Seattle Car Accident Lawyers

The Seattle car accident lawyers at Hagens Berman have decades of experience litigating auto accident claims, and that experience allows us to provide personalized legal attention with the least amount of disruption to the lives of the victim and their families.

DO I NEED A CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY IN SEATTLE?

Every car insurance company has teams of adjusters and defense attorneys who are hired to protect their employer’s business and assets. As soon as they are notified that you were injured in a car accident that was caused by the negligence of their insured person, your claim file is assigned to an adjuster. That adjuster will open an investigation and begin formulating defenses to devalue your claim.

When you retain us to represent you for the injuries and damages that you suffered, we’ll begin conducting our own investigation strategy. We will focus on proving that the opposing driver caused not only the crash, but also your injuries and damages.

By working with experienced and aggressive counsel, you can pursue the maximum compensation for your damages.

5 COMMON TYPES OF CAR ACCIDENTS

Depending on the facts surrounding an auto accident case, different types of car crashes run the risk of severe injuries or fatalities. The three factors that have the most impact on the severity of an accident include the size of the vehicles involved, vehicle speeds and whether the drivers and occupants of the vehicles wore seatbelts.

Additionally, the type of collision has a profound correlation to the types and severities of resulting injuries. Some of the most common accident types in Seattle include:

Head-On Collisions: These crashes occur when two vehicles traveling in opposite directions collide after one of them leaves its lane of travel and crosses into the oncoming lane. Given the magnitude of the impact, head-on impacts might be the most dangerous collisions on our roadways.
Rear-End Collisions: These are the most common types of impacts. Rear-end collisions are almost always the fault of the following driver who fails to maintain a proper interval with the vehicle ahead and crashes into its rear. In Seattle, we often see these at intersections, on Interstate 5 or one of our other freeways. Even at low speeds, they can cause severe injuries or fatalities.
Broadside Crashes: Otherwise known as a T-bone crash, these are another dangerous type of collision. Broadsides most commonly occur in intersection accidents.
Sideswipes: When two cars are traveling in the same direction, or one of them is merging with traffic, the side of one of the vehicles might impact with the side of the other. Sideswipes can cause a driver to lose control of a car and collide with another vehicle or a fixed object on the side of the roadway.
Accidents Involving Multiple Vehicles: Chain reaction collisions involving three or more vehicles typically occur during busy afternoon or rush hour. They might also occur in an intersection when the force of an impact between two vehicles sends one of them into a third vehicle.
Negligent or Impaired Drivers: Drivers in Washington state are responsible for using reasonable care to avoid injuring other drivers and passengers when on the road. Proving a driver’s negligence will be a task fit for an experienced car accident lawyer, and will involve establishing that any injuries were directly caused by the other party. Negligence can look like failure to maintain a safe speed, failure to keep a proper lookout or not maintaining control of the car, among other things. Washington state law also dictates that a driver must not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and if this is the case, you may have an injury case against an impaired driver.

COMMON CAR ACCIDENT INJURIES

If a car is in motion when hit, anybody inside of that vehicle remains in motion until a seat belt, shoulder harness, air bag, or other vehicle part abruptly stops them. Debilitating and lifelong injuries can result that will have profound physical, financial and emotional effects on victims and their families. Here are some examples of those injuries:

Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
Chest and abdominal injuries with damage to vital organs and internal bleeding.
Vertebral fractures, displacement or damage to intervertebral discs and spinal nerves.
Multiple other fractures including facial fractures.
Ankle, knee, hip and shoulder joint damage.

DAMAGES IN CAR ACCIDENT CASES

A victim of a serious personal injury car crash is going to incur significant damages and losses. On top of staggering medical bills, it’s also likely that substantial lost earnings will result. Under Washington law, the compensation for the damages and losses suffered by an accident victim generally consists of the following:

Past medical bills and medical bills reasonably certain to be incurred in the future
Lost earnings or diminished earnings reasonably certain to be incurred in the future
Any permanent disfigurement or disability
Pain, suffering and emotional distress
Unjust hardship
Loss of a normal life

CONTACT A SEATTLE CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER AT HAGENS BERMAN TODAY

It’s important that your legal team has the resources and know-how to properly prepare its litigation. Every successful verdict and settlement that Hagens Berman achieves can be traced back to our experience and tenacity.

After being seriously injured in a car crash anywhere in or around Seattle, it is in your best interest to seek legal advice as soon as you can. Contact us for a confidential case consultation and evaluation at no cost. If you choose to enter into a retainer agreement with us, we’ll start working toward building a strong case on your behalf for your financial recovery while you focus on your physical and emotional recovery.