Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

If you experience a catastrophic injury, it is possible that you will be responsible for any medical costs or damages associated with your injury. This is in addition to the trauma of your physical injuries and extreme emotional distress that follows a serious accident. If another party or entity was responsible for your injuries, they could be held accountable.

A top-rated Seattle personal injury lawyer from Puget Law Group can aid you in pursuing reimbursement for your injuries. Our firm has 150+ years of combined experience, a 97% success rate, and over 400 5-star Google reviews. Take advantage of our no-win, no-fee guarantee when you contact our office to request a free consultation.

How a Seattle Personal Injury Is Defined

Personal injuries are often a result of negligence. An individual may act negligently when operating an automobile, for example, leading to a personal injury. But, someone else could also suffer a personal injury because the driver was behaving carelessly.

At Puget Law Group, a talented personal injury lawyer in Seattle can help you to receive the compensation you are due. Consider your legal options, which could include negotiating with the insurance company or filing a personal injury claim. Reach out today for a free consultation to discuss the specific circumstances of your case.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

There are several ways catastrophic injuries can occur. The critical part of determining when considering a personal injury lawsuit is if the injury happened because of someone else’s misconduct or negligence. Puget Law Group has extensive experience handling the following types of personal injury claims.

Car Accidents

Car accidents are a fact of life with so many people constantly commuting or traveling by automobile. In fact, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Crisis, there were 417 fatal car accidents across the state between January and July of 2023 and 750 deaths throughout the state in 2022. These collisions can happen for many reasons.

Drivers are more likely to cause an accident resulting in a personal injury lawsuit when distracted, texting while driving, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving recklessly, or using excessive speed. If a driver’s negligent behavior causes an accident that harms a passenger, another motorist, cyclist, biker, or pedestrian, a Seattle car accident lawyer can hold them responsible for the damages suffered by car accident injury victims. You may need to file a claim with the liable party’s insurance company according to Washington fault insurance laws under RCW §4.22 015 if you hope to recover maximum compensation for your damages.

Trucking Accidents

Truck accidents happen for a number of reasons. These often include driver fatigue, distracted driving, driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, failure to yield, unsafe lane changes, unbalanced loads, and other forms of driver negligence. In any of these incidents, an accident may occur, and the driver will be liable for their reckless behavior.

Bike Accidents

Many people opt for bicycling as a fun hobby and aim to spend more time outdoors. But biking is also an opportunity to be more eco-friendly, to commute without the headache of parking, and to get around in traffic that is gridlocked. Driver negligence can cause injuries to cyclists, and a Seattle bicycle accident lawyer can help you with that.

Dooring is a common biking accident in urban areas that could be avoided if the driver paid attention to the oncoming bike traffic before opening their doors. If you are a cyclist harmed because of driver negligence, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit seeking financial compensation for your injuries and related expenses. Find out how much you could be awarded when you discuss your case with a personal injury attorney in Seattle, WA.

Motorcycle Accidents

Exploring the open road by motorcycle is an exhilarating way to travel when other drivers on the road are watching out for bikers and acting with care. Sometimes, through unsafe lane changes, failing to follow traffic laws, and driving at excessive speeds, bikers are injured in accidents through no fault of their own.

In these cases, when accidents happen and bikers are harmed, they are entitled to file suit to recoup medical costs and damages they may have experienced.

Bus Accidents

Public transportation or transportation to and from school can be very beneficial to those who can utilize it. But, if a passenger, motorist, or pedestrian is hurt in an accident involving a bus, they are entitled to seek damages for their injuries through a personal injury lawsuit.

If you have been injured in Seattle and your bus accident was caused by someone else’s carelessness, we suggest you call a Seattle personal injury attorney as soon as possible so we can investigate your case and formulate an effective strategy to achieve the maximum award to which you are entitled.

You can also reach out to a Seattle bus accident lawyer for help.

Statute of Limitations on Personal Injury Cases in Seattle, WA

The statute of limitations for personal injury cases varies throughout the United States. In Washington state, the statute of limitations on personal injury incidents is three years, according to RCW §4.16.080. However, a victim of a personal injury may have more than the prescribed three years in some cases, such as:

• The injury was not evident at the time of the incident. This can happen in surgical malpractice cases or due to dangerous drugs that have side effects long after they were prescribed.
• The person who suffered the injury was incapacitated for a period of time due to the accident. The time they were incapacitated does not count towards the statute of limitations deadline.

If you miss this deadline, your ability to pursue your case as a trial could be limited. Do not risk it. Get started on your claim as soon as possible so you can maximize your financial relief.

Economic and Non-Economic Damages in Seattle Personal Injury Lawsuits

When compensatory damages are awarded to injury victims across Seattle, they come as economic and non-economic damages. If you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to both types of damages as outlined under RCW 19.86.090. Some of these damages could be recovered through an insurance claim, but any that remain can be sought through your civil claim.

Economic Damages You May Be Entitled to After a Personal Injury Accident in Seattle

In the state of Washington, there is no cap for economic damages. This means you can seek compensation for everything you have lost. Some of the following economic damages that you may be entitled to as a personal injury victim include:

• Medical costs – You may be entitled to reimbursement for the cost of ambulance travel, airlifting or Life Flight costs, emergency room visits, stays in the hospital or the intensive care unit, medical procedures, surgeries, amputations, prescriptions, medical devices, rehabilitation services, doctor’s appointments, and follow-up medical care.
• Lost Wages – Following an accident, missing work is rather common. If you have lost wages due to the accident, hospital time, attending doctor’s appointments, and recovery, you can seek financial recovery from the time you lost.
• Therapy – After an injury, it may be necessary that you seek physiotherapy, psychological therapy, or occupational therapy. The cost of these services can add up quickly, and compensation may be available.
• Loss of future income – If you are unable to return to the job you once had or were training for due to an injury, you may be able to pursue compensation for the loss of future income.
• Home alterations – Often, when a major injury is suffered, our homes must be restructured to accommodate a personal injury victim’s new circumstances. This might include the addition of a ramp, the widening of doorways, access to handicap-accessible bathrooms, installation of grab bars and handrails, and more.
• Medical devices – Medical devices may be necessary to aid personal injury victims in returning to their lives. This may mean wheelchairs, prosthetics, and handicap-accessible vehicles.

Non-Economic Damages Following a Seattle Personal Injury Accident

There is no cap on non-economic compensatory damages in Seattle, Washington. This entitles personal injury victims to seek restitution for the non-economic damages they have suffered in addition to the more easily calculated economic damages. Some examples of these damages are listed below:

• Pain and suffering – These damages are awarded to compensate personal injury victims for the physical and emotional pain suffered due to their injuries.
• Emotional distress – Personal injury victims can seek damages for the emotional anguish they have suffered as a result of their injuries. This could mean depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other difficult psychological impacts suffered due to the accident.
• Loss of enjoyment of life – This is difficult to calculate monetarily, but it is one of the biggest losses a personal injury accident can cause. When the personal injury victim can no longer participate in the things that made their lives enjoyable because of the injuries they sustained, they are entitled to seek compensation for that loss.
• Loss of consortium – This is damage that is sometimes available to the spouse or partner of the victim when the injury means they have lost companionship, intimacy, protection, and security because of the accident.
• Disfigurement and scarring – This can be painful and require the personal injury victim to go through multiple surgeries and procedures to work towards correcting. The victim may suffer shame and discomfort due to the way they look as a result of the accident.
• Loss of reputation – Sometimes, a personal injury accident has a component caused by rumors or details of the accident that caused the person who suffered the injury to feel ashamed or like their reputation has been compromised. Personal injury victims can pursue damages for the loss of their reputation.

Your dedicated Seattle personal injury attorney can educate and inform you about the types of losses that may be available based on the specific details of your case. This may help you understand what a reasonable amount of compensation to pursue would be. Puget Law Firm’s legal advocates can explain all of the details of possible damages after reviewing your individual situation.

Punitive Damages

While you may be curious about punitive damages, Washington is one of four states that does not allow for them in personal injury cases as described by RCW §42.17A.780. Some judges use them as a deterrent so that the defendant and others who may be tempted do not behave in similar manners. But, in Washington, there is no option for being awarded punitive damages.

Achieving the Best Results for a Seattle Personal Injury Lawsuit

A Seattle personal injury lawyer is the first person you should talk to when you are considering filing a lawsuit concerning a personal injury. Contact Puget Law Group for a free consultation so you can determine how your interests can best be represented. There are some things you can do to aid your personal injury attorney in achieving the best possible outcome.

Collect Evidence to Support Your Claim

The burden of proof is based on a preponderance of the evidence, according to WAC §192-100-065. By gathering evidence to present to your attorney, you arm them with what they need to pursue the best resolution possible on your behalf. This can include the following:

• Photographs and videos documenting the personal injury
• Accident reports from law enforcement
• Security or surveillance videos that may have caught the incident on video
• Medical records and doctor’s reports
• Witness statements from those involved or those who saw the incident occur
• Financial records

Bring all the evidence you have gathered to your appointment with your attorney so that you can understand where your case stands. By reviewing the evidence with our team, you can better recognize which types of evidence should be submitted during your trial and which pieces are not as valuable. Some of the evidence you collect may be used to dispute allegations against you that the defendant may make.

Contact Puget Law Group to Meet with Seattle’s Leading Personal Injury Law Firm

Following a personal injury suffered by you or a loved one can be overwhelming. Your compassionate Seattle personal injury attorney from Puget Law Group understands that you have experienced great trauma, and we want nothing more than to help you overcome it.

Our goal is to secure the maximum settlement possible for you, so fill out our quick contact form or call us to get started on your claim as soon as today.