Washington Car Accident Lawyer

July 12, 2023 | Attorney, Matthew Dolman

You can encounter a car accident on any given day across the roads that pass in and out of Washington state. Interstates and city streets can experience traffic backups and congestion that heightens a motor vehicle accident risk. If you find yourself a victim of a car crash in Washington, you may suffer painful injuries and costly damages to your vehicle.

As a car accident victim, you should expect to sustain financial impacts and losses relating to your injuries and possibly other damages. A victim of negligence may pursue additional losses against the parties responsible.

Contact a Washington car accident attorney at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, to discuss your case and your rights to seek compensation for your car accident damages in Washington.

After a Car Accident in Washington, Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Our team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, works hard each day to fight for the victims of injury and negligence. We want to help victims of car accidents and other personal injury accidents get the compensation they deserve following an incident causing them injury and damages.

We understand the difficult situation a Washington car crash can leave you in. It worsens if you cannot work because of your injuries while your medical bills and other expenses pile up, leaving you under significant financial stress.

Dealing with insurance companies and fighting for your rights can feel overwhelming after the health and personal impacts of a car accident.

Our team of lawyers and staff at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, want to help relieve some of the stress, anxiety, and worry you are experiencing following a motor vehicle accident in Washington.

We can guide you on your case and help you understand your options as you navigate the crash's aftermath and injuries. We offer free case consultations for victims of car accidents.

A member of our team is available to answer your call. With offices nationwide and lawyers well-versed in handling car accident claims and lawsuits, you can rest assured you are in good hands when hiring our team to represent you in a car accident case. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.

The Dolman Law Group works with local counsel in any jurisdiction outside Florida for the purpose of filing lawsuits in jurisdictions wherein we are not licensed. Thus, we will follow each State's ethical rules to ensure a local attorney is involved.

What Compensation Is Available Following a Crash in Washington?

The amount of money you may be eligible for in your case will depend on several aspects of the accident, the damages involved, and the type of injuries you sustain. In addition to the type of injuries you sustain, an insurer will also consider the severity of your injuries, whether the injuries affect your day-to-day life, and if you will suffer future impacts.

Calculating the compensation you can receive as part of a claim for damages is an involved process that can take time to ensure accuracy. Overlooking certain expenses or possible future losses relating to your injuries can significantly reduce the compensation you may negotiate for in a settlement.

If you are a client of Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, our team can closely work with you to determine the amount of money you may recover.

While we cannot predict with certainty how much money you will receive or if the insurance company will offer a settlement, we can help you understand the crash's impact on your life and the likely outcome based on the facts of your case.

Damages a Washington car accident victim may seek as part of a claim includes:

  • Medical costs, including future expenses if injuries persist or cause a disability
  • Loss of income and its effect on your earning potential and future earnings, if applicable in your case
  • Pain and suffering from physical, emotional, and mental trauma
  • Costs to repair your vehicle or the value of your vehicle if it is a total loss after the crash

Where Can an Accident Happen in Washington State?

Sadly, car accidents can happen anywhere. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Safety Council listed Washington among the worst states for increased traffic deaths in a recent year, demonstrating the daily dangers drivers and passengers face. 

A glance at the crash data portal provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation reveals widespread occurrences of accidents throughout Washington. In one recent year, police documented 100,000 crashes, of which 685 resulted in fatalities. 

According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, common roads that experience high rates of fatal car accidents include:

  • State Route 20
  • Hart's Pass
  • Highway 2
  • Interstate 5
  • Interstate 82
  • Interstate 90
  • The Valley Freeway (SR 167)

The Most Common Types of Car Accidents

When two or more vehicles collide, the damage that results can be extensive, and the occupants in the vehicles may suffer injuries that could be serious or life-threatening.

Unfortunately, the cause of car accidents is not accidental; it is instead often the reckless actions of one or more parties that trigger a chain of events leading to a crash.

As you travel down the road in Washington, you may encounter dangerous drivers engaging in high-risk behaviors likely to lead to a motor vehicle accident. When drivers act recklessly, they put themselves at risk of injury or death, as well as innocent bystanders and other vehicle occupants traveling in the area near them. In many cases, a driver that causes an accident and injuries to victims is liable for the victim's losses due to negligence.

Examples of negligence that leads to a motor vehicle accident in Washington may include:

Injuries Common After a Washington Automobile Accident

There is no way to know how a car accident will ultimately impact the parties involved. Drivers and passengers are at high risk of injury when a car crash occurs.

Still, the types of injuries and the severity of those injuries can vary drastically from one victim to another. You may notice an injury in the moments after the crash. However, certain injuries can develop slowly or worsen over time.

As an accident victim, you must monitor your condition and seek help if anything warrants an evaluation from a doctor.

Examples of injuries you may sustain include:

  • Head injuries
  • Neck injuries
  • Back or spinal cord injuries
  • Lacerations
  • Amputation
  • Burns
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Facial injuries
  • Internal injuries to organs

What Happens When You File an Insurance Claim for Your Damages?

After a typical car crash in Washington, a car accident lawyer will file an insurance claim for your damages. A car accident lawyer can make a big difference in the outcome of your claim and case. Insurers do not volunteer to pay out every claim or the maximum losses for each claimant. When filing a claim without a lawyer, you risk losing the compensation you deserve. 

Steps You Can Take to Help Your Case After a Washington Car Accident

After a car accident, you may not know how to obtain the money you need to help with your bills and losses. Make protecting your rights after a motor vehicle accident your priority once you get immediate help for your injuries.

Help from a lawyer to set your claim and case in the right direction can significantly improve the outcome of your case and give you a better chance of reaching a successful resolution.

Follow the Treatment for Your Injuries

Your car accident injuries might cause pain and interfere with your life more than you first anticipated. The recovery from car accident injuries can have ups and downs; if complications arise, you may face new challenges and limitations that affect how you live your life.

Follow the treatment your doctor sets for you and attend all appointments, such as follow-ups and therapy sessions.

Maximum recovery does not always mean a full recovery. Still, you must do what you can to ensure you reach the best recovery possible in light of your circumstances and injuries sustained during the crash.

The insurance companies may look into your progress during recovery when evaluating the damages they may offer you as part of a settlement. Any interpretation by an insurer of actions that impede the progress of your recovery could be grounds for them to argue to lower or eliminate their liability to you or to limit the amount of money they offer in a settlement.

By following your doctor's orders, you take steps to get better and protect your legal rights to compensation for the full extent of your injury-related car accident damages.

Start to Journal Your Recovery

The chaotic period after a car accident can make it difficult to recall dates and details as time passes. While you may think you will remember the most important information relevant to the accident, your injuries, and your recovery, it can become harder as time passes, and depending on the information at stake could ultimately affect how your case resolves.

Create a personal journal to write down any information relevant to the accident, what may have caused it, your injuries, your damages, and your recovery. If it makes it easier for you, you can also use audio or video recording or digitally write notes about the case as time passes. This can help you with your claim or case if you need to answer questions or testify about the accident at a future time.

Collect Evidence

As a Washington car accident victim and the potential plaintiff of a lawsuit, if necessary in your case, you have the burden to prove you are the victim of another's negligence and to prove the damages you suffered because of the car accident.

 Our legal team can help you retrieve evidence that you may not have access to or that another party may have in their possession. However, to help your case and make things move more quickly, you can collect the evidence you have and take note of additional evidence we might obtain for you. Let us know everything you meet to discuss your case.

Evidence commonly used in a car accident case that you may have in your possession or access to can include police reports, medical records, witness information, employment records, photos, videos, etc.

Contact the Car Accident Attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA

Matthew A. Dolman, Attorney
Matthew Dolman, Washington Car Accident Lawyer

As you begin to emerge from the fog and confusion following a car accident, please give us a call. Our team will offer you a free case consultation to discuss your car accident and what compensation you may be eligible to receive through a claim or lawsuit.

You do not need to handle a claim on your own. Contact us at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, for guidance and to avoid the most common mistakes which can lead to delays or issues with getting a settlement in your claim. Call now at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH).

 

Matthew Dolman

Personal Injury Lawyer

This article was written and reviewed by Matthew Dolman. Matt has been a practicing civil trial, personal injury, products liability, and mass tort lawyer since 2004. He has successfully fought for more than 11,000 injured clients and acted as lead counsel in more than 1,000 lawsuits. Always on the cutting edge of personal injury law, Matt is actively engaged in complex legal matters, including Suboxone, AFFF, and Ozempic lawsuits.  Matt is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for resolving individual cases in excess of $1 million and $2 million, respectively. He has also been selected by his colleagues as a Florida Superlawyer and as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite on multiple occasions. Further, Matt has been quoted in the media numerous times and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal issues and topics.

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