Sammamish Car Accident Lawyer

Washington State Auto Accident Attorney Serving Clients in Sammamish

Whether you are commuting on I-90 or headed somewhere within the city limits of Sammamish, a serious car accident can happen without warning. Did you know that a car accident occurred every 4.5 minutes in Washington State in 2015? According to an annual collision report from the Washington State Department of Transportation, not only do crashes occur with startling frequency, but a high number of these accidents are severe. To be sure, the Department reported that auto accidents in the state resulted in a personal injury ever 11 minutes, and a fatality every 16 hours. In these crashes, the victims were motor vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

Car accidents happen more often than they should in Sammamish. Many motor vehicle collisions result from another driver’s negligence. Even low-speed crashes can lead to serious and life-threatening injuries, and it is important to hold the responsible party accountable for your losses. A Sammamish car accident lawyer can help.

Elements of a Negligence Claim in Sammamish, Washington

If another party’s careless behavior, or negligence, resulted in a car accident in Sammamish that caused your injuries, you may be able to seek compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit. In most car accident cases, the lawsuit will operate on a theory of negligence. To put that another way, the plaintiff will not need to show that the other driver intentionally did something to cause the car accident, but rather that the other driver’s failure to take proper care means that she or he should be liable for damages.

Generally speaking, a car accident victim will need to prove the following in order to be successful in a negligence claim:

Defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff to exercise ordinary care (a duty that typically exists whenever drivers get behind the wheel of an automobile);
Defendant failed to exercise ordinary care, or breached the duty of care, when she or he acted in a manner that was negligent;
Defendant’s breach of the duty of care caused the plaintiff’s injuries; and
Plaintiff suffered injuries as a result of the defendant’s failure to exercise reasonable care.

Every car accident case has its own set of facts and circumstances. Your Sammamish car accident lawyer can gather evidence in your case to show that the defendant was negligent, and that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries.

Major Causes of Sammamish Motor Vehicle Collisions

The Washington State Department of Transportation’s report indicates that the primary causes of auto accidents in Sammamish and throughout the state include:

Speeding, which resulted in an accident every 27 minutes in 2015;
Distracted driving, which led to an accident every 12 minutes that year; and
Impaired or drunk driving, which resulted in a motor vehicle accident fatality every 1.5 days.

Speeding is one form of aggressive driving. Other types of aggressive driving can also lead to serious accidents, including tailgating or following too closely, running red lights and stop signs, weaving between traffic on the highway, failing to let other motor vehicles pass, and failing to follow traffic rules.

When it comes to distracted driving, there are many ways that a driver can become distracted or inattentive at the wheel. According to a fact sheet from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), talking or texting on a cell phone are among the most common reasons for distracted driving. However, distractions can range from using a GPS while driving to simply conversing with another passenger. If another party’s aggressive, distracted, or impaired driving resulted in a serious accident that caused injury to you or a loved one, you should discuss your options for filing a lawsuit with an experienced auto accident lawyer in Sammamish.

How Long Do I Have to File My Sammamish Car Accident Claim?

Personal injury lawsuits, including car accident claims, must be filed within a very specific time period. This is known as the “statute of limitations.” Every state has its own statute of limitations for car accident lawsuits and other types of personal injury claims. Under Washington State law, car accident claims have a statute of limitations of three years. This means that you must file your lawsuit within three years of the date of your injury or else you can lose your right to file a claim.

While three years might sound like a long time, it is important to reach out to a car accident lawyer in Sammamish as soon as possible. As more time goes by, the more difficult it becomes to gather evidence in your case and to build a strong claim on your behalf.

Damages in a Sammamish Auto Accident Claim

If you file a car accident claim, what type of damages can you expect to receive if your lawsuit is successful? Generally speaking, car accident plaintiffs in Sammamish can seek compensatory damages, which are designed to compensate you for losses that resulted from the other party’s negligence or carelessness. There are two different types of compensatory damages for which you may be eligible:

Economic damages, which can compensate you for economic or financial losses, such as the cost of your medical bills or your lost wages; and
Non-economic damages, which can compensate you for more subjective losses like pain and suffering.

There are statutory limits to non-economic damages in Washington State. This means that, even if a jury awards an extremely high number for non-economic damages, that damage award will be capped based on the legal limit. We know that the issue of economic and non-economic damages can be a complicated one. At Khan Injury Law PLLC, we have a team of experienced personal injury lawyers who are here to help with your case.