Admitted to the bar in 1976, Washington and U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington; U.S. Supreme Court American University - B.A., with honors, 1969 Willamette University - J.D., 1976 Willamette University Law Review - Assoc. Editor, 1975-1976. Languages: Spanish Legal Expertise in Personal Injury, and Real Estate.

Tom Resick has been practicing personal injury law for over 25 years in Bellingham, Washington.

Our office has obtained settlements and verdicts recently gainst the State of Washington, on behalf of injured chidren and brain damaged persons in serious auto accidents. Please see Representative cases for a more complete accounting of cases.

In addition to Tom's expertise in the handling of your case, he also has the assistance of his on-staff investigator and paralegal, so no details will escape proper and thorough examination.

Free consultation either in the office or by telephone for personal injury cases. Record of settlements and references available upon request.

A negligent security accident takes place when a person sustains an injury due to the failure of the land owner or property manager to protect the injured from foreseeable crimes on or near the premises.  The can occur at a hotel, shopping center/ mall, nightclub, office building, and school.  Most victims suffer injuries as the result of a battery, sexual assault, robbery or other crime committed by a criminal perpetrator taking advantage of the insufficient security upon the premises. In many of these cases attorneys are able to prove the land owner is negligent for failing to take precautions to prevent a foreseeable injury.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES

• $750,000 settlement with the state of Washington. Negligence in adoptive placement.
• $168,000 for concussion and memory loss for teenager.
• $2,100,000 jury verdict. Loss of leg of 67 year old female.
• $150,000 jury verdict. Impaired ankle for 58 year old woman.
• $150,000 verdict. Injury to back – 25 year old male.
• Insurance policy limits for wrongful death of teenage male.
• $175,000 settlement for 82 year old woman. Broken tail bone.
• $250,000 settlement immediately before trial for leg injury to 22 year old male. Likely future arthritis.
• $680,000 settlement. Professional malpractice involving real estate.
• $ 175,000 settlement. Professional negligence involving real estate.
• $125,000 settlement for professional negligence involving physical injury.

Current cases involve wrongful death, brain injuries, and actions against major tire installation company and drug companies, auto injury to world class musician.

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM'S

Many people injured in motor vehicle accidents need medical treatment and assistance with lost income while they are out of work.  Owners and operators of motor vehicles in Washington usually maintain Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage for these expenses.

Frequently, insurance companies terminate this coverage before the injured party has completed medical treatment.

Through the assistance of our law firm, we will attempt to compel the insurance company to restore PIP benefits and secure payment for medical expenses and lost wages.

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BUSINESS OWNERS POLICY 

Insurance companies selling business insurance offer policies that combine protection from all major property and liability risks in one package. (They also sell coverage’s separately.)  One package purchased by small and midsized businesses is the business owners’ policy (BOP).  Package policies are created for businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk.  Larger companies might purchase a commercial package policy or customize their policies to meet the special risks they face.

Business owner policies usually include: 

1. Property insurance for buildings and contents owned by the company -- there are two different forms, standard and special, which provides more comprehensive coverage.
2. Business interruption insurance, which covers the loss of income resulting from a fire or other catastrophe that disrupts the operation of the business. It can also include the extra expense of operating out of a temporary location.
3. Liability protection, which covers your company's legal responsibility for the harm it may cause to others. This harm is a result of things that you and your employees do or fail to do in your business operations that may cause bodily injury or property damage due to defective products, faulty installations and errors in services provided.

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INSURANCE CLAIM DENIALS

Insurance companies are very much like banks.  They take in premiums and pay on claims.  The premiums are like deposits.  The claims are like withdrawals.  The trouble is that the insurance companies do not like to pay claims made against them.  The problem usually starts just at this point.

Insurance companies will sell insurance to cover just about anything you can think of to insure.  When you buy an insurance policy, you are entering into a contract with the insurance company.  Last year insurance companies collected trillions of dollars in premiums from their customers.

Unfortunately, in some cases, when it comes time to make a claim under your insurance policy, the hassles and the run-around begin.  Since 1973 our law firm has been making claims against insurance companies.  We never represent insurance companies.  Whether your claim is under a homeowner's, life, auto, commercial property & casualty, health, business, or disability insurance policy, we have the knowledge and skills necessary to obtain the money you may be entitled to collect.

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SLIP & FALL



Slip and Fall is the generic term for an injury which occurs when someone slips, trips or falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on someone else's property. 

As a general rule, property owners are responsible for injuries which occur as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on their property, which the owner knew about, or should have known about. 

Lawyers represent clients in slip and fall cases against supermarkets, municipalities, convenience stores, schools, stadiums, department stores, office buildings, cruise lines, restaurants, home owners and shopping centers.

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TRUCK ACCIDENTS

Being involved in an accident with an 18 wheel truck can be scary. These vehicles are often extremely large and can cause serious injury or even death.  If you have been involved in an accident with any type of truck or commercial vehicle including but not limited to an l8-wheeler, airplane, bus, van, truck or even an automobile we may be able to obtain the money for you that you deserve. 

Because of the added danger commercial vehicles pose to the public than an automobile additional Federal and state laws which apply to them. Federal and state law requires the businesses operating commercial vehicles maintain records of their driver's activities for amount of time. This also includes driver log books and background information, or pos video rape or black box that records the vital events relating to the accident. For this it is important that you contact an attorney that knows the law and can secure these before they become unavailable.

Due to the severity of injury or possibly fatality when an injury occurs involving a commercial vehicle you should act quickly to secure your rights.  The commercial company and its adjusters go to work immediately to limit their liability.  This means they will try to settle as quick and cheap as possible.  In addition they will start work immediately to prove that you were not responsible and find loopholes in your case. Do not sign anything or make any statements to the insurance company until you have the opportunity to talk to a lawyer.

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WRONGFUL DEATH 

A wrongful death action is a statutory right to sue given to the surviving family members of a deceased family member.  In order to bring a wrongful death action, a death must have been caused by the wrongful, negligent, careless, or reckless act of a person, company or municipality.  The Wrongful Death Statute was adopted so that the family members of a deceased can bring the legal action that the deceased would have brought, had death not ensued.

In other words, if the injured party is alive, then a wrongful action does not exist and only the injured party may sue.  Our law firm has successfully represented families in wrongful death lawsuits against corporations, nursing homes and individuals.

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CONSTRUCTION 

Common construction accidents include roof related falls, crane accidents, scaffolding accidents, run-over by operating equipment, lifting equipment failure, electric shock, trench collapses, fires and explosions, hit by highway vehicle, compressed gases accidents and welding accidents. 

Construction is the country's largest industry and one that has consistently registered the high rates of workplace accidents.  Although injury and fatality rates in many industry sectors have declined significantly in the twenty-three years since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) came into being, this has not been the case in construction related accidents.  OSHA has had little success in reducing injuries and fatalities among construction workers, despite the fact that it channels a large portion of its resources into the enforcement of health and safety standards on construction sites.

While you cannot normally sue your employer for a work related injury frequently a worker will have a claim against a sub contractor or third party and will not even be aware of it.

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NEGLIGENT SECURITY


 

A negligent security accident takes place when a person sustains an injury due to the failure of the land owner or property manager to protect the injured from foreseeable crimes on or near the premises.    Most victims suffer injuries as the result of a battery, sexual assault, robbery or other crime committed by a criminal perpetrator taking advantage of the insufficient security upon the premises.  In many of these cases lawyers able to prove the land owner is negligent for failing to take precautions to prevent a foreseeable injury.

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AUTO/MOTORCYCLE 

Every three seconds an automobile or motorcycle accident occurs.  Unfortunately, in many of these accidents people suffer severe personal injury and damage to their property.  In addition, those who have suffered personal injury will incur medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of income and rental car expenses.

Most auto accidents involve law suits against insurance companies.  We explore every avenue of liability coverage in order to maximize recovery for our clients.  In addition to a negligent driver, we have handled cases where the following parties have been held liable for the injuries caused in an automobile/motorcycle accident:

• Owner of the vehicle
• Automobile Manufacturer or Part Supplier
• Leasing Company
• Rental Car Company
• Automobile repair shop
• Corporation which owns vehicle involved in the accident
• Municipality
• Property owner of the location where the accident occurred or owners of real estate in the immediate vicinity.

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 SEXUAL ASSAULT/HARASSMENT 

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following: 

• The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man.  The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
• The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non employee.
• The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
• Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
• The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome.

If you have been a victim of sexual harassment we can assist you with  pursuing legal actions to compensate you for lost wages, opportunity cost, and suffering.

Sexual assault can be vary from unpermitted touching to rape. In some cases companies or the government can be responsible for sexual assault. Our office has successfully brought large claims against the Departnment of Social and Health Services (DSHS) as well as others

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DOG BITES 

In the state of Washington, a dog owner is strictly liable under many circumstances for injuries and property damage caused by his or her dog.  The basis for strict liability is that those who engage in certain kinds of activities do so at their own risk, and must pay for any damage that have foreseeable results, even if the activity has been carried out in the most careful manner possible.

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BUS ACCIDENTS

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident you have many rights under the law.  You have the right to recover for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, property damage, lost wages and for any disability suffered because of the accident.  These rights do not apply to just passengers injured in a bus accident but to pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

Since the majority of buses are owned by cities or government entities special rules apply handling personal injury claims.  In bus accident cases, time is of the essence in hiring an attorney.  There are specific requirements of formal notice that must be given to the government entity.  In addition their may be video surveillance tapes or black boxes that should be obtained immediately to prevent their destruction.

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DRUNK DRIVING VICTIM

Each and every day drunk drivers threaten the safety of innocent people on our Washinton highways.  It is estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that in the United States in 2004 over 248,000 people were injured in crashes related to alcohol. Roughly one person injured every two minutes.  More horrifying is that in the United States in 2004 almost 17,000 died in alcohol related accidents, which is almost one death per hour.  If you or a loved one finds yourself as part of these statistics you need to find a Washington lawyer that handles injury cases every day.  The insurance company will have trained professionals on their side, why shouldn't you?

In the state of Washington the legal limit for driving is a blood alcohol level of .08.  When a person reaches this level their judgment and coordination skills become greatly diminished and are 11 times more likely to be involved in an accident.  

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MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT 

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident you may need an attorney to protect your rights.  

Because of the lack of protection a motorcycle offers, injuries on a motorcycle are often more severe.  These injuries often include: amputations, brain and spinal cord injuries, and even death.  You may be entitled to receive money for past and future medical expenses, wages, pain and suffering, and disability.

Just because the driver of the car was not looking out for you doesn't mean that no one was at fault.  As your attorney I will be looking out for your best interest to make sure that you get the settlement that you deserve.  Time is always a critical factor when dealing with motorcycle accidents.  You need to get medical attention as quickly as possibly. In addition you need witness information and photographs of the accident scene to prove you were not at fault.

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