Everyone knows the importance of wearing a seatbelt. The device can help prevent ejection from a vehicle in a roll over. It can also prevent an occupant from being thrown into the dashboard. So what if a person is not exercising good judgment and fails to buckle up? Well, for one thing it can…
A September 10th article from CNN Money.com reported the Congressional Budget Office, the federal agency charged with calculating how much money health care reform will cost or save, just estimated that medical malpractice costs – including defensive medicine – amount to less than 2% of overall health care spending. Yet the local Vancouver newspaper,…
The office of the State Insurance Commissioner is charged with overseeing the business of insurance in Washington. The agency plays an important consumer watchdog role in making sure Washington citizens don’t get fleeced or treated unfairly by an insurance company. Complaints to the agency are investigated and sometimes action is taken against an insurance…
A news release from US Newswire recently disclosed that thousands of trucking companies regularly violate federal safety regulations. Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was analyzed. Examples of the violations included inadequate insurance, bald tires, defective brakes and loads that dangerously exceed weight limits. Drivers with little or no training and…
Lately, there has been a trend by private medical insurance companies to request reimbursement out of any recovery an injured consumer receives as part of a settlement from a motor vehicle accident. Referred to as “subrogation”, more and more insurance companies are placing these provisions in their policies. In most claims, this doesn’t pose…
On many occasions an attorney practicing in the personal injury field has heard this question. I’m not sure where the saying arose. I’ve even heard insurance adjustors (especially when they can use it to their advantage) tell people a case is worth three times the medical bills. Let’s set the record straight, there is…
Can you sue your own car insurance company for an uninsured motorist who cause you accident? It’s a question that gets asked more often than you may realize. Many people carry uninsured motorist coverage on their auto policy. This way when an uninsured driver hits your car and causes an injury, you can look…
Both Oregon and Washington require drivers carry liability insurance to operate a vehicle on public roads. The liability coverage has to be at least $25,000 in amount. Often referred to as “full coverage” policies, this type of insurance is available to pay damages to anyone injured in a collision as a result of another…
It seems that all too often we hear about a family member who has physically or financially abused an elderly parent or relative. It may start out innocent enough, with the family member taking on the task of caring for the aging person with declining health. Dealing with an aging adult in failing health…
Every consumer in Oregon who wants to pilot a vehicle on the state’s highways is required to buy insurance. Every policy sold in Oregon is required by law to have certain minimum benefits. One of the benefits is Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, as it is referred to in the industry. This benefit pays…