Car Accident Injury Attorneys

No matter how minor, if you are involved in a car accident resulting in injuries to you or a loved one at the fault of another, your next step is to contact a lawyer. Insurance companies or other parties will begin building a case against you immediately after an accident so you need an experienced injury attorney fighting for you. Washington Law Center has put together informational videos answering common questions you may have after an accident.

Video transcript: Should I Give A Recorded Statement?

PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY ASHTON DENNIS: Following an injury it’s very, very typical, almost standard practice, for an insurance company to ask for a recorded statement and the question to ask is: should I give it? Should I give a recorded statement to the insurance company? You don’t have to and the only reason why they’re being done is to help the insurance company, to give them a head start [in building a case] against you.

Following an injury, if you feel the pressure and if you feel as if you have to give a statement then take a step back. Get the advice of someone that knows what they’re doing and then proceed accordingly. Whether that is to give the statement or not, but more often than not, almost equivocally we say no, don’t give a statement. Don’t give the insurance company a head start. It doesn’t do anything for you and at the end of the day they’re using that information to figure out how not to compensate you properly.

If you’re questioning whether or not you have a case, the following are important to consider.

• Did the car accident result in damages?
• Did you seek or require medical attention?
• Was law enforcement present at the scene?
• Are you liable for any part of the accident?
• Do you or the at-fault party have insurance coverage?

Your answers to these questions and further details will help an attorney assess if you have a valid injury case from the standpoint of the law. For more information, please visit our Do I Have A Case? Page.

Liability in a car accident lawsuit is typically based on negligence. Negligence by another driver often results in the violation of traffic laws or other forms of unsafe driving that put others at risk. Sometimes defendants in personal injury lawsuits can be subject to strict liability if a product defect is a substantial factor in causing the accident or in contributing to more serious injuries.

The evidence of a motor vehicle collision must be carefully evaluated so that all responsible parties and the basis for fault can be identified. A broad spectrum of parties may be financially responsible for causing an accident such as other drivers, a driver’s employer, the vehicle’s owner, public entities for unsafe roads, a vehicle manufacturer for defective vehicles or parts, a business over-serving alcohol to a visibly intoxicated individual (Dram Shop Act) or serving to minors.

No two injury cases are the same. It is important to find an experienced attorney who puts in the work to learn and understand all the details of your case before giving you a number or making false promises to you and your loved ones.

Video transcript: What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY ASHTON DENNIS: Wondering what your case is worth is a natural question to ask. It’s something that all of our clients have asked: what is my case worth? If an attorney is willing to give you what your case is worth over the phone, without meeting you, without understanding the facts, they’re doing you a disservice. Knowing precisely what your case is worth requires a lot of work and a lot of understanding. That’s not something that you can just simply answer off the cuff.

If that’s advice you’ve gotten, we’d encourage you to give us a call because we’ll ask the right questions. We’re going to ask you how this injury affected your life. How did it affect your family’s life? Are you able to work again? How much work did you miss? What type of treatment did you go through? What is the future going to look like? Those are the questions we’re going to ask you. We’re not just going to give you some boilerplate answer that your case is worth ‘x’.

That’s not what good injury attorneys do. They look at the specific facts. They look at how you’ve been hurt, how it has impacted your family, and then they determine how to best approach it and whether that’s through negotiations, through a trial process, but no two cases are the same.