Accidents involving motor vehicles are among the most common causes of serious injury and death in the United States each year. Despite the advancements in technology and significant safety improvements in motor vehicles and in the design of roads, automobile accidents remain quite common. In fact, car accident claims and lawsuits are probably the most common type of civil tort case filed by attorneys today. It is important to note that not every car accident will result in litigation
Don’t leave the scene of an accident. It is a crime and will hurt your case. Stay until the police arrive and explain what happened to the police clearly and briefly. Later, you or your car accident attorney will be able to get a police accident report which describes how the accident happened and includes important insurance information.
Keep in mind that the insurance company for the other side is not your friend. The insurance adjusters will almost always try to get you to make recorded statements or sign paperwork that can limit your ability to receive full and fair compensation for your damages and injury. It is very common for an insurance company to put their financial interests in front of yours and try to get a quick, cheap settlement.
There may be multiple layers of insurance coverage applicable to your claim, such as medical payments coverage from your own insurance, liability coverage from the at-fault driver’s insurance and uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage (paid by your own insurance when the other driver does not have car insurance or enough insurance to pay your claim).
Figuring out which insurance companies should pay for your car accident injuries means determining who was negligent. We look to a number of sources to show fault, including police reports, accident reconstructions, vehicle crash data recorders/ “black boxes,” state traffic laws and witnesses to the car wreck. If the other driver was negligent, reckless or intentionally caused the accident, we can help you recover compensation for your injuries, from the involved insurance companies.
Some car accidents and their causes are listed below:
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Hit-and-Run Accidents
- Construction Zone Accidents
- Rollover Accidents
- Rear-end Accidents
- Uninsured and Underinsured Insurance Claims
- Driver Inattention
- Speeding
- Drinking
- Use of Drugs
- Improper vehicle maintenance
- Defective products
- Trucking Company Violations
- Tires
Injuries from car accidents can impair you both mentally and physically. Your car might have been destroyed in the crash, leaving you without transportation to work or school. Your injuries might be so severe that you cannot return to work until you are completely recovered. You may be facing mounting medical bills and lost wages. Worse, you may be left with a permanent, life-long injury.
Mounting medical bills add stress and financial strain to your situation, especially when injuries prevent you or a family member from returning to work. It’s natural to want the responsible party to “pay” for what they’ve done. But with so much else on your mind, the prospect of filing a legal claim or consulting a car accident lawyer may feel overwhelming.
Distracted Driving: With new laws across the US that make non-hands free cell phone use while driving a primary offense, it is obvious that more and more people are realizing the dangers of distracted driving. Texting while driving has been found to be just as dangerous as drunk driving – resulting in more than 16,000 fatalities nationwide between 2002 and 2007.
While there are no official statistics regarding the types of damages that can arise after a car accident, any accident attorney with experience and a record of success in helping those harmed by these incidents can help you obtain a recovery and provide examples of common forms of damages. Examples of common damages incurred include:
- Property damage to the vehicle
- Medical costs for the treatment of injuries
- Ongoing medical costs for physical rehabilitation
- Loss of income
- Pain and suffering
- Lost earning potential
The type of damages that an injured party seeks after a car accident in Washington will depend largely on the facts of the situation. All of these facts should be analyzed by a Washington car accident attorney who understands not only how to help those who need it, but by an experienced professional who understands the process of pursuing a car accident lawsuit.
No amount of money can compensate you for the pain, worry and disruption to your or a loved one’s life. However, through personal injury law, the injured has hope of obtaining relief for losses, both financial and intangible:
- If you are seriously injured in a car accident, you may need surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, psychological counseling, vocational retraining and adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps and home remodeling.
- “Intangible” losses may include loss of consortium (companionship) for the husband or wife of the injured person, loss of his or her ability to care for children in the family or simply the loss of the freedom to enjoy a normal life as before.
If you have been injured in a car accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical care, property damage, pain and suffering, lost wages and ongoing rehabilitation.
When you are injured in an auto accident, your first thought may be to contact the insurance company and recover immediate compensation for your losses. Before you do this, however, please take the time to consider your options. Great auto accident attorneys understand insurance companies and how they operate. For example, the insurance company has a vested interest in avoiding or minimizing its payment to you and will frequently play the “delay and deny” game in the hope that you will eventually accept its first settlement offer.
