Seattle Personal Injury Law Blog

On October 6, 20 people were killed in a horrific limousine accident in upstate New York. All 18 passengers, including the driver, and two pedestrians lost their lives in the accident. It is the deadliest traffic accident in the U.S. in nearly 10 years.

While the cause of the accident is still unclear, we know that certain warning signs were missed. The limousine involved in the accident failed safety inspections. Additionally, the driver of the limo did not have the proper driver's license to operate a limousine.

Child restraints were once limited to car seats, but times are changing. The law in Washington now includes booster seats for older and bigger children. According to the Washington State Booster Seat Coalition, because seat belts are designed for full grown, adult bodies, you need to use child restraints for children riding in your vehicle.

The law states your child must be in a booster seat until he or she is eight years old or four feet nine inches tall. The Anton Skeen Act initiated this requirement. The booster seat raises the child up so the seat belt can sit on the body in the correct spots. This allows it to protect smaller bodies in the same way it protects adults.

When you have to stay at the hospital, you are placing a high amount of trust in the professionals who work there to provide you with a safe, compassionate and respectful experience. The staff includes doctors, nurses, receptionists and even janitors who are responsible for ensuring the sanitation of the environment you are in. At Elk & Elk, we have helped many patients in Washington who have been the victims of preventable medical negligence. 

If you are suffering from a medical condition that requires hospitalization, the last thing you should be worried about is your safety and wellbeing. However, because you are at risk of being the victim of human error, it is imperative that you take preventative measures yourself, to keep your body safe and unharmed. One of the suggestions you have probably heard before is the importance of washing your hands frequently when you come in contact with certain surfaces. While this is important, there are lots of other important things that you can do as well. According to Mercola, some of the things that you can do include the following:

• Ask your health care provider if you can be taking a probiotic which will help boost your immune system and reduce your risk of infection. 
• Pack sanitation wipes with you and thoroughly clean any surfaces that you will need to frequently touch. 
• If you need to be shaved for any surgery, request that an electric razor be used to minimize the risk of getting cut and exposed to infection. 

When doctors in Washington are cleared to begin practicing without the guidance and direction of instructors and industry professionals, they are entrusted to take their education, skills and experience to help their patients overcome symptoms and regain health. However, in some unfortunate circumstances, health care providers are unable to stand up to this requirement and may end up facilitating the injury or death of their patients. Often, this is due to miscommunication, fatigue or even blatant ignorance.

In a case that has made national headlines, the family of famed singer Prince, filed a negligence lawsuit against the doctor and other health care professionals who treated him in the time leading up to his death. The singer's death was ruled as an accidental overdose to the drug Fentanyl. The family claims that the doctor was aware of the singer's addiction to opioids, but did nothing to circumvent his habits which ultimately led to his death.