Negligent Repairs/Injury
A Snohomish County couple lived in a beautiful home on a lake and owned a ski boat. The husband loved water-skiing on the lake and his wife routinely drove the boat. He would ski many times each week during spring and summer. Each winter, he would have the boat serviced and stored until the following spring. One spring, after having just retrieved the boat from the repair facility following winter repairs and storage, it was time to take it out for the first run of the year. As usual, the wife was driving the boat, towing her husband behind. She was driving in toward shore on the far side of the lake and went to make a turn to the left. Suddenly, the steering froze and became inoperable. By the time she could react and reach for the throttle, the boat slammed full force into a dock. Although the husband was unhurt, the wife suffered severe injuries, multiple fractures, all requiring surgery and a substantial rehabilitation period. The repair facility denied responsibility. However, experts retained by Magnuson Lowell were able to establish that although the steering system was not the direct subject of a winter repair, the repairs that were conducted indirectly impacted a portion of the steering linkage. Magnuson Lowell was able to settle the client's case in the significant six-figure range.