Bellevue, WA Personal Injury Lawyer
After an accident, the last thing you want to deal with is an insurer or a pending personal injury lawsuit. At the Khan Injury Law, our experienced injury lawyers in Bellevue aggressively fight for our clients to obtain the most compensation for their claims while you focus on what is most important – your health and recovery from injuries. We handle the insurance companies and navigate the complex legal process that comes with personal injury cases. If an agreement cannot be reached, we are not afraid to take your claims to court.
Our Areas of Expertise
Our expert personal injury attorneys have years of experience handling a number of areas of personal injury law. Having an attorney by your side that has experience with your type of case can greatly increase the level of compensation for your case because your lawyer knows what to look for and how to handle the insurers in those situations. Our cases include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Car accidents;
- Bicycle accidents;
- Brain injuries;
- Bus accidents;
- Dog bites;
- Drunk driving accidents;
- Motorcycle accidents;
- Truck accidents; and
- Wrongful death.
- Washington Personal Injury Laws
Every state has different laws regarding personal injury cases. In Washington, these laws are codified in the state code. Under state law, you only have three years from the date of an injury to file a lawsuit for damages. Known as the statute of limitations, if a case is filed after that date it can be thrown out and the victim receives nothing.
If your personal injury case involves a government entity, special rules apply to when and how you file a lawsuit for damages. First, a formal notice of claim must be filed within three years of the date of the accident with the municipality or state entity involved in the lawsuit, not the court. Then, you must wait at least sixty days before filing a lawsuit with the court for damages to give the state the opportunity to look into the case.
Washington also abides by the strict liability rule in dog bite cases. Unlike other states that allow for leniency the first time a dog bites someone if there is no prior history of viciousness, Washington holds the owner strictly liable for all dog bites, even the first one. This applies regardless of the dog’s past behavior or whether the owner knew or should have known about the dog’s viciousness towards others.
Compensation for Personal Injury Cases
If you or a family member has been injured in an accident you may be entitled to compensation for your claims. In Washington, restitution for personal injury accidents comes in two forms: compensatory and non-compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are to reimburse the victim for out-of-pocket expenses, such as current and future medical bills, rehabilitation and therapy, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and property damages. Non-compensatory damages are meant to cover the intangible harms caused by the accident. These damages include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement.
The Washington court has found caps on personal injury cases to be unconstitutional, which means that there is no limit to the amount of compensation that can be awarded in a personal injury case.
In addition, Washington utilizes the pure comparative negligence doctrine when determining the final award for a personal injury case. This means that the court takes the total compensation for a case and reduces it by the percentage the victim was at fault for the accident. For example, if an accident victim was awarded $100,000 in damages but was found ten percent at fault, then the total award would be $90,000. However, this also means that compensation is not barred for someone found mostly at fault for an accident. Even if a person is found 99 percent at fault for an accident, they can still receive one percent of their damages in compensation.
In cases where a loved one is killed in an accident, the spouse or other close family member can file a wrongful death lawsuit. Compensation for a wrongful death case includes compensatory damages for final medical bills and funeral costs as well as non-compensatory damages for emotional distress and the loss of consortium, love, security, and companionship.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You
Hiring a personal injury attorney following an accident is the best possible thing you can do to protect your claims. From the moment you hire an attorney at Khan Injury Law we serve as a shield between you and the insurers. No one is allowed to talk to you and is required to go through us first. This protects you from insurance companies looking for a statement to use against you later in the settlement process. It also allows you to focus on your recovery while we handle the fight.
We start building a case from the moment we are hired by a client. We secure copies of all accident reports, witness statements, photos, and videos of the scene. We acquire medical records and make sure that nothing was missed when putting together the best possible case for compensation. Our attorneys also know the legal intricacies that come with a personal injury lawsuit and can handle all issues that come up in court. If a settlement cannot be reached, our attorneys will take your case to trial and handle all of the trial preparation that comes with it. Most importantly, our attorneys deal with all personal injury cases on a contingency basis. That means that we do not ask for any money up front, and we only get paid if we are able to get you compensated for your claims.
Contact the Khan Injury Law Now
Have you been injured or a loved one killed in an accident? You do not need to go through this process alone. The Bellevue injury lawyers at the Khan Injury Law have years of experience helping their clients obtain top compensation for their claims through zealous and compassionate advocacy. We fight with the insurance companies so you don’t have to. Call the office or contact us today to schedule a free consultation of your case