The percentage of crash fatalities that are alcohol-related dropped substantially from 1982 — when it was 53% of fatal crashes — to 34% of fatal crashes in 1997. Since 1997, the alcohol-related crash fatality rate has remained in the 33% to 35% range. The factors that led to the substantial…
The Alaska Supreme Court recently issued a decision with important practical implications for individuals with personal injury claims in Alaska. In a case handled by Alaska Personal Injury Group attorney Neil O’Donnell, the Court ruled that a negligent driver (who was insured by State Farm) had to pay 75% of…
Despite a great deal of room for improvement, our roads and highways have become significantly safer over the past decade — just as long as you are not on a motorcycle. The number of annual total vehicle fatalities trended downward from 41,501 fatalities in 1998 to 37,261 fatalities in 2008,…
As noted in a recent post here, Allstate has instituted a systematic, nation-wide claims handling system designed to drive down the amount of money it pays on personal injury claims. That system came under review in a recent New Mexico case where five individuals sued Allstate for “low balling” their…
America’s highways are unsafe because trucking companies routinely violate safety standards, keeping unsafe trucks and drivers on the road. These are not minor violations, but include practices like routinely overloading trucks, failing to maintain brakes and tires, using unqualified and untrained drivers, and paying drivers in a way that encourages…
Recent congressional testimony by the Legislative Director of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) catalogued several major trends in the insurance industry over the past two decades. Most of these trends are extremely adverse to consumers including small businesses. The first trend is the “hollowing out” of the benefits provided…
The Alaska Personal Injury Law Group has frequently warned injured Alaska consumers about various bad faith tactics used by insurance companies. A new study just released by the American Association for Justice documents many of the bad faith and fraudulent tricks and tactics insurance companies use to evade paying valid…
For the past several years, the Bush administration has pursued a covert campaign to steal the rights of victims of dangerous drugs and other defective products. Contrary to the conservative Republican mantra of “personal responsibility,” federal agencies have been giving “Get Out of Jail Free” cards to irresponsible corporate wrongdoers.…
If the administration’s preemption efforts continue to bear fruit,(see our concerns about this here and here), then any federal regulation will serve to prohibit someone who is injured from bringing a claim against a defendant who has maimed or killed someone they love. A case in point: if an auto…
Alaska is the only state where the party that prevails in litigation is regularly entitled to recover partial attorney fees and litigation costs from the losing side. For an injured individual, this can mean that a major portion of their attorney fees and costs will effectively be paid by the…