Car accidents happen in Seattle every day. Some of them involve only minor injuries. However, others result in catastrophic damages.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a Seattle car accident caused by someone else, you may be dealing with medical bills and wondering how you will support your family while trying to recover. You may be dealing with insurance companies giving you the runaround or pressuring you to accept a quick settlement when you don’t even know what your claim is worth yet.
At Seattle Injury Law, we understand the challenges you’re facing, and we want to help you. Our Seattle personal injury attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience protecting the rights of car accident injury victims and their families and have recovered over $300 million for our clients.
Many of our attorneys are former defense attorneys, so we know how the other side operates and how to combat their strategies. Our Seattle car accident attorneys have the legal prowess and experience to hold the at-fault parties responsible for paying maximum compensation for your damages.
You deserve to be able to focus on your recovery and have peace of mind knowing your car accident injury claim is being taken care of. We handle Seattle car accident claims on a contingency basis, so you pay nothing until we recover for you.
Call us today at (800) 928-5486 or fill out the short form on our contact page to schedule a free consultation to discuss your Seattle car accident claim.
Why Should You Trust Seattle Injury Law With Your Car Accident Claim?
After a car accident, choosing the right legal team can make all the difference in your recovery. Here’s why so many injury victims trust Seattle Injury Law to handle their claims with experience, dedication, and care:
- Our Seattle car accident attorneys have protected the rights of injury victims for over twenty years and have a proven record of recovering maximum client compensation.
- We have recovered numerous multi-million dollar awards and settlements for car accident injury victims.
- You are our top priority, and we keep you informed every step of the way. You will have to wonder what is going on with your case.
- We are committed to providing the highest quality legal services and achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients.
- Our Seattle accident attorneys are happy to meet you in your home, hospital room, or other location that is convenient for you.
What Causes Most Seattle Car Accidents?
Seattle car accidents have numerous causes. Some of the most common ones include:
- Impaired driving – When drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they are far more likely to cause a devastating accident. Reach out to our Seattle DUI accident attorneys if you have been injured in an accident caused by an intoxicated or impaired driver.
- Distracted driving – Behaviors like texting, talking on cell phones, reading, adjusting controls, and anything else that takes your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off driving safely can result in tragedy. If you have been injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver, contact our Seattle distracted driving accident attorneys for assistance.
- Drowsy or fatigued driving – Studies show that driving without adequate sleep and rest can cause a driver to perform similarly to intoxicated drivers. Falling asleep at the wheel or veering into another lane can risk the lives of everyone on the road.
- Speeding and aggressive driving – When drivers speed, tailgate, abruptly change lanes, run traffic lights, and otherwise act recklessly, accidents are much more likely.
- Failing to follow traffic laws and safe driving procedures – When drivers ignore traffic laws and safety guidelines, such as failing to check blind spots before changing lanes, they put lives at risk.
- Equipment failure – When vehicle parts or equipment fail during operation, it can cause the driver to lose control and crash. Equipment may fail due to defective products or negligent maintenance, or repair work.
- Dangerous road conditions – Defectively designed and negligently maintained roads can contribute to accidents.
- Malfunctioning traffic signals – If a traffic light malfunctions, it can result in devastating collisions.
Our Seattle car accident attorneys scrutinize the details of every accident to determine all possible causes and all potentially liable parties and to uncover essential evidence to build your strongest case.
What Are the Most Common Injuries in Seattle Car Accidents?
Seattle car accident injuries range from minor bumps and bruises to catastrophic and even fatal. Some common Seattle car accident injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and other head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries may lead to paralysis
- Severed limbs or severely damaged limbs that require amputation
- Broken and crushed bones
- Facial and dental injuries
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Back and neck injuries
- Eye injuries
- Whiplash
- Emotional traumas
- Wrongful death
Severe injuries usually require long-term medical care and the need for lifelong assistance with daily tasks. Before accepting a settlement offer, it is important to have your damages evaluated by an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer who can help identify all your current and future damages and their actual value.
Who Is Liable For Damages After a Seattle Car Accident?
Liability depends on the cause of your accident. In Washington, multiple parties can be found responsible for a car accident. When there is more than one party responsible, fault can be assigned to each one of them by percentages that total 100%.
At Seattle Injury Law, our attorneys and investigators comb through all the facts of your accident to determine who is at fault and to help prove that other parties are liable for your injuries. Some potentially liable parties in a Seattle car accident include:
- The drivers of the other vehicles involved in the accident
- The owners of the vehicles involved in the accident
- An employer of a driver involved in the accident
- Manufacturers of defective vehicle parts that contributed to the accident
- Negligent maintenance and repair businesses
- A government entity for a dangerously designed road or for negligent maintenance of a road that was the cause of the accident
These are just some of the potentially liable parties in a Seattle car accident. Our Seattle accident lawyers leave no stone unturned in identifying those who were totally or partially at fault for your accident and in uncovering the evidence needed to prove causation and liability.
What Damages Can Be Collected After a Seattle Car Accident?
The type and amount of damages you can recover for Seattle car accident injuries depend on multiple factors, including how severe your injuries are and whether the at-fault parties have sufficient insurance coverage or other assets to pay your damages. Our investigators will help identify all available sources of compensation to help maximize your compensation.
In a successful Seattle car accident claim, you may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that are easier to quantify and prove since you may have bills, invoices, pay stubs, and other evidence to support the amount of economic damages you have incurred.
Economic damages include current and future medical expenses, current and future lost wages, property damages, the cost of any necessary modification to your home or vehicle due to your injuries, and all other financial losses or expenses you have incurred due to the accident and your injuries.
Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify and prove because they are subjective. However, non-economic damages are often even more devastating for injury victims than economic damages. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, disfigurement, permanent disability, and other intangible losses.
At Seattle Injury Law, our Seattle accident attorneys take proving the existence and value of your damages very seriously, and often work with top medical, economic, and other experts to prove your claim.
What If You Are Partially At Fault in a Seattle Car Accident?
Washington follows a pure comparative fault rule. That means that if multiple parties are responsible for the accident, fault can be assigned to each of them by percentages. If you are partially at fault, you can still recover damages from the other at-fault parties.
However, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you. For example, if you are found to be 40% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you may still be able to recover $60,000 after your percentage of fault is deducted.
Our attorneys and investigators work diligently to avoid having any fault assigned to our clients or to minimize their fault so their compensation is maximized.
What Evidence Is Used In a Seattle Car Accident Case?
The type of evidence we use in car accident cases depends on the specific facts of each case. Some types of evidence we may use to prove your claim include:
- Data from collision reports and testimony of responding officers
- Eyewitness accounts
- Photographs and videos taken by our clients or others at the accident scene
- Video footage from traffic cameras or nearby surveillance cameras
- Dash camera video
- Event data recorders from the vehicles involved in the accident
- Accident reconstructionist reports and testimony
- Income tax returns, pay stubs, and other proof of lost wages
- Receipts, invoices, and other proof of expenses incurred because of the accident
- Witness testimony regarding how your injuries have impacted your quality of life
- Any pain journal or other type of journal you kept documenting your injuries and pain
- Medical experts witness testimony and reports to establish your injuries
- Economic expert witness testimony and reports to establish the value of damages
These are some of the types of evidence we may use in a Seattle car accident case. Our attorneys and experts will carefully consider what evidence to use based on what best supports your claim.
What Is the Statute of Limitations For a Seattle Car Accident Claim?
A statute of limitations is the law that sets a deadline for how long you have to file a claim to recover compensation in a personal injury case. As outlined in Revised Code of Washington §4.16.080, personal injury actions must be filed within three years from the date of injury.
If the car accident results in injuries that cause the death of a loved one, their legal representative may have the right to file a wrongful death claim to recover damages sustained by the decedent’s beneficiaries, as outlined in Revised Code of Washington §4.20.010. A wrongful death action also has a three-year statute of limitations and must be filed within three years of the decedent’s death. If you have lost a loved one in an accident, contact our Seattle wrongful death lawyers who can help support and guide you through the legal process.
There are rare exceptions to the three-year filing deadline. In some cases, you may have more time, and in others, you may have less. You must consult an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer to determine your filing deadline.
How Much Does a Seattle Car Accident Lawyer Charge?
At Seattle Injury Law, our attorneys handle car accident injury claims on a contingency fee basis. We pay all upfront costs of pursuing your compensation for damages, and you pay nothing until we recover for you.
When we begin representation, we will enter into a written agreement detailing the percentage of total compensation we will charge for our attorney’s fees. This percentage and the costs we have advanced to pursue your claim will be deducted from the total compensation.
Contingency fee agreements help level the playing field for personal injury victims by shifting the risk to us. It allows victims to vigorously pursue the compensation they deserve without needing to pay all the expenses and attorney fees upfront.
Six Reasons To Hire a Seattle Car Accident Lawyer
Being represented by an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer greatly increases your chances of recovering maximum compensation for your injuries. Six great reasons to hire one are:
- Insurance companies are known for denying, delaying, and devaluing your claim. An experienced Seattle car accident lawyer knows how to combat those unfair tactics and hold them responsible for paying the full value of your damages.
- A car accident attorney can investigate your accident to determine all possible causes and potentially liable parties so the at-fault parties are held responsible and the available sources of compensation are maximized.
- A Seattle car accident attorney can conduct aggressive discovery to identify and collect evidence to build your strongest case.
- They can help ensure that all your current and future damages are established and accurately valued so you know what your case is truly worth.
- Your accident lawyer will work to negotiate a fair settlement of your claim as quickly as possible, and when a settlement cannot be reached, they can take your case to trial to demand the compensation you deserve.
- Having a skilled Seattle car accident lawyer handle your claim gives you peace of mind and allows you to focus on your recovery.
Contact Our Seattle Car Accident Lawyers Today
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a car accident caused by another party, you have the right to recover compensation for your damages. However, insurance companies do not often willingly turn over the full value of your claim. They generally deny, devalue, and delay claims, hoping to eventually settle for as little as possible. You need the help of an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer to recover maximum compensation for your damages.
At Seattle Injury Law, many of our car accident attorneys are former defense attorneys, so we know how the other side operates and how to combat their strategies. We stand up to insurance companies and demand a fast and fair settlement based on the full value of your damages.
Our attorneys have recovered over $300 million for our clients, and we want to help you get the maximum compensation you deserve. Call (800) 928-5486 or go to our contact page and schedule a free consultation to discuss your Seattle car accident claim.