Frequently Asked Questions
- Question: After an auto accident, when do you a need to hire an attorney?
- Answer: When the other driver is at fault, his or her insurance company is ultimately paying the loss. Your own insurance company will handle your car repairs and car rental if you have collision coverage and will handle the initial medical bills if you have P.I.P. coverage. Some but rarely all of your wage loss will be covered by your own P.I.P. coverage. If you do not have your own collision coverage or P.I.P. coverage or when your own coverages are done paying, then the other driver's insurance company handles your loss. Their loyalty is to their own customer, not you. They owe you nothing unless you take their driver to court and win. Sometimes the other insurance company will take over paying your medical bills and your wage loss as an advance against the ultimate loss they will have to pay on behalf of their driver. It is when they say no to paying further wage loss or say no to paying further medical claims that you need your own attorney. It is when they may offer to pay your non-economic damages such as pain and suffering when you need to have your own attorney look at the value of the case and evaluate whether the settlement they propose is in your best interest.
- Question: What if I am in an auto accident with a driver who has no insurance?
- Answer: Your under- insured motorist insurance (UIM) stands in the shoes of the at fault driver. You are entitled to be paid your non-economic damages such as pain and suffering through your own UIM coverage. This is an adversarial relationship between you and your insurance company. When your own insurance company makes an offer to pay your non-economic damages, you need to have your own attorney look at the value of your U IM claim and evaluate whether the settlement they propose is in your best interest.
- Question: how long do I have to decide whether to bring a lawsuit arising out of an accident?
- Answer: Washington state law gives you three years after an auto accident. The same three-year statute of limitations applies to injuries arising out of defective products or out of malpractice, but in some of these types of cases you have three years from the time you discover you have a cause of action. The statute of limitations for breach of a written contract is six years. A claim against your own UIM insurance company is considered a claim on a written contract.
DISCLAIMER. These general statements of the law may or may not apply to the specific facts of your situation. Only after an attorney gets specific facts about your case, can any statement be made about your legal rights.All our attorneys have more than fifteen years experience. This experience translates into efficiency in handling client problems. A majority of our work is in litigation. Litigation may end in mediation, arbitration, or a trial, but at all stages we handle litigation so that clients can decide what end is best for them. Trial work is done by trial lawyers themselves, rather than layers of associates and staff. Large national insurance companies and small businesses have found our approach to legal problems affordable and efficient.