Obtaining Fair Settlements in Olympia
Distinguished Client Service Since 1991
Were you injured in an accident because someone else failed to exercise reasonable caution or care? These kinds of events can make life extremely difficult, causing you to lose wages as you take time to recover from your wounds. What’s worse, however, is having to fight with insurance companies to ensure you have the money you need to pay for your medical bills. At the Law Offices of Harold D. Carr, our Olympia personal injury lawyers have the experience to protect you and help you obtain the best possible outcome for your situation.
Get started on a free consultation about your case today by calling (360) 328-7111 or contacting us online.
Cases We Handle
Since we opened our practice, our firm has remained committed to helping our clients gain a clear picture of their situation and make wise choices about how to get through their legal challenges. Insurance companies are serious opponents. You don’t want to make a case against them without experienced legal help.
Our firm has successfully handled thousands of cases involving:
- Auto accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Insurance bad faith
- Catastrophic injuries
- Motorcycle accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Premises liability
- Truck accidents
- Wrongful death
We understand the tactics used by insurers to cast doubt on the veracity of your injuries and minimize the amount they have to pay in compensation.
What Compensation Can You Pursue?
Underneath every personal injury claim is the goal of securing fair compensation for damages experienced in an accident. Whether you were hit by a negligent driver or hurt while shopping in a retail store, your personal injury claim should fulfill the purpose of paying your bills and keeping you financially afloat while you recover. What sort of compensation will you be able to demand in your claim, though?
There are usually four main categories of damages in a personal injury claim:
- Medical care: The hospital bills you have accrued due to your accident could be the most significant source of financial distress you are experiencing. A successful injury claim should pay for your medical bills in full.
- Lost wages: While you are in the hospital or at home resting, you will miss paycheck after paycheck. The wages and income you have lost due to being taken off your feet can be calculated into your damages.
- Property replacement: The price to repair or replace property usually comes up during car accident claims, especially when a claimant’s vehicle is totaled.
- Emotional trauma: The pain and suffering you have experienced due to your injuries can be factored into your injury claim as noneconomic damages. Essentially, you can be given financial compensation as an “apology” for making your life more difficult.
In some cases, you can also be provided punitive damages, which are used to punish the defendant for egregious or illegal wrongdoing. For example, punitive damages might be approved by the court in a car accident case involving a crash caused by a drunk driver. Punitive damages are somewhat rare, though, so they might not apply to your case.
Why Does Liability Matter?
Washington is a pure comparative negligence state, which means you can pursue compensation from another party involved in your accident regardless of your own liability. However, determining liability in fair percentages is still important for your claim. The more liability you are found to be for your own accident and injuries, the lower the compensation amount you can recover.
For example, you are found to be 25% liable for you’re a truck accident because you cut off a big rig that then rear-ended you. Your damages total $100,000, which a court agrees the defendant should pay. Since your liability is 25%, your damages will be dropped by the same percentage, resulting in a payout of $75,000 instead.
Call (360) 328-7111 now to begin planning your case.
