as brain cancer. Drowning claims more lives than mothers dying in childbirth. Both fire and poisonings have many times more fatal victims than natural disasters. In 2013, the combined death toll from all unintentional injuries was 3.5 million people. Only heart disease and stroke were greater killers."  

"The effect of marijuana use on drivers just became a little less hazy – and not in the way legislators or medical experts might expect. A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that consuming marijuana does not elevate the crash risk of the driver, a result that’s leaving road safety decision-makers wanting more information."