Edgewood, WA Car Accident Lawyer

At some point in your life, you will probably be involved in a car accident. This means that you will likely need to file a car accident claim. While claims for minor accidents can often be handled by the claimant and the insurance company without legal counsel, when injuries and damages are more severe, working with an Edgewood, WA car accident lawyer is strongly recommended. At the Khan Injury Law PLLC, our Edgewood car accident lawyers can help you to bring forth a car accident injury claim, with our primary goal being to improve your chances of recovering your maximum settlement amount. If you or a loved one has been seriously harmed, please reach out to our law firm today.

How Fault Is Determined in a Car Accident

One of our top priorities in a car accident case will be determining who caused the accident. This is important because Washington is a traditional tort liability state, which means that whoever caused the accident is responsible for paying for it, traditionally via their liability insurance coverage.

Sometimes, fault is straightforward. For example, if you were hit by a driver who ran a red light, failing to yield and T-boning your car as a result, there will likely be no disputes about fault. In other cases, though, fault is less obvious.

Our legal team will work hard to open an investigation into your accident to determine its precise cause and who should be held liable. This process may involve hiring various experts, such as accident reconstruction or vehicle design experts, to reconstruct the accident or add insight as to what may have caused the crash. We will also review all available types of evidence, including eyewitnesses’ statements, police reports, photographs of the accident, vehicle event data record data, and more.

Steps to Take After a Car Accident

You can protect your right to compensation by taking certain steps after an accident occurs. These steps include:

Reporting your accident to the police and requesting a copy of the accident report;
Exchanging information with the other driver;
Seeking medical care immediately, and always within 24 hours of the accident;
Reporting the accident to your insurer within 24-48 hours of the crash; and
Calling an attorney.

In addition to the above, it can also be beneficial to keep a journal that details your injuries, your healing and recovery process, and your disabilities, pains, and limitations, both physical and psychological. This journal can be used as a source of evidence when seeking compensation for pain and suffering.

Important Rules and Regulations When Filing Car Accident Claim in Edgewood

When you are filing a car accident claim in Edgewood, it’s important to be aware of the various rules and regulations for filing your claim. Two of the biggest rules of which you should be aware include:

Comparative fault. As stated above, Washington is an at-fault state, which means that drivers must pay for the accidents that they cause. The state also recognizes the rule of comparative fault, though, which means that a claimant’s award can be diminished in proportion to their degree of fault. This means that if the other side can prove that you contributed to the accident, your settlement could be reduced. For example, if you are 10 percent to blame, you can only hold the defendant liable for 90 percent of your damages.
Statute of limitations. The other important rule is the statute of limitations in Washington. This refers to the amount of time that you have to file a lawsuit to recover damages. The statute of limitations in Washington is three years from the date of your car accident. Note that the three-year time limit is in reference to filing a lawsuit; you should file your claim against the insurance company as soon as possible. Hopefully, your case will be settled out of court.

How Our Edgewood Car Accident Lawyers Can Serve You

As stated above, serious car accidents can lead to significant injuries and damages and, as such, the claims process is often best approached with the counsel of a lawyer. Our lawyers are passionate about providing our clients with high-quality legal services that achieve desired results. Our law firm can assist you by:

Investigating your case. As explained above, one of our primary services is that of investigating your case to determine fault. We can front the costs of experts to assist in this process.
Calculating your damages. Many claimants don’t know where to start when it comes to assessing the value of their claim, especially when thinking about future economic costs (like potential medical expenses or lost wages) or the value of their pain, suffering, or emotional distress. We can help you to understand what your claim is worth and how to recover this amount.
Issuing a demand letter and negotiating a settlement. Once we have determined the cause of the accident and liability, our next step is issuing a demand letter to the insurer of the at-fault party. If the insurer responds with an offer, we will evaluate it and, if it is unfair, reject is and enter the negotiations process. Our goal is to maximize your compensation award.

Throughout the entire process, we will protect your best interests. This will come in many forms, including representing you in conversations with insurance companies, advising you regarding the use of social media, defending you against allegations of fault, ensuring your claim is processed in a timely manner, and more. We will also remain available and accessible throughout the process.

Call Our Edgewood Car Accident Lawyers Today

Being involved in a car accident can change your life. If you have been involved in a serious crash, or if you have lost a family member in a car accident in Edgewood, our experienced car accident lawyers can help you by building your claim, representing you throughout the process, and providing you with advocacy and support. To learn more, please request a free consultation from our law firm today.