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At Fang Law Firm, our Seattle car accident attorneys have over a decade of experience handling the aftermath of an accident. Call our Seattle personal injury law firm today at (206) 489-5140 for a free case consultation.
Car accidents are stressful, and dealing with insurance agencies is even more so. There is a lot to think about following a car accident such as, who will fix your car, pay for your medical bills, or lost wages due to an inability to work following the motor vehicle accident.
Were you injured in a car accident? Or was your vehicle your primary source of income? A Seattle car accident lawyer from Fang Law Firm can help Seattle car accident victims recover financially and restore them to where they were before the accident.
Our Seattle accident lawyers have secured tens of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. Below are a few of our many successful case results:
A skilled car accident attorney can help you navigate uninsured driver claims. Not only will a knowledgeable car accident attorney handle all conversations with your insurance company but they are best positioned to spot bad-faith negotiation tactics. Among other things, a car accident attorney can:
Insurance companies are ruthless, corporate machines that take advantage of unknowledgeable claimants by denying or delaying payments for valid claims. Our accident attorneys know how insurance companies operate and how to combat the underhanded tactics they use to force you into settling for less than you deserve. We’ll assist you in filing claims paperwork and represent you in the negotiations process. Our Seattle auto accident attorneys will talk to the insurance company, so you don’t have to.
Your injury may have resulted in $100,000+ in medical bills and the negligent party’s insurance company is threatening you to settle for $25,000. The insurance company is hoping that you will settle for $25,000 because that is what the negligent driver is covered for. In Washington, drivers are required to carry bodily injury liability coverage at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Insurance companies don’t want to pay out more than what their customers paid for. If you’ve ever had a medical emergency or prolonged injury, you know how fast medical bills and lost wages can reach the $25,000 coverage limit. You don’t have to settle for the driver’s coverage amount, and we won’t let the insurance companies force you into an amount that’s less than you deserve.
Drivers or passengers injured or out of work due to a car accident can pursue financial compensation or damages from the negligent party. Fang Law Firm can help injured victims recover:
Medical expenses can include ongoing mental or physical therapy, ambulance fees, tests and x-ray fees, surgery, and more. It is best practice to receive a complete medical exam following an accident.
Lost wages can include hourly wages, overtime pay, sick days and PTO, and future wages if you can no longer perform the same type of work due to the accident. One of our Seattle car accident attorneys will evaluate your case and determine the type and amount of damages you are eligible to pursue.
Under Washington law, pain and suffering damages can include mental anguish, disability or disfigurement, emotional distress, injury to reputation, and much more. An experienced Seattle car accident attorney is standing by to help you determine the type of financial compensation you are entitled to.
Washington courts and insurance companies are allowed to limit, or cap, your settlement or damage award if they find any contributory fault. Under Washington law, contributory fault means that you were partially at fault for the accident.
For example, an insurance company is likely to present evidence that you braked too hard or were speeding; if they successfully convince a jury of these facts, the jury will assign a percentage to your contributory fault and reduce your damage award by that percentage.
If a jury is convinced that you did brake too hard and were speeding, the insurance company will introduce a percentage for how much those two acts contributed to the accident. It’s possible that the insurance company will present and the jury will accept that those two acts contributed 20 percent to the cause of the accident. If that is the case, the jury will reduce your damage award by 20 percent.
The best way to defend against contributory fault claims is to hire a knowledgeable car accident lawyer in Seattle to refute insurance representatives’ calculations through the use of evidence and expert witness testimony. Contributory fault isn’t the only thing you have to worry about as a Washington driver.
An at-fault driver that is uninsured can complicate the process.
An uninsured driver is a driver that does not have insurance, and without insurance, the at-fault driver cannot cover the property and/or injury damages they caused, meaning you will have to file an insurance claim with your insurance company to cover damages to yourself, your vehicle, and/or your personal property.
21.7 percent of Washington drivers are uninsured. To combat the startling high percentage of uninsured drivers, and in turn, uninsured driver claims, Washington requires all insurance companies to offer uninsured motorist coverage to Washington drivers. In fact, per RCW 48.22.030(4), insurance companies must obtain written waivers of uninsured motorist coverage from their covergees. It is best practice to purchase uninsured motorist coverage through your insurance company if you are a Washington driver.
It may seem like your insurance company will treat you fairly when you file a claim through your uninsured motorist coverage. However, that is not always the case. In 2001, the Washington Supreme Court found a claimant’s own insurance company guilty of bad faith negotiations related to an uninsured motorist claim.
In Ellwein vs. Hartford Company, 142 Wn. 2nd 766 (2001), the Washington Supreme Court found that the claimant’s insurance company had offered sub-par settlements and even hired an expert witness to testify against the claimant. No matter who pays the insurance company, they will act in the best interest of their company. In short, an insurance company will find any legal loophole in order to deny or reduce your award amount.
Multi-car accidents involve more than the typical two-vehicles common in most collisions. Also called pile-ups, these accidents often happen on major interstates and highways when vehicles travel in multiple lanes at high speeds.
When the first one or two vehicles collide or otherwise crash, later cars moving in the same direction at high speed don’t have time to stop in order to avoid colliding with the wrecked vehicles. Some may crash directly into the stopped cars and “pile up” while other drivers might swerve to avoid the collision and then lose control and crash nearby.
Washington is one of many comparative negligence accident states where fault matters in an accident. In order to claim compensation for damages after a car accident, an injury victim bears the burden of proving liability on the part of the person at fault. While proving liability in the majority of car accidents is relatively simple— for example, a person who is distracted by their phone and runs into a stopped car in front of them is liable for damages, and a person who makes an unsafe lane change and runs another car off the road is liable—proving who is at fault in a multi-car pileup becomes far more challenging.
It often takes a thorough investigation of a multi-car accident to break down the sequence of events to determine fault and liability. An investigation of a pile-up could include the following:
In most cases, the investigation of a pileup begins with the first car or cars that crashed. The driver responsible for the initial crash usually bears liability. However, depending on the cause of the accident, liability could also lie with a city road maintenance agency that neglected to clear a road hazard or repair a traffic light, or a car part manufacturer who produced a defective product.
Also, if the drivers of the later cars that added to the pileup were speeding or distracted, they could also bear a percentage of liability under the state’s comparative negligence laws.
In a comparative negligence insurance state, even those partly responsible for a car accident can still recover a portion of their damages. For example, a driver found to be 25% at fault for an accident could recover 75% of their damages. If their damages amounted to $100,000, they’d recover $75,000.
Determining each driver’s percentage of fault in a multi-car accident requires a thorough investigation of the evidence.
Any injury victim in a multi-car pileup who is less than 100% at fault for the accident may recover at least a portion of their damages, minus their percentage of fault. If a driver was in no way at fault, they can fully recover damages.
If a multi-car accident causes fatalities, the family members of the victim may claim wrongful death compensation.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a complex multi-car accident, you need the help of an experienced car accident attorney to investigate the accident, determine liability, and maximize your recovery of damages.
Seattle had a total of 8,400 crashes in 2022, with 37 fatal crashes and 246 suspected to cause serious injury.
Washington state had 103,220 crashes and of those crashes, 686 crashes were fatal and nearly 16,000 had possible injury.
If you’re in Washington for an extended period of time, the chances you will be hit by an at-fault driver increase ten-fold. Don’t wait until you’re in a motor vehicle accident to find out what your rights are. Planning ahead is the best preparation for emergency events.
If you’ve been hit, don’t suffer financially because of another driver’s careless or negligent conduct. Call Fang Law Firm today at (206) 489-5140 to speak with one of our knowledgeable Seattle car accident attorneys about your options. We are standing by to walk you through every aspect of your car accident claim.
We offer our clients a direct line and hands-on support; we won’t delegate you to our support staff because our auto accident attorneys understand how stressful and confusing injuries and lost wages are due to a car accident. Call us today at (206) 489-5140, and one of our knowledgeable attorneys will conduct a free consultation to determine your best path to financial recovery. We proudly serve all of King County, Washington. Our personal injury law office is located in Seattle, near Pike Place Market, off of 2nd Street and Yesler Wy.
“I am actually afraid to think of what would have happened to us if it weren’t for our knowledgeable counsel–I know that it would have been a horrible experience and would have contributed to my view of the world. It surely would have darkened my skies and perspective on what happens to folks not at fault in car accidents. I thank my lucky stars for people like Remington who represent and come to the defense of hard-working people like my husband and myself. Your time and dedication to your profession are truly appreciated! Thank you!”
-Elisha