By Cory Bilton A couple of months ago, I met Bruce Klores. Bruce’s recent claim to fame is opening Washington, DC’s first grilled cheese restaurant, GCDC. But prior to opening a restaurant, Bruce spent a long career as a personal injury attorney representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases. I recently sat down with Bruce to learn more about his restaurant, …
Taking Traumatic Brain Injuries Seriously – Lessons from the NFL
By Cory Bilton When I was about 10 years old, I once made the mistake of slamming on my front-wheel brake on my bicycle. I launched up over the handlebars and crashed head-first into the street, wearing no helmet. I don’t remember hitting the ground. Fortunately, neighbors saw my crash and called 911 as I lay unconscious in the roadway. …
How are Washington DC’s Pedestrian Countdown Signals Better than Virginia’s or Maryland’s?
By Cory Bilton Uniformity is good when it comes to traffic signs and signals. Uniformity helps us to recognize meaning without spending too much time thinking about it. For example, a stop sign is easily recognizable and meaningful, even if your brain doesn’t take the time to read the word “STOP.” The red octagon with white lettering is quickly recognizable …
RGR v. Settle Redux: New Opinion and New Issues
By Cory Bilton In its latest release of opinions, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued a new opinion in the RGR v. Settle case (which I’ll call “Settle II”), reaching the opposite conclusion of the prior decision. Back in June, I wrote that the Court’s first opinion in RGR v. Settle (“Settle I”) reached an untenable position. Settle I held …
Washington DC Adopts New Insurance Requirements for Uber Cars
By Cory Bilton Far-sighted lawyers, law-makers, and citizens have been voicing concern about what happens in the event of an accident with a ridesharing service like Uber and Lyft. In January this year, an UberX driver struck and killed a child in San Francisco. Following the collision, Uber denied liability, claiming that its driver was in-between fares, a time in …
Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses in Personal Injury Cases in Virginia
By Cory Bilton. Same-sex couples were allowed to legally marry in the Commonwealth of Virginia this week. In a historic, but understated move, the Supreme Court denied certiorari on all of the same-sex marriage appeals as mere line items on an 89 page list without explanation. Later that same day, the 4th Circuit issued a mandate that the previous 4th …
DC City Council Considers Switching From Contributory Negligence
By Cory Bilton. Last week, the DC City Council held a public hearing a new bill, Bill 20-0884, that would apply comparative negligence to bicycle collisions, instead of contributory negligence. The hearing Monday provided time for concerned citizens to share their views on whether comparative negligence should be adopted and whether bicyclists would benefit from the switch. I’ve shared my …
As Computers Take Over Transportation, Liability Threatens
By Cory Bilton. Transportation has incorporated new technologies for centuries now. But the newest technologies are increasingly removing humans from the equation, at least as far as driving or controlling vehicles. Last month I wrote about some of the legal challenges facing autonomous vehicles when they are released to the public. This week, I ran across two other instances where …
Lights for Pedestrians and Bicyclists After Dark
By Cory Bilton One way to tell that fall is approaching is that it is starting to get dark earlier in the evenings. In fact, my commute home on my bicycle is mostly in the dark already (sunset was at 7:10 pm this evening). Many bicycle commuters in the area are pretty good about affixing lights to their bicycle or …
Lack of Model Jury Instructions for Bicyclists in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC
By Cory Bilton. The October 2014 edition of Bicycling Magazine lists Washington, DC, Arlington, and Alexandria among America’s Best Bike Cities. DC ranks the best of the three in position #5; Arlington comes in at #19; and Alexandria falls at #31. This is a sign of how the entire metropolitan area is embracing bicycling as a mode of transportation, a …