Safeguarding Your Spring Break Texting Behind the Wheel GLP Spotlight Cases Community Events Friends & Family Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys We are a team of legal professionals working together to advocate for the injured while being recognized in the community as providing the highest level of service. A Personal Touch Our attorneys, paralegals and entire staff are dedicated to providing professional advocacy, along with caring and supportive guidance in the area of personal injury law. We undertake all aspects of a case to alleviate the stress and frustration inevitably created by the claims process, thereby leaving our clients free to focus on their treatment and rehabilitation. VOLUME 12.1 1ST QUARTER 2011 N E W S L E T T E R Spring break can be an exciting time to get away from school or work and relax while enjoying the long-awaited spring weather. Many people use their time off to take out-of- state trips to visit friends and family. But, in the midst of all of the spring break excitement, we must acknowledge the potential dangers of travel so that we can take necessary precautions to keep ourselves and those around us safe, particularly if your spring break travels take you outside of the United States. Everydayhealth.com provides travel tips to make your spring break safer and more enjoyable. Consider the following: 1. Make sure you have the correct and valid documents for your travels: • Check the expiration date on your passport. Some countries will not let you in if the expiration date is getting close. It is recommended that your passport is valid for at least six months after the date you arrive in another country; • Get a visa if required by the country you plan to visit; • Consider purchasing travel insurance. 2. Educate yourself on the heath requirements for the countries you are visiting and get any necessary vaccinations well ahead of time. 3. If you take medications, make sure you bring enough for your trip, plus a little extra in case of emergencies. 4. Research the laws and customs for the places you are visiting and respect them while you are there. 5. Protect your personal belongings – this includes all of the documents you bring with you and your luggage. Don’t leave your belongings unattended or with someone you do not fully trust. Keep wallets and purses close to you at all times. Consider buying a money belt (a small pouch that ties around your waist under your clothing). 6. If traveling with children, keep a close eye on them at all times. Keep their documents with yours in a safe, accessible location. 7. Keep an eye on your surroundings and use your own judgment. If something about a situation or a person does not feel right, listen to your instincts. 8. Send your travel plans to someone you trust before you leave. In case of an emergency, they will know your flight information, where you will be staying and what areas you plan on visiting. 9. If you need to call home during your trip, look into getting a calling card. Out of state cell phone charges can often be expensive. 10. If you are going someplace warm, don’t forget sunscreen! Following these few simple tips will insure that you have a wonderful time during your spring break and come home safe and refreshed. Page 1 www.glpattorneys.com Safeguarding Your Spring Break Cover Image: www.swiftpassport.com/blog/ P. 1 P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 This Issue
Transcript
Safeguarding Your Spring Break
Texting Behind the Wheel
GLP Spotlight Cases
Community Events
Friends & Family
Exper ienced Personal
In jury At torneys
We are a team of legal
professionals working
together to advocate for
the injured while being
r e cogn i zed i n t h e
community as providing
the highest level of service.
A Personal Touch
Our attorneys, paralegals
and entire staff are
dedicated to providing
professional advocacy,
along with caring and
supportive guidance in the
area of personal injury law.
We undertake all aspects
of a case to alleviate the
stress and frustration
inevitably created by the
claims process, thereby
leaving our clients free to
focus on their treatment
and rehabilitation.
VOLUME 12.1 1ST QUARTER 2011
N E W S L E T T E R
Spring break can be an exciting time to get
away from school or work and relax while
enjoying the long-awaited spring weather.
Many people use their time off to take out-of-
state trips to visit friends and family. But, in
the midst of all of the spring break
excitement, we must acknowledge the
potential dangers of travel so that we can
take necessary precautions to keep ourselves
and those around us safe, particularly if your
spring break travels take you outside of the
United States.
Everydayhealth.com provides travel tips to
make your spring break safer and more
enjoyable. Consider the following:
1. Make sure you have the correct and valid
documents for your travels:
• Check the expiration date on your
passport. Some countries will not let you
in if the expiration date is getting close. It
is recommended that your passport is
valid for at least six months after the date
you arrive in another country;
• Get a visa if required by the country you
plan to visit;
• Consider purchasing travel insurance.
2. Educate yourself on the heath
requirements for the countries you are
visiting and get any necessary
vaccinations well ahead of time.
3. If you take medications, make sure you
bring enough for your trip, plus a little
extra in case of emergencies.
4. Research the laws and customs for the
places you are visiting and respect them
while you are there.
5. Protect your personal belongings – this
includes all of the documents you bring
with you and your luggage. Don’t leave
your belongings unattended or with
someone you do not fully trust. Keep
wallets and purses close to you at all
times. Consider buying a money belt (a
small pouch that ties around your waist
under your clothing).
6. If traveling with children, keep a close eye
on them at all times. Keep their
documents with yours in a safe,
accessible location.
7. Keep an eye on your surroundings and
use your own judgment. If something
about a situation or a person does not
feel right, listen to your instincts.
8. Send your travel plans to someone you
trust before you leave. In case of an
emergency, they will know your flight
information, where you will be staying
and what areas you plan on visiting.
9. If you need to call home during your trip,
look into getting a calling card. Out of
state cell phone charges can often be
expensive.
10. If you are going someplace warm, don’t
forget sunscreen!
Following these few simple tips will insure
that you have a wonderful time during your
spring break and come home safe and
refreshed.
Page 1 www.glpattorneys.com
Safeguarding Your Spring Break
Cover Image: www.swiftpassport.com/blog/
P. 1
P. 2
P. 3
P. 4
This Issue
Protecting Your Rights As An Injured Person
The attorneys at Graham
Lundberg & Peschel only
handle personal injury cases.
We are an experienced law
firm fully staffed to assist
injured parties.
We dedicate all of our
resources and highly trained
support staff to guide an
injured person through the
complexities of a case. We
work diligently to obtain fair
compensation for our clients.
Benefits may include:
• Medical Expenses
• Lost Wages
• Loss of Future Earnings
• Property Loss
• Pain & Suffering
• Impairment & Disability
Our Firm Has Extensive
Experience In A Wide
Variety Of Personal
Injury Cases, Including:
• Motor Vehicle Collisions
• Pedestrian vs. Vehicle
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Construction Site Injuries
• Workplace Injuries
• Unsafe Property
• Defective Products
• Dangerous Products
• Wrongful Death
Page 2 www.glpattorneys.com
Over the last few years, texting has become
a primary means of communication,
especially for teenagers. Sending a text is
quick, easy, and convenient when you are
busy and don’t have time for a full
conversation. However, texting while driving
is a hazardous and potentially deadly
endeavor. Driving requires your full attention
and focus on the road at all times. When
someone is texting behind the wheel, their
eyes are focused on writing the text, and this
distraction puts the driver, all other drivers,
and pedestrians at unnecessary risk.
According to texting-while-driving.org, there
is no national law banning texting while
driving, but 30 states have laws in place to
keep citizens from texting and driving. The
Washington State Department of Licensing
reports that, since 2007, getting pulled over
and ticketed for using a cell phone while
driving was a secondary offense, meaning
that you would have to be pulled over for
another violation, and then receive an
enhanced citation for using a cell phone.
However, in 2010, Washington law changed
the violation to a primary traffic offense,
meaning that a driver could be pulled over
and ticketed if a police officer spotted him or
her holding a cell phone. The law now
requires drivers to use hands free devices for
speaking on a cell phone, and texting while
driving is absolutely prohibited. As of June
2010, holding a wireless device while driving,
whether you are talking or sending a text
message, will result in a $124 ticket.
The Washington State Department of
Licensing also reports that in 2008, 6,000
people were killed and 500,000 were injured
in car accidents nationwide where the driver
was distracted. The level of distraction for a
texting driver has been compared to the
level of impairment for an intoxicated driver
with a .16 blood-alcohol level, which is
double the legal limit! The Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety has found that
people who use cell phones while driving are
four times more likely to get into an accident
than drivers who are not distracted. A study
done by Virginia Tech concluded that drivers
who were texting while driving were at a 20
times greater risk of having an accident.
Many organizations and celebrities have
recently put texting and driving in the
headlines. Oprah Winfrey started a No
Texting Campaign. You can sign her “No
Phone Zone Pledge” on her Website (http://
www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-
zone.html).
Since texting while driving can be an
overwhelming temptation, many experts
suggest that you simply keep your phone out
of reach while you drive, which will eliminate
its accessibility. Any messages that you may
receive can wait until you reach a safe place
to respond. If you are anticipating a message
that is urgent, pull over to a safe area of the
road and then respond. Education about the
effects of texting while driving is the most
useful tool in reducing the number of
accidents, injuries and deaths caused by this
dangerous activity. Help spread the word
and make Washington roadways safer!
The Dangers of Texting While Driving
Image: http://thelynxnewspaper.com
More Texting & Driving Information: www.cnbc.com/id/31545004/site/14081545
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?
storyId=124081093
GLP Spotlight Cases Do You Have Questions About Your Accident?
Crash Course 101:
Achieving Physical &
Financial Recovery
After An Accident
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idea for our Friends
& F a m i l y
N e w s l e t t e r ?
S u bm i t y o u r
requests and your
idea could be in our
next edition!
Contact
Lindsey Johnson
1-800-273-5005
Page 3 www.glpattorneys.com
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North Sound 1-800-422-4610
The owner of an Everett nursing home agreed to pay $3.5 million to the family of a 97-year-
old man for inadequate care he received while at the Everett Rehabilitation and Care Center.
James Gooding of Graham Lundberg & Peschel represented the man and his estate.
In 2009, a lawsuit was filed stating that the nursing home staff failed to properly care for a
patient who had developed penile cancer and failed to no-
tify the man’s family or his primary doctor that his genitalia
were disintegrating. The nursing home was understaffed
and state inspectors determined that the home had failed
to meet a federal standard of care. A wound, first found on
the man in November 2007, went untreated for four
months until a doctor reported that the man’s penis was
gone and instead he had a gaping wound. The man then
died March 31, 2008.
For the entire Herald article, visit:
h t t p : / / w w w . h e r a l d n e t . c o m / a r t i c l e / 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 9 /
NEWS01/701199873
The attorneys at Graham Lundberg & Peschel are dedicated to
assisting those who are injured through no fault of their own,
and holding any wrongdoer accountable for negligent actions
leading to injury and death. The summaries below highlight re-
cent cases in which our attorneys provided justice to injured
parties and their families.
Sean Ayres of Graham Lundberg & Peschel recently represented a young gentleman who was
unfortunately struck head-on by another vehicle while
driving on a rural highway in southwestern
Washington. The combined impact speed of the two
vehicles exceeded 100 miles per hour. Our client suffered
significant injuries to his left foot and lower back as a result
of the explosive impact.
In 2010, a lawsuit was filed in Grays Harbor Superior Court
against the other driver and his employer for
negligence. After extensive trial preparation and discovery
the case was successfully resolved at mediation against the
