West Olympia Personal Injury Lawyers
Decades of Experience Fighting for Your Fair Outcome
Being in an accident is a scary and frustrating experience. Recovery takes time and money, both of which most injured victims don’t have much of. While at-fault parties or their insurance companies are supposed to cover the damages, the truth is they often avoid doing so by mischaracterizing the accident and interpreting their policies in a way that suits them. At the Law Offices of Harold D. Carr, our West Olympia personal injury lawyers have the in-depth knowledge and insight to fight for you and help you obtain the best possible outcome for your situation.
Get started on your free consultation today by calling (360) 614-2744 or contacting our firm online.
Cases We Handle
When you are injured due to someone else’s irresponsible behavior, the first people you hear from are usually insurance adjusters looking to offer you what they say is a generous settlement. Of course, these amounts are usually the smallest they can legally get away with. The Law Offices of Harold D. Carr is familiar with the tactics these companies use. We can help you build a strong case for your interests.
Call our West Olympia personal injury lawyers if you were involved in:
- Auto accidents
- Wrongful death
- Bicycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Insurance bad faith
- Premises liability
- Nursing home abuse
- Motorcycle accidents
Washington’s Pure Comparative Negligence Rule
After being in a serious accident, you need to determine who caused it, as well as how much each party contributed to that cause. A person’s “blame” for an accident is their liability in legal terms. To determine liability, Washington uses a pure comparative negligence rule that allows all parties to sue other parties for compensation, no matter how liable they are.
Determining a fair and correct amount of liability after an accident is still important, though, because the compensation you can reasonably collect is reduced the higher your liability goes up. The goal should be to reduce your liability down to 0%, meaning you can collect 100% of what is owed to you. For example, if you found to be 20% liable for your accident and injuries, then you can collect up to 80% of the total compensation amount.
We can use various types of evidence to prove you were not liable for your accident, such as:
- Eyewitness statements
- Photographs from the accident scene
- Medical records
- Police and EMT reports
Compensation Types to Consider in Your Claim
What damages have you experienced because of your accident and injuries? Whatever the answer might be, you can probably consider adding those damages to your case.
Four types of damages that might be applicable are:
- Medical bills: The worst financial damages you might experience after a serious accident could be medical bills and associated costs, especially if your healthcare insurance hits a cap and no longer will cover future treatments.
- Repair costs: In a vehicular accident claim, it is common for the claimant to need financial coverage for their vehicle’s repair or replacement. Car insurance policies rarely provide enough to replace a vehicle at its true value and after it has been totaled.
- Missing wages: Your financial situation could be worsened by losing wages and income while missing work. The longer your hospital stay or bedrest, the more you will suffer financially in the long run.
- Noneconomic damages: Any pain, suffering, and emotional trauma you experienced because of your accident can be counted as noneconomic damage, which is then capable of being compensated financially.
Call (360) 614-2744 now to get started.
