All to often, I am seeing folks involved in motor vehicle collision not properly insured.  This goes for those who have caused a crash or those that are injured by someone causing a crash.

If you cause a crash and are not properly insured, you may expose your personal assets, including your home and any other real estate property to attack by the injured party and their legal representative.  It is important when you meet with your insurance agent that you discuss the level of insurance that you need to protect yourself and your family.  Don’t get caught with too little insurance.

Now, on the other hand, if you are injured by another party and that party does not have insurance or does not have adequate insurance, you may not receive just compensation unless you have Underinsured or Uninsured Motorist Coverage.  Commonly called UM or UIM coverage, this coverage is in place to protect you when injured by a party who has no insurance or too little insurance.  Again, it is important that you discuss with your insurance agent UM and UIM coverage.

These insurance issues should be discussed with your insurance agent on a periodic basis.

The summer months are upon us.  Travel upon our highways will increase as families travel to visit relatives or go on vacations to campgrounds, historic sites or other fun locations.  With summer highway travel safety is a major concern and must to the focus of both the driver, as well as, passengers.  Don’t be distracted with cellular phone use.  Texting and use of cellular phones while driving is a major cause of accidents and injuries.  Just don’t use your cellular phone while operating a motor vehicle.  Be alert to dangers on the highway, don’t speed unnecessarily and operate within the rules of the road.

I am happy to be recognized as one of Washington State’s top Trucking Accident Attorneys.  I am on the National Board of the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America.  This organization is made up of committed lawyers who have joined together to help eliminate unsafe and illegal interstate trucking practices.  It is through this organization and others like it that we are making America’s highways a safer place for travelers.

I am also involved in local and national Claimant organizations that are dedicated to protecting the rights of victims of Trucking Accidents, as well as, injury and wrongful claims.

It is important to make our communities safer and to allow the folks that make up our communities to live their lives to the fullest.

Today with snow all over the roadways here in the Pacific Northwest, roadway travel was limited. Those that had to go out faced conditions of icy roads, continuous snow flakes or ice rain and side roads that were difficult to navigate.  

Out there, crazy drivers went too fast, followed too close and tried to go up or down roadways that were simply in no condition for travel.  One thing that I did observe was number truck drivers on the snowy roadways and I did not seen a single incident of unsafe driving.  I saw truck drivers going slowly, maintaining a safe following distance and avoiding hills.  

Unfortunately, there were several Truck crashes on the highways.  For example, a semi-truck crashed through a guard rail near Olympia.  Often, these crashes are due to Truck drivers traveling too fast for winter driving conditions.

The winter weather conditions will hopefully improve soon.