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Portland, Oregon is known for being one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the country. With an ever-growing consciousness about the environmental impact of cars and a general awareness about overall health, many Portlanders do not even own cars and instead choose bicycles as their primary means of transportation. The great number of bikes on Portland area roads can help to make motorists more aware of their presence, but that does not negate the risk of being involved in a bicycle accident.
Such was the situation for a 28-year old bicyclist who was hit and killed by a 60-foot delivery truck in the spring of 2012. The woman was riding downtown on Southwest Madison Street approaching Third Avenue. As she neared the corner, the large truck made a right-hand turn in front of her. The woman hit the truck’s bumper, crashed and was run over. She was wearing a helmet and here bike was equipped with night lighting. She later died from her injuries.
Despite the lack of charges levied against the driver, the woman’s parents sought compensation. Just a few weeks ago, they were awarded $700,000 from the trucker’s employer. The offer of the award came just before attorneys for both parties would have given their closing arguments in a trial over the case. Read more…
The rate of medical errors in the United States has grown to the point where it is now considered to be the third-leading cause of death behind only cancer and heart disease. However, negligence on the part of doctors, nurses or medical facilities is not the only danger facing Portland, Oregon patients these days. Injuries resulting from the use of defective medical products can leave many people with serious complications.
A recent media article reported on one such case involving a product designed to stimulate the growth of bone in spine fusion surgeries. Infuse by Medtronic has been used in approximately one million spinal surgeries, yet many people have experienced complications after their surgeries. Often, these problems are caused by excessive bone growth. To date, as many as 700 lawsuits have been filed against Medtronic asserting that the product is faulty. The suits represent complaints by about 1,000 people in all. Read more…
Son files $715,000 wrongful death lawsuit for loss of mother. Throughout Oregon, many people become victims of unnecessary and preventable personal injury incidents on a daily basis. Read more…
When taking to local streets, highways and freeways, Portland metro area residents assume a level of risk every day. Whether as motorists themselves or as pedestrians or bicyclists, the risk of a serious car accident always exists. Some crashes can be influenced by weather or road conditions and others are caused primarily by the actions of a driver as in the case of a drunk driver. Read more…
Providence Health Plans was recently investigated for wrongly denying claims it should have paid. Apparently, members of the health plan are required to send claims to an administrator for processing, rather than directly to a Providence office. Nearly 7,000 claims, over a two-year period were incorrectly filed with a Providence office. Read more…