- If you’re able, pull your vehicle over to the side of the road to a safe location.
- Call 911 and report the accident; if you are injured, decide whether you need an ambulance.
- Do not tell the other driver that you are fine; it may take some time before you find out you are injured.
- Get the other driver’s license number, license plate number, and insurance information of the other party involved in the accident.
- Do not express anger at the other driver. If there any witnesses to the accident, get their contact information and ask them what they saw.
- Take photos of the accident scene and the vehicle damage.
- If you’re injured, seek medical assistance as soon as possible. Tell the doctor exactly where you are hurt, how it hurts, and what happened to your body in the crash; but do not estimate speeds or guess at how fast the other driver was driving.
- Give your doctor your own insurance information and health insurance information so treatment can begin as soon as possible.
- Follow your doctor’s recommendations.
- Take photos of any bruising.
- Let your insurance company know you were in a car accident, and where you are going for treatment.
- Ask the insurance adjuster to explain your policy’s coverage, including your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage.
- Keep a record of conversations regarding the auto accident.
- Keep receipts of any expenses incurred after the accident.
- Call an attorney as soon as possible. Call us at 206-274-9997 for a free consultation.
- If you are injured, do not wait to seek medical attention.
- Do not accept any offers to settle from an insurance company or the other driver without consulting with an attorney.
- Do not give any statements to an insurance adjuster without consulting with an attorney.
- Do not sign any releases or waivers from an insurance company without consulting with an attorney.
- Do not have your car repaired without consulting with an attorney.
- The statute of limitations is a time in which you must sue the person or entity that caused the accident in which you were injured.
- In Washington, the statute of limitations for injury claims is three years from the date of the accident.
- In limited circumstances, that time can be extended based on the Discovery Rule, which allows the three-year period to start from the time you discovered your injuries.
- For minors, the three-year period for injury claims in Washington state starts when they turn 18.
- If you do not sue the person or entity that caused the accident within this three-year period, you will lose all rights to do so; you will be limited from suing the at–fault party for compensation. Please contact us if you have any questions; we will be happy to help.
I work on a contingent-fee basis in civil injury cases. We only take a fee if we recover for you; if we recover nothing for you, we receive no fee. My attorney's fee is 1/3rd of the gross amount of what I recover for you until 60 days before trial; after that date, or if the case is appealed, the fee is 40%.
In worker's compensation cases, there are three ways you may owe us attorney fees:
(1) If we recover back time loss for you, you owe us 30% of the back time loss payment and 15% of ongoing time loss payments.
(2) If you get a permanent partial disability (PPD) award, you owe us 30% of the award.
(3) If you get permanent total disability (also known as “pension”) benefits, you owe us 15% of the pension reserve, to be paid if possible from any back benefits, and the balance at 15% of each monthly check.
If you do not get any time loss, PPD, or pension benefits, you do not owe us any attorney fee.