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If you recently sustained an injury in an accident, you’re likely full of questions. How will I pay for my medical bills? How much money will I lose while I am missing work? Most importantly, how can I hold the parties responsible for my injuries accountable for their actions?
Being involved in an accident can be scary, especially when it’s through no fault of your own. Fortunately, victims of accidents have an important avenue for legal recourse, a personal injury claim. An experienced Washington Personal Injury Attorney can help you pursue the compensation you deserve and guide you through every step of the legal process.
Personal injury applies in many situations. Some of the most common areas of personal injury law include:
There are any number of reasons a person in Issaquah may require personal injury legal services. Primarily, its location off busy Interstate 90 makes citizens prone to collisions involving both cars and commercial motor vehicles. The area is also home to abundant outdoor recreation, from the Issaquah Alps (including Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Grand Ridge) to Lake Sammamish. While these beautiful landmarks create opportunities to enjoy recreational activities year-round, they also lead to accidents involving pleasure craft and injuries on rough hiking trails each year.
Issaquah is also a part of the King County Metro system, which transports citizens throughout metro Seattle. Although rare, wrecks involving public transportation like trains, trolleys, and buses can be devastating, because of the lack of safety features like airbags and passenger restraints.
Finally, personal injury claims may arise from injuries sustained on the job. Issaquah is perhaps best known for being the headquarters of Costco, but it’s also home to a booming manufacturing and construction industry. The industrial insurance system of Washington can be difficult to navigate, and you may not get the compensation you deserve. For this reason, many injured workers seek personal injury claims beyond or in place of their industrial insurance payout.
These are some of the most common victims of personal injury who seek legal services throughout Issaquah, but anyone who incurs injury within its borders may benefit from meeting with a Seattle personal injury attorney.
Personal injury cases all hinge on the idea of negligence, or the idea that someone else’s action or inaction led to your injuries. For example, if someone crashes into you while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, they committed negligence.
In a legal sense, negligence refers to the idea that we all have a duty to exercise caution around one another. When someone violates that duty, they may be legally responsible for any damages you incur as a result.
If you suffer serious injuries in an accident, it is important to contact a personal injury lawyer to represent your claim. While self-representation may seem like a viable option, it is very difficult to navigate the personal injury process without previous legal knowledge. Hiring an Issaquah personal injury lawyer to handle your claim can simplify this process.
Your lawyer will handle all legal matters on your behalf, completing complex paperwork and meeting necessary deadlines to file your claim. Your attorney can also handle all negotiations on your behalf, estimate the potential value of your claim to avoid insufficient settlements, and advise you on how to approach each step.
In addition to representation, your attorney will also have the resources and network necessary to fully investigate your claim. Your lawyer will know how to find and request certain pieces of evidence that can support your lawsuit, as well as access to expert witnesses who can provide valuable, fact-based testimony to prove your need for damages.
Ultimately, hiring a personal injury attorney will provide benefits for your case that you may not be able to access alone. Your attorney will advocate for your best interests each step of the way, helping you maximize your potential settlement and understand what you need to fully recover.
Although personal injury lawsuits can involve a number of different accidents, the process you will need to follow generally remains the same for each case. The typical personal injury case may take a year or more to reach settlement, although many cases settle during negotiations at various stages of the case.
If your case reaches trial, a judge or a jury will listen to the facts of the case and arguments from both parties. After the trial, the court will determine whether or not you are eligible for the settlement and the value of your lawsuit. If the court determines you may not receive a settlement, you may file an appeal.
No Fees Unless We Win
To secure the compensation you need to recover, you will need to prove that the defendant in your case acted in negligence at the time of the accident. Proving negligence — and thus proving your case — will require you to show that the following four elements are true.
For example, say that you notice damage to the stairs in your apartment complex. You email the landlord about the stairs and ask him or her to repair the damage, but he or she ignores your request. The stairs ultimately collapse underneath you, leading to a broken leg. You file a claim for your medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional damages.
You can establish duty of care through your landlord’s obligation to keep your complex in safe condition, and you can establish breach of care by showing your attempts to notify the landlord of the stair damage. Witness testimony and medical records can establish causation, and your attorney can help you gather the evidence you need to prove your damages.
It is important to remember that, although you may satisfy the above elements, the court may not award you the full value of your claim. Under Washington’s comparative negligence rule, the court will reduce your award amount by the portion of liability you share.
For example, say that you are in a car accident after a driver makes an unsafe lane change and collides into your vehicle. You file a claim against the at-fault driver for $20,000 to pay for your medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage.
However, the court discovers you were texting and driving at the time of the accident, and the defense’s attorney argues you would have had time to react safely if you were not on your phone. In this situation, the court may assign you 30% of the liability. At the conclusion of your case, you will only receive $14,000 out of your original settlement.
Unlike some states, Washington allows you to collect compensation even if the court finds you 99% at fault. Using our car accident scenario, the court may assign you 99% of the liability if you ran a red light at the time of the accident. In this situation, you will receive $200 of your original settlement.
The specific damages you may receive in your personal injury claim varies based on the circumstances of your case. In Washington, you can categorize potential compensation into two distinct categories: economic and non-economic. Economic damages involve your financial losses, while non-economic damages concern your physical and emotional pain and suffering.
You can collect any economic and non-economic damages related to your accident, including the following.
Your Colburn Law attorney will help you understand the compensation you qualify for. We will consult with experts and examine previous case results to determine the value of your potential settlement, advocating for maximum compensation each step of the way.
Yes, at Colburn Law, we operate on a simple premise; no one should have to pay for someone else’s negligence. If you recently sustained an injury and believe someone else was at fault, contact us to arrange a free initial consultation. Let us review your case and offer legal advice, free of charge. Schedule yours today.
Greg Colburn’s path to personal injury law is rooted in personal experience. After a devastating fall left him in a wheelchair for two years, he took on insurance companies and legal obstacles to win his own case. That journey inspired him to fight for others facing similar challenges. Today, Greg is dedicated to helping injury victims hold negligent parties accountable and secure the justice they deserve.
Years of Experience: 20 years
Super Lawyers Profile: Greg Colburn
Colburn Law Accident and Injury Lawyers, PLLC, we represent personal injury victims across the Issaquah area with dedication and experience. Visit us at 22500 SE 64th Pl #200, Issaquah, WA 98027 — GeoCoordinates: 47.5440781, -122.0401746.
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A personal injury lawsuit is a type of civil action. You may seek this type of legal recourse for your injuries even if the party responsible is facing criminal charges. For example, if you were injured in a car accident with a drunk driver, you may be able to file a car collision lawsuit above and beyond his or her criminal penalties. Contact a car accident lawyer in Seattle if you need more information on steps to take following your injury.
The civil court system plays a vital role for those who are struggling with medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses that occur after a serious injury or accident. With a personal injury lawsuit, victims of accidents can gain the financial security to move on, even when they feel they’ve run out of options.
While it’s possible to file a lawsuit by yourself, we recommend seeking the help of a Seattle personal injury attorney. Each case has different filing deadlines and a series of complicated steps to follow, so it’s essential to have a prior knowledge of the civil court system.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney, Greg Colburn who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a Washington Personal Injury Attorney.
We will come to your home, a coffee shop, or your hospital room, whichever works best for you. We’ll discuss your legal options, and if we should decide to move forward, we will offer our services on a contingency-fee basis.