For centuries, mariners have battled the Columbia River Bar, naming it the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” This June the treacherous Bar, where the Columbia River’s mighty current collides with Pacific Ocean swells, claimed another fatality. On June 20, 2014 at 9:20 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard reported that a boat had capsized while attempting to…
Back in the old days insurers would offer peanuts on injury cases worth less than $10,000 because insurers believed few personal injury lawyers would take such cases due to the cost of litigation relative to the value of a case. To address this problem the Oregon legislature enacted ORS 20.080. That law provides for attorney fees and…
Who in the world earns 5 Bronze Stars, a Purple Hart and two Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry? My military school mentor—Master Sargent James Smith. 1980… Mount St. Helen erupts showering Portland with ash. Meanwhile, I was 17-year-old high school junior attending military school. I marched, saluted and fired howitzers for four years as a cadet at…
We’ve seen quite a number of auto accidents occurring in the presence of icy road conditions in Oregon already this winter, making it especially important that you secure your most precious and vulnerable love ones in the event of an accident. On January 23, 2014 at approximately 7:45 a.m., an Oregon State Police sergeant who…
To make roads safer for cyclists, states and cities around the country have enacted laws requiring a “buffer zone” between cars and bicycles. Buffer zones increase the space between bikes and cars, and are usually marked with painted strips and sometimes with images of bicycles on the pavement. A raised strip of pavement between cars and…
The purpose of the 529-ABLE Act is to provide a tax‐deferred savings vehicle for persons with disabilities. It would help those with disabilities and their parents and caregivers, allowing them to put money into tax-deferred savings plans like the 529 plans that parents use to save for college. 529-ABLE accounts would be especially helpful for…
A landmark decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, guarantees nursing home residents and their families their right to sue long-term care facilities despite forced arbitration clauses. The agency is directly responsible for Medicare and Medicaid funding. It now prevents these facilities…
In April, law enforcement and traffic safety partners took educational and enforcement steps to increase awareness and save lives during national “Distracted Driving Awareness” month. Joint Enforcement to Catch Distracted Drivers Monday morning, April 21, and Friday afternoon, April 25, the Oregon State Police (OSP), Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and Tualatin Police Department conducted…
Many of those who missed the deadline to sign up for Obamacare through the exchanges and are not eligible for expanded Medicaid have chosen to sign up for short term health plans through private insurers, thinking they will receive the same benefits as under the Affordable Care Act. Short Term Health Plans Are Not What…
A playground, whether at school or a public park, should be a safe place to play and have fun with friends. Unfortunately, every year more than 200,000 kids are treated in emergency rooms for playground related injuries. Playground injuries may involve falls on hard surfaces, head entrapment, and strangulation by entanglement. Other accidents are caused…