Ravensdale, WA Injury Lawyer

Washington Injury Lawyer Assisting Plaintiffs in Ravensdale

Nobody expects to sustain a serious injury because of another person’s negligent. Yet personal injuries occur might more frequently than you might think. Injury cases often arise out of traffic crashes, including car wrecks, truck collisions, and pedestrian accidents. Other common incidents that result in personal injury claims included premises liability accidents like slips and falls, workplace accidents on construction sites, and dog bites.

If you were injured in Washington State, you should speak with an experienced Ravensdale injury lawyer as soon as possible. You may be eligible to file a claim for financial compensation. An advocate at the Khan Injury Law PLLC can discuss your options with you today.

What is Ravensdale Personal Injury Law?

Injury lawyers in Ravensdale handle a wide variety of legal claims in the area of personal injury law. Personal injury law is a broad area of law that recognizes an injured person’s right to seek compensation by filing a civil claim against the responsible party.

Many injury cases are based on a theory of negligence. This means that the party responsible for your injuries did not need to have the intention of causing harm, but instead that person’s careless behavior—whether an action or the failure to take a particular action—resulted in your injury. Some injury cases also operate on a theory of strict liability. With strict liability, the responsible party does not need to have been negligent. Instead, the mere fact that the person was linked to an inherently dangerous situation or condition makes him or her responsible. For example, dog bite claims operate under a theory of strict liability in Washington State. To win a dog bite claim, you do not need to prove that the dog owner was negligent, but only that the person owned the dog that attacked.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Ravensdale, WA

At the Khan Injury Law PLLC, we regularly assist plaintiffs with many different types of injury claims. Examples of the types of cases we routinely handle include but are not limited to:

Car accidents;
Bicycle accidents;
Bus accidents;
Truck accidents;
Pedestrian accidents;
Drunk driving crashes;
Motorcycle accidents;
Dog bite cases;
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs);
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs);
Slip and fall accidents; and
Wrongful death claims.

Common Types of Injuries in Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law accounts for numerous types of injuries, both mild and severe. Examples of common injuries in injury law claims include but are not limited to:

Head injuries;
Back injuries;
Neck injuries;
Broken bones;
Sprains;
Strains;
Bruises;
Cuts or lacerations;
Physical disfigurement;
Nerve damage;
Internal injuries;
Amputations; and
Psychological injuries.

Statute of Limitations for an Injury Claim in Ravensdale, WA

When you are considering filing an injury claim, it is essential to learn more about the statute of limitations and the ways it could impact your case. Under Washington law (RCW 4.16.080), the statute of limitations for most personal injury lawsuits is three years. Accordingly, you must file a claim within three years from the date you sustained the injury or else your claim will become what is known as “time-barred.” A time-barred claim cannot be brought in a civil court, and a potential plaintiff cannot seek compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit.

While you might think three years is a long time, it is important to keep in mind that you may not have quite as much time as you think. Many injury claims go through an insurance claims process first. For example, anyone injured in a motor vehicle collision likely will file an insurance claim before moving onto a civil injury lawsuit. Insurance claims can take quite awhile, especially if you are working with your lawyer to negotiate a large settlement. Even if your insurance claim is extended for many months, you still have only three years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit.

Moreover, waiting too much time can result in evidence being lost and delayed compensation. If you wait many months or years after your injury before speaking with a lawyer, it can be difficult to obtain the evidence needed to prove your case. And even if your attorney can still gather the necessary evidence to prove the defendant’s liability, it is important to keep in mind that the longer you wait to file, the longer you will wait to obtain compensation.

Comparative Fault and Ravensdale Personal Injury Cases

What is comparative fault, and how might it impact your injury case? We often work with clients who ask questions such as: can I still recover compensation if I am partially to blame for the accident? In short, under Washington’s contributory fault law (RCW 4.22.005), a plaintiff is still eligible to recover damages from the defendant as long as she is not entirely (or 100 percent) at fault. To be clear, a plaintiff’s partial fault does not bar her recovery in Washington as it does in certain other states. However, the plaintiff’s damages award will be reduced by her percentage of fault.

For example, imagine that a plaintiff is injured in a car accident. The accident occurred largely because the defendant was distracted because he was reading a text message while driving, and he drove through a red light. The defendant collided with the plaintiff’s car and caused her to sustain serious injuries. At the time of the accident, however, the plaintiff was speeding by traveling five miles per hour beyond the posted speed limit.

The court determines that the plaintiff is 10 percent at fault and awards a total of $100,000 in damages. Since contributory fault is an issue here, that $100,000 damages award is reduced by the plaintiff’s portion of fault, or 10 percent ($100,000 minus 10 percent of that amount, or $10,000). Accordingly, the plaintiff recovers a total of $90,000.

Contact an Experienced Ravensdale Injury Attorney Today

Personal injury claims in Washington State can be complicated, and it is always important to have experienced counsel on your side to advocate for your right to compensation. An aggressive yet compassionate injury attorney in Ravensdale, WA can begin working on your case today. Contact the Khan Injury Law PLLC to learn more about the services we provide to injury victims in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area.