Everett, WA, Car Accident Lawyers

Protect Your Rights with the Help of Our Everett, WA, Car Accident Lawyers

 

When someone’s negligence injures you or takes the life of a loved one, you have the right to recover monetary damages, typically paid by the at-fault driver’s insurer. The insurance company has limits on what it will pay, based on how much insurance the driver purchased on the policy. In some cases, your damages could exceed that amount. When you need that additional compensation for your injuries and losses, you can sue the at-fault driver or the insurance company to pay more.

In some cases, more than one person could share in the responsibility for your injuries. For example, perhaps you were in an accident with a truck. If the driver of a commercial vehicle hits you, the driver and his or her employer could share in the responsibility. In car accidents involving multiple vehicles, more than one driver could share in the responsibility for the accident. Our car accident lawyers in Everett, WA, will investigate your case to determine who shares in the fault. Then, our team will strategize how best to get you the compensation you deserve, whether via settlement negotiations with an insurance company or taking your case to court.

Proving Liability in an Everett, WA, Car Accident

In some cases, it is obvious who was at fault in a car accident. In other cases, your attorney might have to retain private investigators to determine who was at fault in the car accident. While the police report can point to liability, it is not the only tool a car accident lawyer in Everett will use.

To recover damages in a car accident, you must be able to show that the other driver met the four elements to prove liability. Those elements are:

• The driver – also known as the defendant – had a duty of care not to harm you.
• The driver violated that duty.
• The driver’s actions caused your injuries.
• You suffered damages as a result of those actions.

More than one person could meet these elements – and if they do, they are also responsible for your injuries and other damages.

To help prove who shares in the liability for the damages you can collect, our Everett car accident lawyers will investigate the accident scene and use expert witnesses to recreate the accident, when necessary. Our attorneys will also interview first responders, police officers and other witnesses who were at the scene of the accident.

What Kind of Car Accidents Can Cause Injuries?

Any car accident in Everett, WA, could cause injuries to those involved. The extent of those injuries depends on how a vehicle hits you, the speed at which the vehicles collide, your health at the time of the vehicle accident, and several other factors.

Types of car accident injuries include:

• Multi-vehicle accidents.
• T-bone accidents. A T-bone is when another vehicle rams into the side of your car while it is heading straight at you.
• Sideswipe accidents. These happen when two vehicles contact each other on the side. They may occur when both vehicles are traveling in the same direction, and one merges into the other. However, a vehicle coming toward you could sideswipe you as it passes you.
• Head-on wrecks. Generally, these wrecks happen when someone in the other lane crosses into your lane while approaching you from the front. Head-on accidents often cause catastrophic injuries.
• Rear-end crashes. In most cases, someone might rear-end you while you are at a stoplight or stop sign. However, someone who is speeding could ram into the back of you if they tailgate or are following too closely at higher speeds and try to get around you without allowing enough room.
• Rollover accidents. A rollover accident could happen because someone hit you and caused your vehicle to roll over, or it could happen if you hit debris in the road, drive recklessly, or speed excessively.
• Drunk driving accidents.
• Drugged driving accidents.
• Distracted driving accidents.
• Speeding, including excessive speeding, accidents.
• Reckless driving accidents.
• Hit and run accidents.

People who are drunk or drugged behind the wheel are most likely also driving recklessly or with excessive speed. If you notice a driver that doesn’t look as though he or she is driving in a safe manner, hang back or, if you are on a highway, get off at the next exit and take a break for a few minutes. Hopefully, by the time you get back on the highway, the driver will have exited or will be far enough ahead of you so that you have plenty of warning if he or she wrecks.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Everett, WA

In many cases, your injuries could prevent you from doing anything after a car accident. However, if you feel that you can move around without causing additional harm to yourself, you should take the following steps after a car wreck:

• Call first responders and check on others involved in the wreck.
• Obtain the other drivers’ contact information, insurance information and registration information.
• Speak to witnesses. First, obtain a good phone number from anyone who witnessed the accident. You can also ask a witness what he or she saw. If you do, be sure to take notes about which witness said what.
• Take photos of the accident scene. Be sure to get pictures from all angles and include any damage to the road, fences, property, poles and other items your vehicle or other vehicles damaged in the wreck.
• Allow the emergency medical technicians to check you over, even if you believe your injuries are minor. Some injuries will not manifest for hours or even a day or two.
• After the police release you from the scene, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Let the medical personnel know that you were in an accident and you want to ensure that you do not have any injuries that have not manifested yet.
• Obtain copies of any medical records that are related to your car accident injuries.
• Obtain a copy of the police report.
• Contact our car accident lawyers in Everett, WA.

Injuries You Could Suffer in an Everett, WA, Car Accident

Some of the injuries suffered in a car accident heal quickly, while others could forever change your life. Injuries you might suffer include:

• Cuts, scratches, scrapes, bumps and bruises
• Strains and sprains
• Soft tissue injuries, including torn muscles and pulled muscles
• Simple fractures, compound fractures, and crushed bones
• Face and eye injuries
• Head, neck and shoulder injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Back and spinal cord injuries
• Amputation during the accident or after the accident if the doctors cannot save a digit or limb
• Road rash
• Thermal and/or chemical burns
• Psychological issues, especially when an accident is traumatic
• Wrongful death.

Recoverable Damages After a Car Accident

In Washington, you can recover economic damages and non-economic damages. You cannot recover punitive or exemplary damages for a car accident in Washington State, even if the at-fault driver’s actions or inactions were grossly negligent.

Economic damages and non-economic damages are compensatory damages. The court orders these types of damages in an attempt to make you whole again. While the money does not bring back a loved one, it does reduce financial stress for family members and for the accident victim who might not be able to work again.

Economic Damages

Special damages, usually referred to as economic damages, have a monetary value. They include:

• Past and future medical expenses. Past medical expenses are those you incurred because of the accident and prior to a trial award or a settlement. Future medical expenses are those you expect to incur after you settle or win a trial award. Medical expenses also include any therapy you might need, such as cognitive and other psychological therapies, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
• Past and future lost wages. Past lost wages are those you lost from the time of the accident through the time you settle your case or win a trial award. Future lost wages are those you expect to continue losing after a settlement or a trial award. If you are able to work but your disabilities prevent you from making the same hourly rate or salary as prior to the accident, you could recover partial future lost wages.
• Repair or replacement of damaged or destroyed personal property, such as your vehicle and anything in it, such as a laptop or clothing.
• Funeral, cremation and/or burial expenses if you lost a loved one in a car accident.

Non-Economic Damages

General damages, usually referred to as non-economic damages, are more difficult to compute in monetary terms. They include:

• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress, for those who suffered injuries in a car wreck.
• Emotional distress for those who lost a loved one in a car crash.
• Loss of quality of life. Some accident injuries cause disabilities that might require medication or the use of ambulatory aids for the rest of your life. You could recover compensation for loss of quality of life if the accident injuries caused such life-changing changes.
• Loss of companionship. If your car accident injuries caused long-term or permanent disabilities that preclude you from enjoying family events and activities, you could recover extra compensation.
• Loss of consortium. If the car accident injuries caused a long-term or permanent disability that precludes you from having a physical relationship with your spouse, whether those injuries are physical or emotional, you could recover extra compensation.
• Loss of use of a body part, such as a hand or a foot.
• Loss of use of a bodily function, such as bladder control or your eyesight.
• Amputation. Whether the amputation happened in the accident or after the accident because a doctor could not save a limb or digit, you could recover extra compensation.
• Excessive scarring or disfigurement, such as that from burns or a spinal cord injury that does not allow you to straighten up.

Why You Should Hire Our Car Accident Lawyers in Everett, WA

Some people might wonder if it’s a good idea to settle the claim themselves, without hiring a lawyer. However, our team at Strong Law Firm knows that those who settle a car accident claim on their own usually leave money on the table. Insurance companies are in business to make money. That means that every time they pay out a claim, it decreases the insurance company’s bottom line.

As a result, insurance companies will look for any reason to deny a claim. In fact, when you contact an insurance company to notify them that you were in a car accident in the Everett, WA area, you should not say much at all. Give them only your name, the insured’s information, the date and location of the wreck, and your attorney’s contact information. Don’t say anything more. You can direct them to your Everett car accident lawyer if they start asking questions.

The insurance company representative may try to get you to make a statement. They may be pushy. Keep referring them to your attorney for any statements. The insurance company might twist what you say in an attempt to put the blame for the accident on you so that they can deny your claim or offer you a low amount that might not even cover your medical expenses or other damages you might be entitled to.

Since our Everett car accident lawyers are familiar with the tactics used by insurance companies, when you hire our team to represent you we will plan for their actions. There is another advantage to working with us, too. The insurance company knows that those who hire car accident lawyers are better able to litigate their case. When car accident claims end up in court, the cost to an insurer is usually higher.

Working with our team of experienced car accident lawyers in Everett, WA, you have skilled negotiators by your side who will fight for the settlement you deserve. When a settlement offer is not appropriate, our team will take your case to court. Your chance of getting the compensation you deserve is much higher when you hire the Strong Law Firm team than if you try to handle your claim on your own.

Call us today at 206-741-1053 to discuss your case so we can get started on our work. Let us handle the fight for compensation so you can focus on healing.

Our Team Gets Results for Our Clients

Our Everett, WA, car accident team works hard to get results for our clients. We take the time necessary to investigate your car accident case to the fullest extent. We leave no stone unturned so that we can represent your interests to the best of our ability.

The legal system is complex; and if your car accident case has more than one person at fault, it becomes even more complicated. Count on our experience, our strategic and negotiating skills and our knowledge of the law. We make sure insurance companies and other defendants do not violate your rights. We will make sure that you get all the compensation you deserve.

Learn about how we’ve helped other clients. Some of our results include:

• A client was rear-ended while sitting at a stoplight. His neck surgery forced him to stay in a rehabilitation center for two months. We recovered $1.1 million for him.
• A drunk driver crossed the center line, causing a head-on collision with our clients. We recovered $1 million for them.
• A vehicle hit our client as the client was crossing the street. His injuries required surgery on his knee and shoulder and caused him to be out for work for over a year. We recovered $900,000 for him.
• Our client was a passenger in the vehicle driven by an acquaintance. Unbeknownst to our client, the acquaintance was drunk. The driver crashed into a tree, causing our client to suffer neck injuries that required surgery. We recovered $875,000 for our client.
• Three young children were riding in a car that was T-boned while the driver was making a left turn into a parking lot. The three children suffered injuries in the wreck. We recovered $680,000 for the children.

There Is No Fee Unless Our Everett, WA, Car Accident Lawyers Win

You might be thinking that it is all well and good that we can obtain these types of results for our clients, but you worry about fees to retain us. This is one concern you don’t need to have.

Your initial case evaluation is free, and you don’t pay our attorney’s fees unless we win your case for you. If we win, we take our attorney’s fees from your settlement or trial award. We understand that you are going to have a hard enough time paying bills while you are out of work due to accident injuries. We have the resources to investigate your case and negotiate for a settlement to cover your injuries and costs or to take your case to court.

To win the compensation you deserve, contact our Everett, WA, car accident attorneys at 206-741-1053 for a free case evaluation as soon as possible.

Everett, WA, Car Accident FAQs

Client Testimonial

”I was in a hit and run accident on March 11, 2022. Strong Law Firmt took my case. I had excellent service from them. My attorney Ben was great, but the super Star was Cristina. She truly took the bull by the horns and got everything done for me in a timely and expeditious manner. She was a true peach and I am so glad to have worked with her. Thanks Cristina!!!” – Laurie Rogers (Google Review)