North Lynnwood Car Accident Attorney

A car accident often unfolds in just a couple of seconds. But the long-term physical, mental, and financial impact can last for years. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident and someone else is to blame, you have every right to seek compensation.

At the Khan Injury Law, PLLC, our attorneys represent clients like you every day. We recognize that money alone will never make you whole following a serious accident. But we also understand that appropriate compensation can make it much easier to rebuild your life. That is why we make every effort to hold negligent drivers accountable for their reckless actions that put people like you in this position in the first place.

We also know that many car accident victims are leery of engaging the legal process. This often is the result of simply not understanding how the law works. The reality is that you do not need to fear the law. But you do need to be aware of your rights and responsibilities before heading into court.

Washington Has Strict Deadlines for Filing a Lawsuit

The first thing you need to understand is that like all civil lawsuits, the State of Washington imposes a strict deadline known as a statute of limitations on filing an accident-related claim. This deadline is 3 years from the date of your car accident. It is crucial you act before this deadline expires, as a lawsuit filed even 1 day late will be thrown out of court regardless of the merits.

Washington Recognizes Comparative Fault

The second thing to know about Washington personal injury law is that it follows a “pure comparative negligence” standard. What this means is simple: If you are involved in a car accident, the negligent driver may try and argue that your actions contributed to–or were even the primary cause–of the accident. A judge or jury will then weigh each party’s comparative fault as a percentage of responsibility.

So let’s say you sue a negligent driver and the jury decides you were 30 percent at-fault. You can still recover some compensation from the other driver, who was 70 percent at-fault. But the total award of damages must be reduced by 30 percent to account for your share of the responsibility.

Are There Limits to Your Potential Compensation Following a Car Accident?

Damages arising from a car accident lawsuit are either economic or non-economic. Economic damages are basically those items that can be easily assigned a dollar value, such as your medical bills. Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify, as they reflect your pain and suffering related to the accident.

Some states have imposed hard limits or “caps” on the amount of non-economic damages that a jury can award in car accident cases. Although the Washington legislature had imposed a cap on noneconomic damages, that law was found unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, meaning there are currently no limits on compensation for pain and suffering.

We are Here to Help