Seattle Personal Injury Blog

When you are dealing with the aftermath of having been involved in a car accident in Washington, there can be a lot of different factors to manage including insurance, medical expenses and treatments, car repairs and general legalities. At Dean Standish Perkins & Associates, we have been able to provide support to countless victims of automobile accidents. 

One area that will require a bit of attention is your car situation. Depending on the severity of your accident, you could be left without a car entirely. In a less severe accident, you may still have a vehicle, but one that requires extensive repairs before it is drivable again. In either situation, you will need to find transportation while you are without a vehicle which can be inconvenient and frustrating. Working with your insurance company to have the repairs completed in as timely a manner as possible will hopefully lessen the impact your accident has on your day-to-day transportation needs. 

It is no secret that the streets of Seattle can be dangerous. Whether you are a driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian or bicyclist, you are at risk for getting into a collision when crossing through busy intersections. There are plenty of ways to improve your safety, including using certain mobile apps. 

While smartphones may be a cause of distraction for some people, they can actually be useful for making you safer if you use them properly. Here is a look at some apps that make city intersections safer. 

When I first moved with my husband to Eastlake, he rode his bike downtown to work every day, rain or shine. Perhaps you know the route, a fairly low-key, even pretty, ride along Fairview Avenue to Boren and Stewart Streets--but when he got closer to the Pike/Pine corridor, the traffic picked up. So, too, did people running red lights, turning when the crosswalk sign lit up, and cutting off other drivers--as well as bike riders. On more than one occasion he came home telling me how he'd had to pound on the hood of a car to alert the driver to his presence, how he'd almost gotten run off the road.

When we moved south to Columbia City and his route included a large section of busy Rainier Avenue S., I worried even more. The ride had increased from 2.3 miles to 5.8, which meant a little more daily exercise (good) but a higher chance of a collision with a car (terrifying). After several rides, he switched to taking the light rail, and five years later, that's become his daily ride to work. I breathed a sigh of relief when he made the switch, but I know he misses the freedom and the exercise the biking offered.

I was never a bike commuter, but I learned from my husband's experience how incautious drivers can be and how inconsiderate of the needs of cyclists. The freedom and exercise of it, though, is wonderful--so, cyclists who persist in their more environmentally-friendly commute need to build in a little extra caution of their own to compensate for what drivers lack.

It's summer in Seattle--which for many of us in the greater Puget Sound Region means getting outdoors and camping. We want to soak up as much of the heat and sun as we can before autumn's dreary rain sets in again, so some of us may find ourselves headed to one of the many local RV dealers to help us on our way.

Any new Recreational Vehicle owners who've forgone a motorhome to become the new owner of a trailer should first learn how to safely tow their RV. A reliable vehicle capable of transporting additional weight will be critical to your ability to tow your RV with safety and confidence. To check this, consult your car or truck's manual to learn about the towing capacity, and make sure you purchase an RV trailer that is within this weight range (expert tip: this will include everything you put inside of the RV, too!).