Kent, WA, Car Accident Lawyers

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

As victims recover from their injuries, they usually struggle to pay monthly expenses, since they are unable to work. The last thing these families need is another bill to pay.

At Strong Law, we never charge upfront legal fees in car accident claims. Instead, we take a percentage of the final recovery amount. This arrangement, which is called a contingent fee, gives more victims access to justice.

Additionally, most of our clients pay no other lawsuit-related expenses upfront. That includes medical bills. Our Kent, WA, car accident lawyers also front other expenses, such as expert witness costs and court filing fees.

To win the compensation you deserve, contact our Kent, WA, car accident attorneys at 206-737-7168 for a free case evaluation as soon as possible.

When should I contact a car accident lawyer in Kent, WA?

At this stage of your accident claim, a few hours could make a huge difference in the outcome. So, you should reach out to us immediately. If you are still in the hospital or you are bedridden at home, we can come to you. Telephone and virtual meetings are available as well. If you are unable to meet with us due to your injuries, ask a loved one or a trusted friend to contact us on your behalf. We will take it from there.

Simply stated, the sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you. This work includes collecting evidence to support your claims and researching the applicable and ever-changing laws in that area. Usually, insurance companies quickly hire lawyers to defend their interests. Victims should do likewise.

Prompt legal assistance is also important for medical reasons. If victims do not see doctors right away, many accident-related injuries, like whiplash, get worse. As mentioned, our Kent, WA, car accident lawyers usually connect victims with doctors who charge nothing upfront for their professional services.

My accident was not in Kent, and the at-fault driver and I live in different areas. Do I have to use your Kent office?

No. You can work with our car accident lawyers in our office in Tacoma, WA, or even Portland or Eugene, OR. We also have an office in Salt Lake City, UT.

Most car accidents occur close to home, simply because most people do not drive very far on a regular basis. However, in a significant number of cases, the car accident occurred in a different county or even a different state. That’s especially true regarding bus and truck crash claims.

Washington’s venue laws usually come into play here. Usually, victims may file legal actions in the county where they reside or the county where the wreck happened. There are pros and cons, which your attorney will review with you. For example, filing close to home gives the victim something of a home-field advantage. But most of the evidence is probably in the county where the accident occurred.

The insurance adjuster for the defendant’s insurance company keeps calling me. What should I do?

Ask the adjuster to contact our office. If you have given the insurance adjuster this information previously, tell the adjuster not to call you again. Additionally, let our office know that the insurance adjuster continues to reach out to you. We will also inform the insurance adjuster that he or she should not contact you.

I need to have my car fixed before my case settles. How do I get it fixed?

We will contact the insurance company on your behalf to get information about repairing your vehicle. Once an investigation has been completed, you can take your car in for repairs. In many cases, insurance companies have separate departments for property damage and personal injury claims. You can discuss getting your vehicle repaired with the property damage department, or you can ask us to obtain the information you need for the repair shop to submit expenses.

If the driver who hit me was on the job, can I also collect from his or her employer?

If the employer is found to have some fault in the accident, you can also sue the employer’s insurance company. For example, if the investigation finds that the brakes failed on a delivery car and the employer knew that the brakes were malfunctioning but told the driver to drive the car anyway, the employer could share in the responsibility for your damages.

If I caused an accident because of a defective part on my vehicle that the manufacturer would not recall, can I sue the manufacturer?

Yes and no. Generally, manufacturers are strictly liable for the injuries their defective products cause. However, if you knew about the defect and did nothing to make your vehicle safer, the manufacturer could use that inaction as a defense.

Strict liability is a higher standard than negligence. A defective product, like a defective tire or an ignition issue, could seriously injure thousands of people. There are basically two kinds of product defects in Washington law:

• Design Defect: The 1970s Ford Pinto is an example of a design defect. To make the car lighter and cheaper, designers put the Pinto’s unlined gas tank behind the rear axle. As a result, it was overly prone to rupture and explosion, even in a relatively low speed accident.
• Manufacturing Defect: 1990s Takata airbags are an example of a manufacturing defect. To cut costs, the manufacturer replaced a stable and expensive chemically propellant with ammonium nitrate, which is unstable and cheap. Ammonium nitrate is basically the same compound Timothy McVeigh used in the Oklahoma City truck bomb.

The unforeseeable use doctrine is basically the only legal defense in a defective product claim. Manufacturers are not liable for damages if individuals misuse a product, and that misuse causes injury. The misuse must be extreme, like using racing tires to go off-roading in the Cascades.

Is it possible to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder after an accident?

Absolutely. In fact, it’s also possible to suffer from PTSD-like symptoms, and obtain compensation for them, even if you were not otherwise injured.

About half of car crash victims suffer from PTSD. Going through a stressful event, like a car wreck or combat firefight, alters brain chemistry. The amygdala (part of the brain that controls emotional responses) enlarges, and the cerebral cortex (logical responses) shrinks. This imbalance causes effects like depression, anger, flashbacks, and other symptoms that make it difficult or impossible to function in everyday life.

Furthermore, the additional stress parents feel when they see their children injured triggers a special legal doctrine, called the zone of danger rule. Therefore, parents in these situations are entitled to compensation for bystander injuries. This compensation could include both the economic and noneconomic damages mentioned above.

What if the accident was my fault?

Tragedies like car crashes often have multiple causes. So, both drivers could well be partially responsible for the wreck. However, there are two important things to remember in this area.

First, there is a difference between fault and legal responsibility (known as “liability”). An insurance adjuster, who will have the insurance company interests as their focus instead of yours, usually determines fault based solely on the immediately available evidence. If your case goes to trial, a jury or judge determines liability based not only on the evidence at the scene, but also on electronic and other subsequently available evidence.

Additionally, even if you were partially responsible for the accident, compensation is still available. Washington is a pure comparative fault state. So, even if the victim was 99 percent responsible for the collision, the negligent driver is liable for a proportionate share of damages.