Across these diverse counties, residents and visitors encounter gorgeous mountain views, extensive waterways, the beautiful Puget Sound, and the vast network of San Juan Islands.
Whatcom County has a population of approximately 200,000. The county seat and largest city is Bellingham. The county name ultimately derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, meaning "noisy water."
The largest industries in Whatcom County include manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. Whatcom County is the location of Western Washington University.
As of the 2010 census, its population was 78,506. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor. Its name reflects the fact that it is composed entirely of islands. It contains two large islands, Whidbey and Camano, and seven smaller islands - Baby, Ben Ure, Deception, Kalamut, Minor, Smith, and Strawberry.
San Juan County is a county located in the Salish Sea in the far northwestern corner of Washington State. As of the 2010 census, its population was 15,769. Of the hundreds of islands in the county, only 60 islands are inhabited.
Skagit County, with a population of 116,901, is situated in the gorgeous Skagit Valley. The county seat and largest city is Mount Vernon. The majestic Cascade Mountains stand to the east, overlooking a fertile valley boasting a variety of agricultural crops. Running through the valley is the powerful Skagit River flowing westward toward the beautiful San Juan Islands.
Snohomish County, with a population of 772,501, is the third-most populous county in Washington. The county seat and largest city is Everett. The county is located between the sparkling blue waters of Puget Sound and the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the Cascade Mountains. Snohomish County begins 12 miles north of Seattle, a little under 100 miles south of Vancouver, and a short ferry ride away from the San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula. Snohomish County is home to over 20,000 businesses, ranging from small family farms specializing in organic foods, to the world’s largest advanced manufacturing facility producing state-of art aerospace equipment.
The climate is generally mild and typical of the Puget Sound region. The year-long average daily high and low temperatures are 59 and 44.1 °F. The western region of the Northwest Interior has a marine oceanic climate that is strongly influenced by the Cascade Range and Olympic Mountains, and gets an average of 42 inches of rain per year.
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County car accidents;
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County pedestrian accidents;
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County motorcycle accidents;
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County bicycle accidents;
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County train accidents;
Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Snohomish County truck accidents.
Being injured in a serious accident is always a shocking and scary experience, and dealing with the aftermath is exhausting and stressful. Accident victims are forced to deal with hospitalization, medical treatments, missed work, and lost income, often while trying to manage pain and disability from their injuries. And then the insurance adjusters start circling. Find out more about accidents and what issues an injured person needs to be aware of by going to this link.
When someone has been injured or killed in a motor-vehicle collision, the accident victim and their family members are left with medical bills, lost income, and other costs. It is important to get legal assistance to help the accident victim recover, or when the accident is fatal, to help the family members get fully compensated for their losses. Learn more about how a Pacific Northwest personal injury attorney will help injured victims and families.
Mt. Baker Ski Resort, one of Washington's finest, has just opened much to the delight of skiers and boarders in Bellingham and Whatcom County. Personal injury attorney Bill Coats writes tips on how to stay safe and avoid the devastating injuries that can occur when skiers or snowboarders collide.
The most common cause of death to skiers and snowboarders is head injuries, which can be mitigated by 22–60% by the use of helmets. For other tips on staying safe when enjoying a day at the slopes, click here.
Just like on the roads, ski slopes also have rules and right-of-ways. Some of the worst accidents we hear of are caused by skiers and snowboarders not paying attention to other people around them. It can be a catastrophic, and sometimes deadly, surprise to be blind-sided by someone traveling up to 80 mph (for Olympic skiers, at least). Here are some tips on how to ski and snowboard safely.
If your spine has been injured because of an auto accident, imagine all the tasks that suddenly are at best arduous, at worst impossible. It's hard to think of all the things one does in a given day that wouldn't be affected. If another person's negligence causes these problems for you, the law is on your side to get you fair compensation for the challenges you have sustained. In this video, Bill Coats talks about substitute domestic services, as aspect of a personal injury claim that helps accident victims get help around the house.
One of the most important aspects of figuring out a fair settlement is including money for lost wages. Lost wages don't just mean the time off of work someone had to take while recovering from injuries. What if you can't go back to the same job you had before and must take a lower paying job instead? Check out this video on wage loss to determine if you might be due more money for your claim than the insurance company is trying to offer.
Imagine you're the victim of a car accident. You're on the phone with the adjuster from the at-fault driver's insurance company. Are you going to be able to think of all the ways this accident has and will continue to affect your life? Click here for a video on an easy-to-overlook aspect of how an injured person's life can be affected from a car accident.
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.
Bellingham personal injury lawyer Bill Coats recorded a series of videos to discuss common policies and pitfalls of the insurance claims process. One of these is called subrogation, and is an important concept that accident victims and survivors of those who were fatally injured need to know. To learn more about this common insurance policy aspect, click here.
It's a shocking title for my video about a fairly common policy that takes many accident victims by surprise. For more information on reimbursement, or subrogation, after an auto accident, click here.
Most accident victims don't know when they sign up for their auto or health insurance policy that if they are hurt in an accident due to someone else's fault, they may have to reimburse their own health insurance company for paying medical bills. However, it's not as bad as it sounds. I made this video to educate consumers on reimbursing health insurers after an auto accident.
Melissa Vander Waal, 22, of Sumas was driving south at about 7 a.m. when her 2000 Ford Focus swerved into the northbound lane. Coral Bernal, 25, of Bellingham, was headed north and saw the Ford move into her lane.
