Kirkland Car Accident Lawyer

Car Accident Attorney Serving Injury Plaintiffs in Kirkland, Washington

Many Kirkland residents work in Seattle and regularly commute on I-5 or I-405. In addition to these major highways, car accidents can happen almost anywhere in Kirkland and throughout the Seattle suburbs. We rarely plan for traffic collisions, and when they happen, they can be devastating. Numerous car accident victims require extensive medical care, not to mention the fact that many people who get hurt in motor vehicle crashes are unable to return to work for a lengthy period of time. What can be even more frustrating is knowing that the accident could have been prevented if the other driver had taken more care.

Car crashes in and around Kirkland often happen because another driver behaves in a careless or reckless manner. If another driver’s negligence caused your injuries, you should contact a Seattle personal injury attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your options for seeking financial compensation.

Get the Facts About Kirkland Motor Vehicle Collisions

How often do car accidents happen in Washington State, and are most of these crashes avoidable? In 2015, the Washington State Department of Transportation published an annual collision report that helped to clarify some facts and figures about traffic accidents in the state. The following statistics emphasize that many crashes could be prevented if drivers simply took more care behind the wheel:

416,699 speeding violations were issued in 2015 (a figure that does not include the total number of drivers who may have been speeding but simply were not cited);
Washington State law enforcement officials issued 33,697 cell phone or texting violations that same year;
DUIs, including driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, accounted for 26,363 cases in Washington State courts;
117,053 total collisions occurred in the state in 2015;
499 of those crashes were fatal, resulting in 551 total fatalities;
36,531 of the accidents were classified as injury collisions, with a total of 49,505 personal injuries and nearly 2,100 serious or life-threatening injuries; and
Leading cause of traffic collisions in Washington State in 2015 was driver inattention or distraction, including the illegal use of cellphones while behind the wheel.

Of the total number of serious and deadly accidents, an overwhelming majority occurred in King County. To be sure, approximately 35,000 of all collisions occurred in King County, while 20 percent of all fatal crashes and 28 percent of all serious injury-causing accidents occurred there.

What Should I Do At The Scene Of The Accident?

If you are able to gather information at the scene of the crash, this material can help your Kirkland car accident lawyer in building your case. Generally speaking, here are some tips for what to do immediately after the collision:

Photograph the scene: Take as many photos as you can, and from as many angles as possible. You will want to take close-up shots of vehicle damage and injuries, as well as longer shots that help to show the entire area where the accident occurred. From photos, your Kirkland personal injury lawyer may be able to work with an accident reconstruction expert to prove the other driver’s negligence.
Gather witness information: Record the names and contact information for any witnesses at the scene. These witnesses can be extremely helpful in developing your claim.
Only state facts: Do not provide your opinions to anyone at the scene of the collision. You may be asked to provide your name and other information if and when the police arrive on the scene. It is important that you do so, but again, you should only state factual information. Even if you think you might have been partially to blame for the accident, do not make any opinion-based statements until you have spoken with a car accident lawyer.
Seek medical attention: Even if you do not think you sustained serious injuries, sometimes it can take hours, days, and sometimes even longer for signs and symptoms of severe trauma to appear. As such, it is extremely important to visit a healthcare provider to get help and to ensure that your injuries are properly documented. When it comes time to file a claim, you will need medical documentation in order to be eligible for damages.

Statute of Limitations and Car Crash Claims in Washington State

After you have been injured in a serious auto accident, you must file a lawsuit within three years from the date you were injured. This time period is known as the “statute of limitations.” A statute of limitations is the legal term for the amount of time a person has in which she can initiate a lawsuit. If you fail to file a claim within the time period specified by the statute of limitations, you may have lost the opportunity to seek compensation for your losses.

Under Washington State law, most personal injury cases have a three-year statute of limitations. Since car accident claims fall within the broader legal area of personal injury law, this three-year statute of limitations applies. You might be thinking that three years is a relatively long time to decide whether to file a claim. While the law provides an injured plaintiff with this time window, that does not mean that an injury victim should wait so long to file a claim. Remember that the sooner you speak with a Kirkland car accident attorney and get started on your case, the sooner you may be eligible to receive damages.

Damages in Kirkland Car Accident Cases

By filing a car accident lawsuit in Kirkland, you may be able to obtain compensatory damages to compensate you for losses from the crash. As Washington State law explains, compensatory damages come in two forms:

Economic damages, which provide compensation for objective monetary losses like surgery bills or other medical costs; and
Noneconomic damages, which provide compensation for subjective nonmonetary losses like mental anguish, pain and suffering, or disfigurement.

Reach Out To A Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in a car accident in Kirkland? Was a loved one harmed as a result of another driver’s negligence? You should learn more about filing a car accident claim in Washington State by talking with a car accident lawyer in Kirkland. At Khan Injury Law PLLC, we have years of experience assisting injured plaintiffs with a wide variety of personal injury cases. Contact us today to discuss your options for seeking financial compensation.