Serious Injury Attorney David A. Bufalini Practice Areas
WASHINGTON VEHICLE ACCIDENTS:
Legal claims that arise from vehicle accidents are typically governed by the law of negligence. Any individual who negligently operates a motor vehicle may be required to pay damages to an injured victim. A personal injury case involving a vehicle accident may become formalized through civil court proceedings, or may be resolved through an informal settlement before a lawsuit is filed. Vehicle accidents can include car accidents, motorcycle accidents, semi tractor trailer accidents and truck accidents, to name a few. The surviving family members of a fatally injured accident victim may be able to bring wrongful death claims against the defendant.
David A. Bufalini has years of practice experience and a track record of success representing clients who have suffered significant injuries in all types of motor vehicle accidents including truck, automobile, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents. Mr. Bufalini works closely with doctors and other health care providers to identify the short- and long-term medical consequences of an injury. He possesses a detailed knowledge of what Washington's automobile insurance and liability laws mean, and understands the different sources of recovery available to car accident victims and the victims of other types of motor vehicle accidents and their families.
WASHINGTON SLIP AND FALL/PREMISES LIABILITY:
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and can cause serious personal injury. Most slip and falls happen in commercial settings, including grocery stores, drug stores, office buildings, construction sites, and even gas stations and malls. These accidents may also happen on private property. Either way, there exist duties on the part of the property owners to maintain the property responsibly and avoid the existence of dangerous conditions.
Dangerous or defective conditions may be large or small, temporary or permanent. Therefore, investigation of the claim is essential to a successful case. Temporary conditions such as water on the floor of a grocery store or snow and ice on the stairs of a restaurant need to be investigated quickly. If a claim is against a governmental entity, special rules apply. For more information, please contact David A. Bufalini, P.S.
WASHINGTON CONSTRUCTION SITE/ON-THE-JOB ACCIDENTS:
Construction labor makes up one of the three most dangerous occupations in the United States today, each year producing thousands of debilitating injuries and wrongful deaths. Factors that contribute to construction accidents include workers, lifting loads with worn and weathered cables, working on elevated platforms without fall protection or wearing defective safety harnesses and lanyards, and/or working in trenches with improper benching and using outdated tools and equipment. Farming and manufacturing accidents, as well as the oil and gas industry can also cause serious injury and toxic exposure.
Construction site personal injury is not practiced nor understood by many personal injury attorneys. As a result, many personal injury construction claims are often subject to mediocre representation and minimal financial compensation due to improper legal counsel. Injured construction workers are urged to seek a personal injury attorney, such as David A. Bufalini, who is knowledgeable in a variety of construction techniques and has successfully litigated numerous construction site personal injury cases.
WASHINGTON MEDICAL MALPRACTICE:
Medical malpractice is the failure of a health care provider to treat and care for a patient with a reasonable degree of expertise and compassion. If a physician was careless, lacked proper skills or disregarded standardized rules, a jury may find the health care provider negligent. If damages result from such negligence, monetary compensation may be awarded. Hospitals can be liable for the negligence of their employees, including staff nurses and technicians.
Other examples of Medical Malpractice include:
- Failing to diagnose a tumor while reading an x-ray
- Puncturing a nearby organ or tissue during surgery
- Failing to order necessary and appropriate medical tests
- Failing to diagnose a condition in time to treat it properly
- Failing to refer a case to a medical specialist
- Prescribing incorrect medication
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Incorrect diagnosis that results in a failure to treat a medical condition
- Failing to properly administer anesthesia
- Emergency room negligence
WASHINGTON LANDOWNER NEGLIGENCE:
The State of Washington requires landowners to maintain their property in a manner that does not cause injury to those that, for various reasons, visit the property. This law pertains to both business owners and homeowners. It is crucial to a premises liability settlement to be able to show how long the defect or injury inflicting element was there, how visible it was, and how much notice the owner had of the dangerous condition before the accident.
WASHINGTON DRAM SHOP LIABILITY (OVERSERVICE/LIQUOR LIABILITY):
An establishment that serves alcohol to an apparently intoxicated customer can be held responsible for the consequences of the intoxicated patron's behavior. Bartenders are trained to be aware when a patron has clearly had "too much" and are required to stop serving the customer in order to prevent potentially serious accidents or injury to others. When bars continue to serve alcohol to intoxicated customers, bar fights can erupt and innocent patrons can be injured or even killed. More commonly, a bar's over-service of alcohol to an intoxicated customer can result in a deadly, alcohol-related drunk driving accident. Mr. Bufalini has successfully handled over-service claims on behalf of victims who have been assaulted by intoxicated bar patrons, as well as drivers and pedestrians who have been injured by intoxicated drivers who were overserved. He has also handled cases involving injuries caused by minors who purchased alcohol while underage. Mr. Bufalini has authored a comprehensive review of Washington law on this issue at the request of the Washington Association for Justice.
WASHINGTON WRONGFUL DEATH:
A wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company or organization. A legal action for wrongful death belongs to the decedent's immediate family members, usually a surviving spouse and children, and sometimes parents. Under certain circumstances, unrelated minor children living with and supported by the decedent may also bring a claim for wrongful death. In order to bring a successful wrongful death cause of action in Washington, the following elements must be present:
- The death of a human being caused by another's negligent or intentional conduct
- The survival of family members who are suffering the loss of financial support, love, care, comfort, supervision, guidance, household assistance and general society previously provided by the deceased
The general rule in Washington in wrongful death cases is that one is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages which are suffered as a result of the loss of a loved one. Economic damages in a wrongful death case include an award for the financial contributions which the decedent would have made to his wife, children and/or parents had he or she survived. It also includes the recovery for funeral services in memory of the decedent and for burial costs. Non-economic damages include loss of love, companionship, comfort, affection, solace or moral support.
Contact David A. Bufalini, P.S., today at (253) 272-2100, or complete the contact form provided on this site to begin your free consultation with a skilled Washington personal injury lawyer.
