
Founding Attorney Matthew Philbrook attended Clark College, Washington State University, and Gonzaga University School of Law. He is a member of the Washington State and Oregon State Bar Associations and started Philbrook Law in 2005. He specializes in Personal Injury, DUI and Criminal Defense cases. Learn more about Mr. Philbrook.
Posts by Matthew Philbrook
Seeking Damages for Elevator and Escalator Injuries
Made notorious often through media like TV shows and movies, elevators and escalators have become synonymous with falling to one’s death or being ground up by merciless, moving, metal stairs. While these depictions hold some amount of truth, the occurrence of a fatal elevator or escalator accident is very rare in the United States. It…
Read MoreCan You Sue a Big Box Store for a Truck Accident? It Depends.
When a commercial truck causes an accident, it can be complicated to determine who should be held liable for any damages and injuries sustained from the collision. One might immediately jump to blame the driver, but depending on how the accident occurred, a different party may be responsible. If the crash was due to something…
Read MoreOregon Legalizes Hallucinogenic Mushrooms: What This Means for Drivers in Washington
One of the first few states to legalize cannabis, Oregon is now leading the way for another Schedule I drug: psilocybin mushrooms. These hallucinogenic fungi have been known in popular media as the drug that causes trippy experiences, including users imagining melting walls or multicolored skies. As exciting as that image is, the scientific reality…
Read MorePredatory Pre-Settlement Funding Can Cost More Than You Think
You can’t avoid the television commercials and radio jingles offering you a quick payday. They’re the ones telling people who have recently won a legal or insurance settlement that they don’t have to wait for the paperwork to go through – they can get their hands on that money immediately (cue fireworks and people singing…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do When a Traffic Light Stops Working?
Just about every motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian has experienced this at some point – the broken traffic light. It usually occurs during a storm or power outage, but sometimes they just simply stop working. When this happens at a busy and well-traveled intersection, a dead traffic signal can cause chaos. Drivers become confused, unsure of…
Read MoreSomatic and Autonomic Nerve Damage Due to Personal Injuries
Nerves are used by your brain to communicate with the rest of your body. Your nerves help you feel and move your muscles. They also help you breathe, sweat, and digest your food. Nerve cells are known as neurons. The nerves, brain, and spinal cord together compose your central nervous system, and the nerves in…
Read MoreWhat Is a Building Strike Accident?
Cars crashing into buildings aren’t just the stuff of movies. They happen all too often. When cars collide with buildings (called car incursions), the consequences can be catastrophic. The people inside the building have no protection from the vehicle and no way of even anticipating the collision so they can get out of the way.…
Read MoreTraumatic Amputation: More Than the Loss of a Limb
The sudden loss of a limb is a tragic and painful experience. It is not something you can prepare for, and it is an injury that will affect you the rest of your life. You will have to learn how to use mobility aids and prosthetics, and you may experience a loss of income not…
Read MoreWill Blood Alcohol Monitoring Systems in Cars Help Reduce Drunk Driving Accidents?
Drunk driving is one of the most common causes of car accidents. Every year, thousands of people die in collisions with drunk drivers. Others involved in DUI accidents are left irreparably injured, their lives changed forever. While we have laws making it illegal to drive with one’s blood alcohol content above a certain percentage, they…
Read MoreA Slip and Fall Accident Can Cause Serious Injuries
When we consider accidents that result in severe injury, we might think of car accidents or perhaps an accident involving fire (like a backyard barbecue), or explosives (fireworks), or maybe an accident that happens at a construction site (some heavy machinery malfunctioning or falling on someone). A slip and fall accident, while perhaps seeming mundane…
Read More