Kent Personal Injury Lawyer

Accidents happen, but some are preventable and only occur because of another party’s recklessness or negligence. When these kinds of accidents happen, and you sustain injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury-related losses. Injuries set you back physically, emotionally, and financially, but Puget Law Firm can help.

A Kent personal injury lawyer from our team will fight for substantial compensation so you can see financial recovery and look forward to a more stable financial future.

Personal Injury Laws in Kent

Washington personal injury laws determine the path victims in Kent, or other areas of the state must follow when seeking compensation through an injury claim.

After an accident, however, navigating these laws and managing a claim is a challenge for most victims whose lack of experience with these laws and negotiating with insurance companies could cause them to lose out on the compensation they need and deserve. Put yourself in the best position to collect a settlement or achieve a favorable trial verdict by partnering with a personal injury lawyer in Kent.

Statute of Limitations

A statute of limitations is a legal deadline for filing a personal injury claim. Washington holds to a three-year statute for most personal injury claims. However, if someone committed an intentional act that caused your injury, the deadline shrinks to two years.

Connect with a personal injury attorney in Kent as soon as possible after your accident to ensure you file within that deadline. If the deadline has passed, you should still reach out to a personal injury attorney in Kent. Some personal injury cases follow a “discovery rule,” which can extend the statute of limitations, and other case circumstances may warrant the statute to be tolled or extended.

If your case is against the “State or its agents” or local governments, different rules and deadlines apply. Puget Law Firm is more than capable of managing these complex cases. A Washington government liability lawyer from our team will take your case through this complicated landscape with efficiency, working toward the best possible outcome. 

Comparative Negligence

Washington State follows a pure comparative negligence system for personal injury cases. Under the Revised Washington Code (RWC) §4.22.005, injury victims can hold a negligent party accountable for their (the victims’ injuries) even if the victim bears significant fault for the accident causing those injuries. However, the compensation available to the victim will be reduced according to their percentage of fault. 

What Compensation Covers

Compensation amounts vary from case to case. They depend on the circumstances of the accident, the severity and consequences of the victims’ injuries, the at-fault party’s percentage of responsibility, and other factors. In Washington State, victims can sue negligent parties for two types of “compensatory” damages: economic and non-economic.

The financial effects of the accident are covered under economic damages. These financial effects include medical bills, future care costs, income lost during recovery, potential income and benefits lost if you cannot work in the same capacity or at all, the value of property damaged or destroyed in the accident, and any other expenses the accident incurs. For example, you may need to hire a childcare provider, pay for transportation if you can no longer drive, or pay others to take care of household maintenance tasks.

Non-economic damages acknowledge and provide compensation for other accident-caused losses. They acknowledge your physical and emotional pain, physical limitations or disfigurement, and losses to your overall quality of life. Your Kent personal injury attorney in Kent will assess your losses with care and in great detail, calculating a settlement amount to recover them and bring you justice.

Types of Personal Injury Claims

Any accident can prompt a personal injury claim. Though the accidents may have many differences, their common factor is that they happened because someone was negligent, reckless, or even intentionally violent. That party’s fault leaves them liable for paying you back for the damages you sustain.

Common types of accidents or events leading to personal injury claims include:

• Motor-Vehicle Accidents: Crashes involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and boats cause extensive property damage and severe injuries
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents: Pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable road users. When hit by any motor vehicle, they typically do not bear the most fault but are almost always seriously injured
• Premises Liability Cases: Property owners must keep their properties clear of known dangers or warn guests of the hazard. Business owners must take even greater care to keep their premises safe. Property owners may hold culpability for slips or falls, injuries resulting from inadequate security, dog bites, and other events 
• Medical Malpractice Cases: Medical care providers hold great responsibility for their patients’ well-being. Failure to diagnose or treat a problem correctly, botched surgeries, and preventable errors can lead to severe or deadly consequences for victims
• Nursing Home Abuse: Nursing home facilities oversee the safety and care of some of the most vulnerable members of the population. Sadly, these members can experience abuse or neglect in poorly run or understaffed facilities or by staff or visitors with ill intent
• Wrongful Death Cases: When a victim dies from the injuries sustained in an accident, certain surviving family members can file a wrongful death claim. Families may receive compensation for loss of companionship, care, and protection, mental anguish, loss of affection, and other damages

Our case results speak for themselves. Whether we fight for you over a negotiating table with the at-fault party’s insurance representatives or fight for you in court, Puget Law Firm fights hard. Our goal is to get you the highest financial award possible so you can look toward a more hopeful future.

Getting Justice Served with a Personal Injury Lawyer in Kent

The team at Puget Law Firm is committed to getting justice for injury victims throughout Washington. We understand the pain, anxiety, and overall disruption your accident has caused you and will put our resources, experience, and legal knowledge into holding the at-fault party financially responsible for their actions and getting you fairly compensated.

Connect with a skilled, compassionate Kent personal injury lawyer from our team for a free case review. Call or send a message–after that, we take care of the rest.