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It’s not every day that you hear about a race discrimination and harassment case based on a hostile workplace environment. However, a recent seattletimes.nwsource.com article reported on such an incident. According to the report, the city of Seattle recently settled a discrimination lawsuit with an ex-employee of City Light for $812,250. The woman was awarded $503,000 in 2007 for race discrimination and harassment. Interestingly, the city’s appeal after the 2007 case resulted in the appeals courts upholding the harassment verdict, but dismissing the half a million dollar damage award due to the statute of limitations having already expired.

Based on the article, the jury determined that the woman had endured workplace hostility because of her race and that she was underpaid for the work she was doing. The jury verdict also found that City Light discriminated against her and another long-term employee who was awarded $947,000. At the time of the award, it was the fifth incident within ten years that City Light had either settled or had a jury rule against it in a racial-discrimination case. The four prior incidents cost the city-owned utility over $1 million.

Although the above mentioned case did not involve a personal injury accident that caused harm to a worker while on the job, the case is indicative of the many responsibilities that an employer has the duty of upholding. The discrimination case also emphasizes the importance of understanding the elements of the statue of limitations when filing a claim against another person or entity.
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The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled in an auto products liability case against Hyundai Motor Co. that the auto maker withheld evidence in a lawsuit over flawed seat design and should pay $8 million to a man who was rendered paraplegic in a car accident as a result of that auto product defect. According to a Bloomberg news report, the state’s high court reversed an appellate court ruling and reinstated a trial court’s judgment. The Olympia, Washington court, in its 7-2 ruling stated that the Korean auto maker tried to undermine the discovery of evidence in the 9-year-old case.

One of the Supreme Court justices said he hoped the ruling in addition to appropriately compensating the victim will also send a strong message to Hyundai and other corporations, deterring them from involving themselves in such “deliberate and willful discovery abuse.” The victim in this case sued Hyundai in 2000, three years after he was injured as a passenger in a Hyundai hatchback that went off the road. The victim was ejected from the rear window and claimed that his injuries were partly caused by design flaws in the seat, which collapsed during the crash. In 2006, the trial court found that Hyundai officials had falsely responded to the victim’s request for internal documents and police reports relating to previous accidents. The court found that this impeded the victim’s preparation for trial and undermined this important evidence.
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A 20-year-old Grandview, Washington, woman was killed after a drunk driver going the wrong way struck her vehicle head-on on the Interstate 82, the Tri-City Herald reports. The 49-year-old man was charged with vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say the man had been drinking beer before he got behind the wheel of his truck and drove the wrong way on the Interstate 82 slamming into a 2007 Chrysler 300 driven by the young victim. The wrong-way driver apparently had bloodshot and watery eyes and emitted a strong odor of alcohol. His speech was slurred and he admitted to drinking beer, Washington State Patrol officials said.

In Washington State, it is illegal to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is also against the law to drive with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher. If a DUI accident results in the death of an individual other than the drunk driver, the person will face vehicular manslaughter or vehicular homicide. Conviction on these charges could mean a lengthy prison time.
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A Washington car accident killed a 25-year-old man and injured five of his passengers including a toddler, The Kitsap Sun reports. Washington State Patrol officials said that the 1993 Dodge four-door was heading south on Highway 3 when it collided with a 2002 Toyota pickup truck heading north. According to officials, it was the driver of the Dodge who failed to yield right-of-way to the other vehicle. The driver of the Dodge was pronounced dead at the scene. Five passengers were taken to a Seattle hospital in serious condition. The driver of the Toyota pickup truck was apparently not injured.

A number of car accidents in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington occur as a result of drivers failing to yield the right-of-way at intersections. That’s exactly what happened in this car accident. The driver, whom officials say failed to yield the right-of-way, was killed, and all of his passengers were seriously injured. I hope that these injured victims recover from their injuries.
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As trusting consumers, we expect the food products we buy to be free of any substance or ingredient that may cause us harm, illness, or injury. When a food product’s labeling fails to include an important ingredient that many individuals are allegoric to, such as soy, it may be subject to a recall.

According to a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) report by the United States Department of Agriculture issued on November 4, 2009, Curly’s Food, Inc., has recalled an estimated 12,181 pounds of roast beef deli products. This recall is due to the deli products being accidentally mislabeled in that they contain an allergen – soy. Apparently, the mislabeling issue was revealed after a product check by Curly’s Food, Inc.

Based on the report, the roast beef deli products were made on October 5 and 12, 2009, and were circulated to retail-type delicatessens and Department of Defense Commissaries in Washington and 14 other U.S. states. The report on the recalled product states the following about the product: “Cases containing two (2) various size weight deli-faced pieces of “Healthy Ones, Medium Cooked Roast Beef, 97% Fat Free, No Fillers, No Artificial Flavors, Lower Sodium” in vacuum packaged bags. Each package bears a use by date of “01/03/2010” or “01/10/2010,” a case code of “30900-17856” as well as the establishment number “EST. 15878″ inside the USDA mark of inspection.”
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A Washington car accident involving a Valley Transit bus injured at least three people, the Union-Bulletin reports. The collision apparently occurred at the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Main Street in Walla Walla, Washington. There was not much information as to what caused the car accident. A city ambulance transported a 28-year-old woman to a local hospital with injuries. A 20-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man were treated at the scene for unspecified injuries, as well.

In any case where a collision occurs at a street intersection, it usually means that one of the vehicles did not yield right-of-way to the other. One of the vehicles may have also run a red light slamming into the other. In such cases, where a negligent driver may have caused an accident, he or she could be held liable for the accident or injuries caused. If the negligent driver works for a public or private bus carrier, then the bus company or transit authority could also be liable for the victims’ injuries.
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Construction workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in our nation. A recent wenatcheeworld.com report emphasizes this point as it discusses safety precautions at a Central Washington Hospital construction site. According to the article, the M.A. Mortenson Company project supervisor of the five-story building leads a crew of about 50 workers in stretching exercises to help prevent muscles from being pulled or strained. In addition to getting the workers warmed-up so that they aren’t injured while working in weather as low as 32 degrees, the project supervisor also warned the crew to be cautious of slippery conditions on the site resulting from the cooler weather.

The exercises these construction workers do stem from Mortenson’s Zero Injury safety program, which began in 1995. Based on the article, before this safety program was implemented, the company had a higher than average injury rate. Now however, the company has a lower than average industry injury rate. In fact, it recently broke the million mark for man-hours worked without any injuries occurring and resulting in lost work days. This number includes over 36,000 injury-free man-hours on the Central Washington Hospital site.
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A 43-year-old Seattle man has been killed in a rollover car accident involving several vehicles on the Interstate 5 just north of Highway 518, the News Tribune reports. The victim was apparently driving a 1996 black Toyota Land Cruiser heading south on the 5 Freeway when there was a crash between a white Ford Crown Victoria operated by a taxicab company and a Toyota Land Cruiser. After the impact, the Toyota rolled over and landed on its roof where it was struck by a 2000 Toyota Camry. The driver of the taxi and the Camry were not injured, but the driver of the Land Cruiser, who authorities say, was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead. The incident is still under investigation.

In cases that involve multiple vehicles and victims, it’s always a good idea to get legal representation, especially if you’ve suffered serious personal injury and damages. That’s because in these accidents, the investigation is bound to be complicated and will invariably involve insurance adjusters and attorneys for several other parties. There will be conflicting reports and accounts from those involved in the accident as well as eyewitnesses.
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A 22-year-old woman sustained critical injuries in a Washington pedestrian accident after a car hit her and left the scene. According to an article in the News Tribune, the young woman from Kent, Washington, was walking along the 2400 block of Benson Road when she was struck. Washington State Patrol troopers apparently found the woman in the northbound lanes of the roadway, 150 to 200 feet from where she was hit. The woman was transported to a Seattle hospital for treatment of critical injuries.

Pedestrian accidents can cause extremely critical injuries including traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, broken bones, coma or even death. In the United States, about 1,000 innocent pedestrians are injured every day by negligent drivers. According to the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT), there were a total of 5,648 pedestrian accidents in the state in 2007. In those incidents, there were 208 fatalities and 867 serious injuries.
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A 32-year-old bicyclist caused serious personal injuries to a 6-year-old boy near Pike Place Market in Seattle after he struck the child, who was walking in a crosswalk with his father and brother. According to a news report in the Seattle Times, the bicyclist was riding recklessly as he passed several cars, rode through a red light and hit the little boy, who was in a crosswalk. He tried to get back on his bike and ride away, but witnesses stopped him and held him until police arrived on scene. The child was taken to a Seattle hospital with a fractured jaw. According to the news report, the boy’s jaw had to be wired shut. Authorities say the bicyclist will be charged with vehicular assault and hit-and-run.

Tragic accidents such as this one occur everyday in Seattle. In this particular case, the child sustained serious injuries as a result of another individual’s negligence and blatant disregard for public safety. Asked by officials why he blew through the red light, the bicyclist told them that he thought he “could make it.” Negligent bicyclists and drivers should be held accountable for their actions, because those actions cause a lot of pain, emotional distress and financial strain to victims and their families. In this particular case, this little boy suffered serious facial injuries.
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