Car crashes happen every day as driving a vehicle is a necessity in most of our lives. Your chances of being in a collision are relatively high—it does not matter how careful you are, if someone else is careless.
In the aftermath of an accident you will have a lot of questions. Who pays for the damage to my car? Who was at fault? Where do I get medical treatment? Who will pay for my medical bills? What if I have to miss work? Should I take the settlement the insurance company is offering? Can I be compensated for my pain and suffering?
Our Car Accident Lawyers Have the Experience You Need
If you have been injured in a car accident, call Advocates Law Group, PLLC as soon as possible because you will quickly be faced with a number of important decisions and legal issues. What you do and say in the aftermath of an accident can greatly affect the outcome of your case. In addition, insurance companies will attempt to resolve your claim for property damage and injuries as soon as possible and without fair compensation. There is a great deal of knowledge required of the law and hours of legwork needed to effectively negotiate with an insurance company and litigate a personal injury claim.
Don’t let the stress of managing your injuries, mounting medical bills, lost wages and the unfair, high pressure tactics from insurance companies overwhelm you. Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC today at (253) 733-0035 to schedule your FREE case evaluation.
Our experienced team will fight diligently on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve by holding those responsible for your accident accountable, so you can focus on getting well again.
We have two convenient locations to meet or can arrange an on-site visit to a hospital or home if you are unable to travel.
We Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win
Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid until there is a successful resolution to your claim.
High Impact vs. Low Impact
You can be seriously harmed in any type of auto accident - high impact collisions can result in catastrophic injuries, but people can also be significantly injured in minor, low speed fender benders with minimal property damage. If you have been injured as a result of a careless person or driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, as well as any future medical and financial needs.
Do not let the insurance adjuster tell you that you cannot be seriously injured in a low property damage case. At Advocates Law Group, PLLC, we are very experienced with this common tactic and understand how to defeat this type of false defense. Even a low speed impact can make performing day-to-day functions at home and work difficult, or your injuries may be life-altering to the point where you have to permanently change your lifestyle and plans for the future.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Crashes are caused by a number of factors but many of these accidents—and the injuries that occur as a result—are caused by negligent drivers. Regardless of what caused your accident, you can be confident that Advocates Law Group, PLLC will help protect your rights as a victim of someone else’s carelessness.
- Reckless driving
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Inexperienced or teen drivers
- Work zone and construction zone
- Hit and run
- Texting and driving
- Disobeying turn signals
- Passing accidents/improper turning
- Driver fatigue
- Severe weather
- Accidents due to driver error
- Drunk drivers (DUI)
- Dangerous road conditions
- Aggressive driving
- Car breakdowns
Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can result in a myriad of new injuries and/or aggravate pre-existing conditions for anyone riding in the vehicle. Even accidents that have a low speed impact with minimal property damage can hurt people inside a car.
In the aftermath of a crash, sometimes accident victims are in shock and unaware of their injuries until hours, days or weeks later when symptoms start to surface. Although you may feel you are not injured at the time, you and your passengers should always be checked by a medical professional. Always seek medical attention after an accident and get evaluated for injuries. Protect yourself and the passengers in your car.
Many people think they will get better on their own but do not. Delaying medical attention can affect getting the proper treatment you need to recover. The records of emergency or urgent care, doctor visits, surgical procedures, radiological tests, prescribed medications, and any rehabilitative care will help to support your claim and are your best evidence of the extent of your injuries. Be sure to follow all of your doctor’s recommendations for treatment and therapy. Insurance companies may point to not seeking immediate medical care or gaps in care to deny coverage. Below are examples of common injuries that need attention after an accident:
- Dizziness
- Cuts and bruises
- Discomfort
- Whiplash
- Lacerations
- Soft tissue and nerve damage
- Ligament damage
- Dislocations
- Aggravated pre-existing conditions
- Concussions
- Herniated discs
- Fractures and broken bones
- Head and neck injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Brain injuries
- Facial Injuries
Whiplash
Do not ignore whiplash symptoms. Whiplash is an often overlooked but serious injury in car accidents. It is an injury to your neck as a result of your head and torso moving in different directions, being thrown back and forth in a way that stretches or even tears the tissues. If it is not treated properly it will cause you pain and limit your mobility for weeks, months or even chronically for the rest of your life. Signs of whiplash can show up right after an accident or hours or days later. Some commons signs that you have a whiplash injury are:
- Pain in neck, shoulders or upper back
- Stiffness in neck, shoulder and/or upper back
- Limited or changed ability to move head
- Dizziness
- Numbness or pain in arms
Types of Losses after an Accident
As experienced accident and injury attorneys, we will review your case and assess what types of losses you have experienced and help you understand the different types of compensation that are available. Before you can be compensated, you must prove that the person at fault was the cause of your loss. Necessary evidence must be obtained in order to make a case including witness statements, pictures, automotive repair estimate and bills, police reports, medical records, employer records, insurance company documents and sometimes expert opinions.
- Property Damage – If you were in a car accident, then your vehicle will likely have damage as well as personal items that were in that vehicle, as well as the loss of use of that vehicle. If your car was totaled, you may need a new car. Even if they can repair your car, you may be entitled to diminished value, or sometimes called “stigma” damages because your car has been in a collision.
- Medical Costs – This would include all expenses for any medical treatment related to the car accident. You should keep a record of all medical bills as well as treatment records for use in obtaining this type of compensation. You may even be able to recover the cost of future medical care.
- Lost Wages – You can obtain compensation for lost wages after an accident. If you were unable to work due to your injuries, or can no longer perform the same work, then you can recover for this loss. Sometimes, people have a lost earning capacity as a result of their injuries that is distinct and separate from their lost wages.
- Emotional Distress – It is common to have emotional issues after a car wreck, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may be scared of driving or riding in a car, which can greatly impact your life. It’s very important to seek treatment for the emotional toll dealing with your injuries has caused and a good therapist can help.
- Long-Term Care Expenses – If you are unable to care for yourself or need to make modifications to your home, then you may be eligible for long-term care expenses. These can help you regain your some of the standard of living after a car accident.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life – These damages are generally designed to compensate for a plaintiff’s loss of the capacity and ability to enjoy the pleasures of life, including the enjoyment that comes from such things as hobbies, interests and vocations.
- Pain & Suffering – Recovery for “pain and suffering” caused by a motor vehicle collision compensates the plaintiff for all of the physical and mental pain, discomfort and misery caused by the injury, and includes inconvenience, mental anguish, disability or disfigurement incurred by the injured party, emotional distress, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium, injury to reputation and humiliation, inconvenience and destruction of the parent-child relationship.
In order to receive compensation for your losses after an accident there is a great deal of evidence gathering required. Advocates Law Group, PLLC can do this work for you. Collecting all the evidence needed for your case can be very time consuming and records can be difficult to obtain. Our attorneys and staff are familiar with the evidence retrieval process and are also experts at interviewing witnesses and medical professionals.
At Fault and Comparative Negligence Laws
In an accident, if you want to pursue a claim against an insurance company to recover your losses, the other driver will need to found responsible. Sometimes after an accident it is not always clear which driver was at fault - it isn’t always black and white. In the State of Washington, if your actions contributed to the accident in any way, the amount of your recovery will be reduced by the percentage that you have been found to be at fault. For example, if your damages are $10,000 but you are found 10% at fault, you will receive $9,000 to cover your losses. Determining fault after a car accident can be a contentious matter and may require professional services to protect you from insurance company tactics to reduce or deny their responsibility to cover your losses. At Advocates Law Group, PLLC you will have the peace of mind knowing that you have an experienced legal team fighting for you.
What to Do after an Accident in Washington State
If you are involved in a car accident in Washington State, the first thing to do is call the police and seek medical treatment. This is important because police reports and medical records will serve as critical evidence in your car accident claim.
Immediately after an accident:
- Assess your safety and the safety of others around you.
- Render aid to yourself or others immediately, if needed.
- Call 911 for medical attention if needed and to dispatch a police officer to the scene. Police are trained in accident investigation and can collect valuable information and also cite another driver for fault on the scene.
- Be careful of making statements at this time but gather information and write it down.
- Collect the other driver’s contact, license plate and insurance information.
- Names and contact information of witnesses.
- Take or ask others to take pictures or videos of the vehicles and any other evidence that would be critical to proving who is at fault.
- Get checked out by medical professionals even if you aren’t sure if you have been injured. Sometimes you are in shock and until the adrenaline wears off you may not feel your injuries. You may also have a concussion that needs to be attended to.
- Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC for legal advice.
- Inform your insurance company immediately that you were involved in an accident.
Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC today at (253) 733-0035 to learn more about your rights and schedule your FREE case evaluation.
