IN THIS ISSUE

Colossus: Understanding The Insurance Claims Dragon And How To Slay It Page 2 Amazing Greek Salad Page 2 & 3 NTSB Report Highlights Need for Federal Safety Standards Involving Bus Drivers Page 3 Ask The Attorney: Do I really need a lawyer? Page 3 Jackson Davis: “Take Me Out To The Ballgame!” Page 4

DLG News May 2009 Volume 3, Issue 4

Davis Law Group And Social Media

T he Davis Law Group was recently featured on Fox 13 News for the innovative steps that it is taking to strengthen relationships with current and former clients, and business part-ners through the use of social media tools such as Facebook. The firm has been using social media to keep ‘friends’ up-to-date on legal issues, legislation that impacts the insur-

ance industry, recent settlements and verdicts, and other information that may affect their claim (confidential client information is never shared on online).

Sites like Facebook help Davis Law Group inform ‘friends’ about various legal issues that impact the commu-nity while also letting people get to know the DLG team on a more per-sonal level. For most clients, the focus is on their injuries and how they affect their lives. There may be insufficient time or opportunity for clients to really get to know Chris, Mischelle, or other DLG staff members learn about their lives, families, interests and ac-tivities. Through social media the clients can now get a whole picture of the people who work on their case...both personally as well as profes-sionally.

If you are “on Facebook” you may want to become a fan of one of our Face-book ‘pages’ and a member of one of our groups. Search for “Davis Law Group” or for one of Chris’ books such as The Ten Big-

gest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Washing-

ton Accident Case, When The Dog Bites, or Little Kids; Big Accidents.

If you have been injured in an accident and are seeking compensation from the responsible party you must be mindful of how others may perceive even the most innocent and seemingly irrelevant information on your social networking pages/profiles. Insurance companies are experts at taking a few of these little bits of information and twisting them to make it seem as though you are/were not injured, etc. The Davis Law Group asks our injured clients not to make their lives an online open book until the conclusion of their case. Injured victims should pay close attention to what is included on these sites. This includes not only their own profiles, but also information about them which may appear on friends and family members' profiles as well (tagged photos). ����

Davis Law Group Client Relations Manager, Mischelle Weedman-

Davis, and attorney Chris Davis appear on Fox 13 News.

National Safe Boating Week May 16-22nd

In 2007 90% of drowning victims in recreational boating

accidents were not wearing a life jacket. Accidental drown-

ing is preventable. To learn more about National Safe

Boating Week visit: www.safeboatingcampaign.com

Davis Law Group, P.S. Downtown 2101 Fourth Avenue Suite 630 Seattle, WA 98121 206-727-4000

Eastside NE 8th Street Bellevue, WA 98004 (by appointment only)

Renton S Grady Way Renton, WA 98055 (by appointment only)

For more articles, reports, studies, videos, news, and commentary on these and

other legal matters...

Visit our web site at DavisLawGroupSeattle.com

A Newsletter Published by Davis Law Group, P.S., Seattle, WA Representing Washington Accident Victims & Families Affected By Wrongful Death Our Mission is to Level the Playing Field Between Accident Victims and Insurance Companies.

This publication is intended to educate the general public about personal injury, car accidents cases, medical malpractice, and insurance is-sues. It is not intended to be legal advice and does not constitute attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. To discuss your indi-vidual case call Davis Law Group at 206-727-4000.

The Ten Biggest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Washington Accident Case covers a wide array of accident claims topics such as, who should pay your medical bills and lost wages. The book also details how to work with a claims adjustor, medical treatment considerations, and how determine if you really need the assistance of a lawyer. Little Kids, Big Accidents: What Every Parent Should Know About Children & Accidents Get basic facts about typical accident claims involving children. The book defines the legal and settlement process for child injury claims; gives tips on dealing with insurance companies; offers insight into how to determine the value of a child injury claim; and discusses common questions and legal issues that are often present in cases involving children. When The Dog Bites: The Essential Guide To Dog Bite Claims In Washington This book ex-plores the legal rights of dog bite victims; outlines the legal and settlement process for dog bite claims; gives tips on dealing with insurance companies; answers common questions asked by dog owners and bite victims; and address legal issues that are often found in animal attack cases.

To Get Your Free Copy Of Any Of These Books Visit:

www.DavisLawGroupSeattle.com

FREE INFO FOR ACCIDENT VICTIMS

© D

avis Law

Gro

up

, P.S

. All R

igh

ts Rese

rved

.

C olossus is a computer program used by insurance companies to value personal injury claims. At least half of the insurance claims in the United States are evaluated by Colossus. Colossus is probably on your claims adjustor’s computer screen while they are talking with you. Everything you tell them is probably entered into Colossus.

In the 1990s insurance companies such as Allstate turned to Colossus because they wanted to standardize how their ad-justers evaluated claims and because they wanted to save money by reducing the amount that they pay for injury cases. Though Colossus companies have also figured out that most plaintiffs' lawyers (Colossus identifies and keeps track of lawyers) will not file a lawsuit in most cases and are willing to settle for the best offer that they can get. Colossus considers a number of factors when determining the value of your case. Such as: your injuries; the type and duration of your medical treatment; and the amount of damage to your vehicle. Colossus uses this information and a special for-mula to assign "severity points" to claims. The system counts up the points and converts them into a dollar value. That dollar value is typically what the insurance company will offer you during negotiations. The problem with Colossus is the that it cannot take the place of human beings understanding of human suffering. Colossus will not take into con-sideration the human factors : stress, pain, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium (relationship), inability to participate in the things that you enjoy most, or any number of other things that a juries and judges will consider. A good attorney knows about Colossus and understands the role that it plays in the insurance company’s negotiation of your claim. Colos-sus also tracks which attorneys play hardball, won’t settle the claim for unfair amounts, and are not afraid to take a case to court if the settlement offer is unfair. �

Colossus: Understanding The Insurance Claims Dragon And How To Slay It

Amazing

Greek Salad by Mischelle Weedman

Client Relations Manager This is my own variation of a recipe that a friend gave to me some time ago. It has really turned into a sum-mer-time favorite for our family. And you can easily swap out the shrimp for chicken or lamb. Salad: 2 tbls olive oil 1/4 cup lemon juice1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 kosher salt 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved1 small cucumber, peeled, diced1 tlb drained capers1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved3 to 4 (1-inch) slices artisan bread1 bunch green onions1 pound large shrimp, peeled 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro1/4 cup chopped fresh mint1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese4 lemon wedges Marinade: 1 tbl finely grated lemon zest2 cloves garlic, finely minced1 tlb minced fresh thyme1/8 tsp cayenne pepper1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup olive oil Directions: 1. To make marinade: In a small bowl, stir together first ingredients from the marinade list. 2. To make salad: In a large bowl stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Add the tomatoes and any juices, the cucumber, capers and olives. Toss and leave to sit at least 15 minutes. 3. Heat grill to medium. Brush both sides of the bread with the mari-nade. Brush green onions with mari-nade. Add the shrimp to the remain-ing marinade and toss to coat. 4. Grill the bread until nicely browned. When cool enough to handle, tear or cut into 1and toss about half with the toma-toes; reserve the other half. Set aside the other half of the bread so it remains crunchy. Grill the green onions until browned and slightly collapsed. Cut into 1toss with any remaining marinade. Grill the shrimp until just opaque in the center. Discard any remaining shrimp marinade. 5. Toss the green onions with the tomato-bread mixture, along with the reserved bread, cilantro and mint. Divide among 4 wide bowls or plates, place shrimp on each salad and crumble some feta on top. Serve with lemon wedges.

Page 2 DLG NEWS

COMMUNICATION POLICY: Generally Mr. Davis does not take unscheduled phone calls. This allows him to focus and pay more attention to individual cases resulting in higher quality legal services. This policy also helps Mr. Davis resolve cases more quickly. This is a lot better than the endless game of “phone tag” played by most attorneys and businesses today. To schedule a phone call or in-person appointment with Mr. Davis call 206-727-4000.

NTSB Report Highlights Need for Federal Safety Standards Involving Bus Drivers

T he American Association of Justice (AAJ) reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Board recently concluded its investigation and recom-mendations in response to the 2008 Utah bus

rollover accident that killed nine and injured 43. According to AAJ: “The NTSB cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) slowness in failing to implement new safety standards as a factor contribut-ing to the Utah crash. Pending safety regulations in the transportation industry include on-board electronic re-corders to monitor a driver’s hours of operation and pre-vent fatigue, seatbelts, and stronger roofs and windows;

all recommendations NTSB has been calling on the agency to enact for nearly a decade.” The AAJ also cites a March 2009 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that stated 3.9 million of the nation’s 14 million commercial vehicle drivers may be affected by sleep apnea, a leading cause of driver fatigue. In the 2008 Utah incident, a chartered ski bus ran off the road at night and rolled down a steep 41-foot em-bankment. The passengers had been skiing in Colorado and were on their way back to Arizona through Utah when the incident occurred. Bus accidents can result in very severe injuries because there is no law requiring passengers to wear safety belts. In fact, school buses are exempted from Washington’s seat belt law. Rollover bus accidents are par-ticularly deadly given this fact. �

Q uestion: Do I really need a lawyer for my car acci-dent case?

Answer: Not every case needs a lawyer. In fact, in a small injury case you can probably receive greater benefit by set-tling the case on your own. What is a small case? There are no hard and fast rules, but in a small case the injuries are usually not permanent and the treat-ment may only last a few weeks to a few months. The past medical bills may also be just a few thousand dollars or less.

However, in most larger cases you will likely benefit by retaining the services of an attorney. Some insurance companies are advertising how quickly they re-spond to claims. They would like you to believe that they are motivated by their goal of prompt customer service. But settling a larger case quickly usually only

benefits the insurance company and not the accident victim.

Most accident victims have virtually no experience negotiating an injury case, and have no idea what the claim is worth. If settlement is not reached, the unrepresented person is not in a position to go to court. On the other hand, an experienced in-jury attorney likely knows the value of your claim. In addition, the attor-ney can exert some influence or pressure on the insurance company because if the case is not settled, a lawsuit can be filed. One insurance-backed study showed that parties represented by an attorney gener-ally receive on average 3½ times more money than someone who does not use an attorney. �

Ask The Attorney

Christopher M. Davis

Attorney At Law

Seattle, WA Da

vis

Law

Gro

up

, P.S

. 210

1 Fo

urt

h A

ven

ue

, Su

ite

630

, S

ea

ttle

, WA

98

121,

20

6-7

27-4

00

0

ww

w.D

avi

sLa

wG

rou

pS

eatt

le.c

om

Amazing

Greek Salad

by Mischelle Weedman-Davis,

Client Relations Manager

This is my own variation of a recipe that a friend gave to me some time ago. It has really turned into a sum-

time favorite for our family. And you can easily swap out the shrimp for chicken or lamb.

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 1 small cucumber, peeled, diced 1 tlb drained capers 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved

inch) slices artisan bread 1 bunch green onions 1 pound large shrimp, peeled 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbl finely grated lemon zest 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tlb minced fresh thyme 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

To make marinade: In a small bowl, stir together first ingredients from the marinade list.

To make salad: In a large bowl stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Add the tomatoes and any juices, the cucumber, capers and olives. Toss and leave to sit at

Heat grill to medium. Brush both sides of the bread with the mari-nade. Brush green onions with mari-nade. Add the shrimp to the remain-ing marinade and toss to coat.

Grill the bread until nicely browned. When cool enough to handle, tear or cut into 1-inch pieces and toss about half with the toma-toes; reserve the other half. Set aside the other half of the bread so it remains crunchy. Grill the green onions until browned and slightly collapsed. Cut into 1-inch pieces and toss with any remaining marinade. Grill the shrimp until just opaque in the center. Discard any remaining

Toss the green onions with the

bread mixture, along with the reserved bread, cilantro and mint. Divide among 4 wide bowls or plates, place shrimp on each salad and crumble some feta on top. Serve with lemon wedges.

DLG NEWS Page 3

2101 Fourth Avenue Suite 630 Seattle, WA 98121 206-727-4000

www.DavisLawGroupSeattle.com

Davis Law Group is pleased to be a sponsor for the STAR 101.5 Kent and Alan's Bikes for

Kids program. Nominate a local, deserving child to get a new bike, helmet, and lock! The

program will be giving away a new bike EVERY weekday in April! Then, EVERY Wednes-

day May through October! �

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

F our-year old Jackson Davis is a real Mariner’s fan and an avid

admirer of the Mariner Moose. He has been able to sing the

entire lyrics to “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” since he was 2

1/2. He saves the tickets to all the games that he attends. And

he is almost never seen without his Mariner’s baseball cap on.

Recently Jackson attended several games with Dad

(Davis Law Group founder Chris Davis) and

Mom (Davis Law Group client relations man-

ager, Mischelle Davis). The Davis’ were even

treated to a game by King5 TV in their luxury

suite.

Jackson always wants to stay for the entire

game, even when it goes into extra innings.

And when the crowd gets too loud he has

been known to say “quiet down you guys, I

am trying to watch the game!” The only

thing that can tear his attention away from

Ichiro and the boys is a bowl full of Dipp’n

Dots or a box of Cracker Jack’s. �

Upcoming Mariner’s Games

Date Opponent Time

Mon, 5/18 Angels 7:10p

Tue, 5/19 Angels 7:10p

Wed, 5/20 Angels 7:10p

Thu, 5/21 Angels 7:10p

Fri, 5/22 Giants 7:10p

Sat, 5/23 Giants 7:10p

Sun, 5/24 Giants 1:10p

Mon, 5/25 at Athletics 1:05p

Tue, 5/26 at Athletics 7:05p

Wed, 5/27 at Athletics 12:35p

Fri, 5/29 at Angels 7:05p

Sat, 5/30 at Angels 6:05p

Sun, 5/31 at Angels 12:35p *All games are broadcast on Fox Sports Network

Home games listed in Bold Chris & Jackson Davis at the Mariner v. Athletics home game on May 3rd.

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at 206-727-4000 or info@injurytriallawyer.com.