There are a lot of personal injury cases with big injuries and inadequate insurance coverage.
In Washington drivers only have to carry $25,000 in coverage. That amount hasn’t increased since the 1980s. (And many drivers don’t even have any insurance.)
So, we have to look for people other than the at-fault driver who contributed to the wreck. The finger of blame operates more like a shotgun than a rifle.
That lines up with the reality that mishaps like car wrecks are usually caused by a chain of human mistakes.
Ingress and egress are “legal” words for coming and going.
Business owners have a duty to make sure people can safely enter and exit the business.
The obligation applies to the buildings where businesses are located. It also extends to “the approaches, entrances and exits…for use of customers who are entering or leaving the business.” That means that if a business is located in a strip mall it must make sure the driveway and parking lot are safe.
In Washington the duty applies even if the business owner doesn’t own or control the property where the hazard is located.
The duty of safe ingress and egress comes up a lot when someone gets into a wreck entering or exiting a parking lot.
There’s something called the “sight triangle” that refers to a driver’s ability to see oncoming traffic.
If the sight triangle is blocked or obstructed there are going to be wrecks. And the business owner is going to be at least partially responsible even if he doesn’t control the driveway or even if the obstruction is located on a neighboring property.
If you know someone who’s been in a bad wreck have them give us a call. We’re going to be able to package their claim in a way that maximizes value and identify all potential sources of insurance coverage to make sure they get paid for what they have lost.