Articles Posted in Personal Injury

An Amtrak train killed a teen in Centralia on Saturday afternoon, police said. The 15-year-old boy was on his bike when he was hit. According to police, a friend of the boy was following close behind, but was uninjured.

The train/bike collision happened in the 600 block of South Tower Avenue. There were witnesses to the accident who say that the teens crossed the tracks at a designated crossing.

“I heard a big, like, crash against metal and then I heard like just like the bike come smashing down,” said one witness.

There has been an increase of legislation and lawsuits involving plastic water bottles across the country. In the suits, the plaintiffs claim that toxic chemical in plastic bottles could make people sick.

The chemical in question is known as bisphenol A (BPA), and it is found in polycarbonate bottles, CDs, DVDs and dental sealants. BPA been linked to neurological and hormonal damage, and cancer.

Up to now, the Food and Drug Administration has not labeled BPA as an unsafe product, but in April a task force was formed by the FDA to investigate new health concerns.

But in the meantime, private lawsuits are rolling in. In California, a class action is pending against the makers of the Nalgene reusable sports bottle, claiming the company downplayed risks that BPA in its bottles could sicken consumers
According to Law.com, a class action is pending in Missouri against five baby-bottle manufacturers. The suit accuses them of failing to disclose information regarding the health effects of BPA used in baby bottles and training cups.
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A local family was robbed of nearly everything by a fire, and then a big insurance company tried to take the rest plus even more, sending the family a $420,000 bill.

Chris Christoffersen and her daughter Melissa woke up to devastation last October. Their apartment complex was engulfed in flames.

“I watched everything from throughout my life – gone. Gone in just a few seconds,” she said. But, with the donation of many household necessities, things were looking up until the family got a phone call from Farmers Insurance, which insures the apartment complex. According to Komonews.com, Farmers wanted $350,000 to repair the four units damaged in the fire.

“(I thought) I just lost everything in a fire five months ago and you want $350,000 from me?” Christoffersen said.

The fire was ruled accidental by the University Place Fire Department. It started in the area where Christoffersen’s couch was pushed against the baseboard heater.
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