The following is a guest post by George Williams, lead blogger for Denver accident lawyer Daniel R. Rosen.

Ruth Bascom was known as Eugene, Oregon’s “Bicycling Mayor” during her term as the city’s first female mayor from 1993 to 1997. A powerful voice in favor of bicycle trails, Mayor Bascom commuted to City Hall on her bike quite often during her term. She also chaired both the Eugene Bicycle Committee and the Oregon Bicycle Advisory Committee. Two years ago, the 84 year-old Mayor was forced to give up cycling due to her age.

On August 11th, Mrs. Bascom was involved in a car accident north of Burns, Oregon that has left her in critical condition. KMTR reports that her husband, who was behind the wheel at the time, suffered only minor injuries. KMTR summarizes the crash:

On August 11, 2010 at approximately 4:30 p.m. a 2009 Toyota Prius driven by John Bascom, age 85, from Eugene, was southbound on Highway 395 near milepost 56 when he reportedly fell asleep. The car traveled across the northbound lane, off the highway and struck several road side boulders and trees.

Jeff Wright, a reporter for The Register-Guard, brings us more details on the Bicycling Mayor’s condition:

Former Eugene Mayor Ruth Bascom is in intensive care at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend after suffering multiple bone fractures, including a neck fracture, in a car accident near Burns, state police and family members said Sunday.

Wright also reports that Mrs. Bascom so far seems free of signs of paralysis, which is a distinct worry with spinal injuries. Mr. Bascom is quoted as saying that he thinks his wife’s injuries were caused by a combination of deploying airbags and his wife’s brittle bones.

We wish Mrs. Bascom, as well as her family, the best as she recovers from this accident.

Source: “Former mayor injured in crash,” The Register-Guard, 08/16/10
Source: “Former Eugene Mayor Ruth Bascom seriously hurt in accident,” KMTR, 08/15/10

The Law Offices of Daniel R. Rosen, PC is a Denver-based personal injury firm with 10 offices throughout Colorado. Dan Rosen has over 25 years experience as a Colorado personal injury lawyer, specializing in car and motorcycle accident cases. He personally handles every single case that comes across his desk. Call 303.454.8000 for a free consultation.

Tragedy can strike anytime, as was underscored when a 26-year-old man was shot in NE Portland in June. The man was with friends when he was shot, and was still breathing when 911 was called. Taken to a nearby hospital, he died shortly thereafter. Although the shooting was deemed accidental, another man was charged with criminal negligent homicide, and police removed several guns from the house.

In addition to the criminal charge, the event could possibly result in a wrongful death lawsuit. This type of lawsuit is generally filed by family members whose loved ones have died unexpectedly because of someone’s carelessness. Wrongful death suits can typically arise from motor vehicle accidents, driving under the influence cases, medical malpractice, construction accidents, airplane accidents, assaults, and defective products.

Under a wrongful death claim, family members of the deceased seek damages to pay funeral and burial costs, as well as medical and other bills. Oftentimes, they also seek compensation for

• their pain and suffering
• loss of consortium (loss of companionship)
• loss of future earnings anticipated over the deceased’s lifetime
• loss of victim’s benefits (insurance, 401k)
• Other out-of-pocket expenses

Wrongful death lawyers can help a family sort out the issues and determine if a case is appropriate for a wrongful death suit.

How much a family receives in such a case depends on many factors, including:

• age of victim
• health of victim
• age and health of the heirs
• life expectancy of the victim
• life expectancy of the heirs
• financial loss of victim and heirs
• amount of insurance coverage
• negligent party’s assets

In most cases, wrongful death lawyers do not charge clients any fees unless they win the damages.

Dolan Law Offices is a wrongful death law firm in Chicago that is committed to providing excellent legal services to its clients. Its experienced wrongful death lawyers can help families of wrongful death victims in Chicago and in the entire Illinois state obtain full and just compensation.

Dolan Law Offices

10 South Lasalle Street #3712

Chicago, IL 60603

(312) 676-7600

Demonstration of Blind Spot Problems with TriMet Bus

Is it just driver error or are drivers set up for failure due to problems with the visibility from the bus?  TriMet was asked to raise the driver side mirrors and to eliminate or reduce left turns long before the April 24, 2010 travesty in Portland.  Pressure from the media and public seems to get TriMet’s attention so make sure your voice is heard.

Tri-Met admitted fault but did not offer Pat close to fair value to settle the case until the weekend before trial.  Pat had to move out of her condo in NE Portland and move to a retirement community.  Fortunately, her dog survived but she is no longer able to walk him due to her injuries and had to have a family member take her dog.

The trial was to begin May 3, 2010 in Multnomah County Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

The Oregonian has been reporting on the Tri-Met incidents where pedestrians have been run over in the crosswalk while drivers were making left turns.

Tri-Met settled the case for what we have been told was the highest personal injury settlement Tri-Met has paid.  Jane Paulson in our office represented Pat.  The incident happened while Oregon’s tort claim cap for public entities was $200,000 ($100,000 for economic damages and $100,000 for non-economic damages).  We filed the case and planned to challenge the cap which is what resulted in the higher settlement.

The Journal of Trauma reported that between 1990 and 2007, emergency rooms in the United States treated more than 565,000 injuries caused by table saws. Many of these injuries affected the hand. Now, no doubt using power tools requires caution and care, but is there something manufacturers could have done to make table saws safer to begin with?

Oregon company SawStop believes so. SawStop makes a device specifically designed to prevent the saw of a table saw from slicing through a human body part. The patented device triggers a brake when the saw blade comes into contact with flesh. The device was created in 1999 and seemed a sure hit–the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission awarded the company a Chairman’s Commendation, and it won Popular Science magazine’s 100 Best New Innovations award. SawStop met with a number of power tool manufacturers, hoping to sell licenses to get their devices onto table saws, but interest dried. Ryobi had signed a contract with SawStop but then changed its mind in 2002.

Undaunted, SawStop chose to manufacturer its own line of table saws. It currently offers three models, ranging in price from $1,600 to $5,000. The saws cost quite a bit more than other brands of table saws, but can you put a price on safety? Apparently the big manufacturers can, and do.

To learn more about SawStop and what it would take for manufacturers to incorporate such a safety device, see this article from the Oregonian.

The effects of traumatic brain injuries often continue long after an accident occurs.  The Brain Injury Association of America cites a study that indicates that 40% of patients who were hospitalized for traumatic brain injuries at the time of their accident continue to have unmet needs one year after their accident.  Those unmet needs vary from patient to patient and often fall into one of the following three categories:

* Physical Needs: common physical needs include problems with everyday life skills and functioning as well as an elevated risk for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.  Problems with memory and problems solving are also common.
* Financial Needs: the physical impact of a traumatic brain injury can cause brain injury victims to lose time from work and negatively impact their income. Additionally, medical and rehabilitation bills may not be fully covered by insurance and can quickly become a financial burden.
* Emotional Needs: many brain injury victims have trouble controlling their aggression and their temper.  They may be unable to handle stresses and emotional upsets.  They may be unable to maintain the same friendships and familial relationships that they did prior to their injuries.

If you, or a loved one, have suffered a traumatic brain injury then it is important to think about your current and long term needs.  An experienced brain injury lawyer can help you recover damages to meet all of your current and anticipated needs.  Please contact a brain injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident to protect your right to recovery and to get the compensation that you deserve.

Dolan Law Offices is a personal injury firm located in Chicago. We concentrate our practice on trucking accidents in Illinois. We are committed to fighting for full and fair compensation for victims.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10056.html

Amby Baby is aware of two infant suffocation deaths in the Amby Baby hammock. In June 2009, a 4-month-old girl in Lawrenceville, Ga died in a baby hammock and in August 2009, a 5-month-old boy from Gresham, Ore.

Our firm is working with the family of the boy in Gresham who died while in the Amby Hammock.