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Four Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Attorney

7/25/2018

By Brett Purtzer, Attorney – The Hester Law Group

            The vast majority of our clients never expected needing to hire an attorney. Who really spends time envisioning themselves becoming injured by another’s negligence while biking, driving, running, or swimming?   And on the other side of this dilemma, we’ve found most people don’t think they could ever be accused of something like causing a collision, recklessly driving, or perhaps, having one too many drinks before getting behind the wheel. While we don’t wish any RTB members circumstances that lead them to needing an injury or criminal defense attorney, here’s a short source for helping you shop should you need one.

If you have been injured, the road ahead is complicated and you most likely need an attorney to navigate timing your claim, negotiating the claim, potentially filing suit, and figuring out who is owed what from the ultimate settlement (repaying medical expenses, etc.). If a person faces a criminal charge, that needs to be taken seriously too. Not only should you hire an attorney, but you should hire the right attorney for you and for your case. There’s more to hiring the right attorney than simply googling personal injury attorneys or criminal defense lawyers. In fact, that’s why most good attorneys offer free consultations – we want to make sure we are the right fit for you. When you meet with your potential attorney, at a minimum, make sure you ask these four questions.

1.         Have you handled cases similar to mine? Injury cases can vary. Most injury attorneys handle auto accidents. Very few have actually handed pedestrian, runner, cycling, and swimming/boating injuries. Criminal charges can vary significantly as well – from misdemeanors, to felonies, to sex crimes to federal charges. Each type of charge is handled very differently. You want an attorney who has experience handling similar charges to the one you are facing. If the attorney is experienced in handling murder charges, but rarely handled DUI cases, you probably should look elsewhere for a DUI attorney and vice versa.

2.         Have you practiced in this jurisdiction before? While the criminal charge is the same throughout the state (or country, if it’s a federal charge), each court system handles things a little bit differently. The procedure may be different because each court may have local rules that are specific just to that court. If your attorney is unfamiliar with local procedure, it’s possible that deadlines could be missed or documents could be incorrectly filed that could seriously hurt your case. Injury attorneys don’t seem to limit the counties in which they practice – if the case involves a significant enough potential financial outcome. Our firm has handled cases throughout the state, and elsewhere. But if, for example, there is a collision in a faraway county, and the treatment involved in recovering is minimal, and the client is back to “normal” in short time, the client might be better off with an experienced local attorney who will not have to imagine travelling while prepping the case for court for things like interviewing local doctors and treatment providers, and first responders.

3.         How often and how will we communicate? You know yourself best. If you need an attorney who will communicate with you weekly – find that. On the other hand, you may be content going through some quiet times and not need as frequent communication. Similarly, if you process things better through writing, you’ll want an attorney who communicates through written forms of communication more frequently than phone calls. Same idea if you need to speak in person to fully understand what is going on. Whatever your communication style is, find an attorney who mirrors that. Otherwise, you’ll be in for a long road of miscommunication and anxiety.

4.         How often do your cases go to trial? It is fair to say most injury cases do not even get filed in court, much less go to trial. Many criminal cases don’t make it all the way to trial and instead result in a plea bargain. A good attorney evaluates each case individually and guides their client towards the best result. That being said, if you feel strongly about going to trial rather than accepting a settlement offer in an injury case, you’ll want to be sure that your mindset does not clash with the experience and philosophy of your attorney. The same can be said for criminal case negotiations. There is no one right answer to this question but it will help you better understand how this attorney handles cases and whether he/she is the right fit for you.

While our firm practices in the areas of personal injury and criminal defense, every attorney in our firm knows dozens of attorneys who practice in all sorts of other disciplines – family law, wills and estates, business planning, commercial litigation, school law, and appeals, to name a handful. If your needs are in an area outside of our normal practice area, we would love to take your call and recommend others who might be of assistance.

There may be other questions you want to ask an attorney at your initial consultation but these 4 will help you get an idea of whether you want to hire that attorney. While hiring an attorney quickly is important, it may be more important to hire the right attorney.

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Hot Weather Racing and Training Tips

7/24/2018

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Michelle Fjetland using cold sponges at Clearwater 70.3.

Credit Kathy Morrisson & Alissa Anderson of Raise the Bar

It looks like we have hit the hot part of summer here in the Pacific Northwest. Here are a few tips that Alissa and Kathy have gathered over the years while racing and working with local triathletes.

Hot Weather Ideas

Cold sponges if on course, tuck in bra/tri top shoulder straps, squeeze cold water on head
Ice- ice in hat especially powerful
Cold fluids- not always an option at a warm race but if there is cups of water and ice, take that
Hat/Visor- keep the sun off your face, hat suggested if ice/cold sponges on course
Light fabrics
Water over head
Sodium- take in sodium from the beginning of the bike into the run
Arm coolers- an option out there to keep you cool
Stay within limits—watch HR, pace and RPE
Especially make sure you are hydrating on the bike, there is a tendency to not feel as hot on the bike and then to under hydrate because it “must not be that hot out”
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/strategies-for-hot-weather-exercise/

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Inside Racing and Finishing at RTB Events

7/19/2018

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Submitted by Patty Swedberg 07.19.18
What a great playground we are a part of - Multisport! It's a playground filled with tenacious, fun, driven people who seek challenges, show courage, and experience deeply. At RTB, our primary objective is to Create opportunities for fun and personal achievement through Multisport. It's our mission, as a matter of fact, and we take it seriously for the athletes who invest their time, money and energy at our races. Under that mission our primary value is Safety - and combined with the mission, these are the filters through which we make policies about participation, and many tough decisions on race day whether athletes might continue, or not, when experiencing some challenges.

Below I address some of the decisions we've come to over the last 10 years and 46 races we've produced. Many of these policies were put in place in hindsight when we experienced a tough situation and I made a poor choice. You've probably noticed that not all race producers make the same decisions, and in fact that's true. Governing bodies and Insurance Companies leave surprisingly widely open doors giving RD's a lot of freedom to make decisions about participation. Below are the decisions we've made based on our level of risk tolerance, parenting student athletes, and on the wisdom of my co-workers and course directors who've helped shape RTB events.

bluseventy Friday Night Swim Race Competitors: 15 year old Kaya Fronek (2nd place .5 mile wetsuit division) and a much older Karl Rohrbach (pie winner!)

KIDS RACING IN ADULT RACES

Every event season we get multiple requests to have kids racing at our events. We've set a minimum age of 15 at all RTB events and make few exceptions. But exceptions are made on occasion and here are the circumstances and information to consider before contacting us if you are <15, or are the parent of one.

Swim Races: We'll consider exceptions if the athlete has swam competitively for a year or more and has completed the chosen race distance successfully. AND we prefer them to be in a wetsuit.

Triathlons: The swim standard is the same as above and running/walking is typically not an issue. Cycling is the toughest hurdle for <15's in an adult triathlon and permission to race rests heavily on our assumption that all the athletes who've entered come prepared and experienced by cycling in the conditions that happen on race day: (In fact, this is what athletes agree to when they register).

Where vehicles can often be very close and motorists voice or demonstrate their frustrations
Where potholes, glass, slippery road conditions, or poor visibility could be present
Where signage needs to be recognized
Where quick decisions and actions are often called for to avoid danger
Where multiple riders ride in close proximity jockeying to race their best
Where rules that prohibit blocking & drafting apply.

Typically kids who've ridden for a few years on the road and are comfortable doing that alone are the kids we consider making an exception for. Of course, the parents of those kids need to be comfortable with them doing that too - and have demonstrated that before they come to us asking for an exception.

One more thing - The rules of triathlon state drafting is illegal, so having a parent shadow or follow a young athlete isn't legally possible - nor fair to other competitors.

If you have a child that doesn't meet a requirement yet, consider having them participate in a relay - and work toward meeting the other objectives before considering an RTB triathlon.

RTB Athlete Services Director, Kathy Morrisson, at the Eastside Kids Tri. Where we LOVE having the 5-10 year olds!

INJURED ATHLETES
You triathletes are a tough bunch, and a when things get tough, you want to push through to the finish line. Circumstances like asthma or SIPE on the swim, or falls on the bike can jeopardize a finish line for an athlete. Here's what you need to know if you get injured or have a medically-related challenge.

We want you to cross the finish line and will work with you to make that happen as best we can
If you see medical at transition or out on the course, you are not automatically DQ'd. Medical will address the issue and get you back out on the course if at all possible. For example - If you come in to T2 after a fall on your bike and have some road rash and medical can bandage you and get back out safely, you'll keep racing.
On the other hand, if at some point on the course you weren't able to complete for a medical reason, your next finish will be on another day. For example, if you fall on the bike and don't feel well enough to get back on, but want to complete the run, we're going to say no.

THE BIG PICTURE
Many of these decisions boil down to a staffing issue. On race day we have many directors on staff: athlete services, medical, finish line, aid station, and multiple directors on the swim/bike/run courses. In addition to 70-100 volunteers, these folks look after the overall course conditions and respond to athlete emergencies/incidents as necessary. We aren't staffed to give individual attention to any one athlete during the race. If an athlete requires individual attention, any of the directors have the authority to remove an athlete from the race so they can keep their focus on keeping conditions safe for everyone.

Many of the RTB Event Staff. Good good people.

If you clicked on the link above you might have seen that "Continuous Improvement" is one of our other core values. I have no doubt that for as long as RTB produces races, we will have many many opportunities to improve! Thanks to those of you who keep coming back to RTB Events - for your excitement and sportsmanship and awesome racing. You are the best part of RTB Events!

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Getting the Right Diagnosis for a Sport Injury

7/13/2018

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Summer is the time for being outside and enjoying your favorite activities. But for those of you suffering from a sports injury, it can be a frustrating time as you search for answers and a solution to your pain.

In a popular sport like rowing, athletes put a unique kind of strain on their bodies. If you watch from the shore it looks as though they are gliding across the water, but get in the boat and you’ll see exactly the kind of precise, one-sided, repetitive movement that can lead to full-blown injury. Dr. Erik Brand, a sports medicine specialist, treats a lot of athletes with rowing injuries. From the shoulder to the knee, the rib or the low back, his goal is to diagnose the pain, treat it, and get his patients back to the sport they love. Here’s how he says rowers can get the answers they need to get back out on the water:

Have a nagging sports injury? Click here to find out what our experts have to say about when you should ignore the pain and when it’s time to ask for help.

At Center for Diagnostic Imaging we offer evening and weekend appointments so you can get in quickly, receive the right diagnosis and work with your doctor to plan a road map to recovery. Learn more at myCDI.com/WA.

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