
Car Accident Lawyer Tacoma
Are you looking for a competent car accident lawyer Tacoma to fight for you or your beloved? If so, you have come to the right place.
A car accident can be the beginning of a horrible life experience. Depending on the unique circumstances of the accident, you may spend a lot of money on treatment and many years to recover physically, emotionally, and financially. Additionally, filing an insurance claim can become an awful back-and-forth process of determining who was at fault in the accident. In the end, you may not even get what you truly deserve as compensation for your injuries and resulting damages.
If you or your loved one has been injured in an accident in Tacoma, you’ll likely face the insurance company’s legal team, who may intimidate you or offer a lowball settlement. For this reason, you need a car accident attorney Tacoma to fight for you.
Proving Fault in a Tacoma Car Accident
You have the right to file an insurance claim or a lawsuit against the person responsible for causing an accident. But because car accident laws differ from state to state, proving liability may be a difficult task.
For example, Washington State is an at-fault state. In other words, the laws hold the driver who caused the accident liable for damages incurred. For this reason, the driver’s insurance company is responsible for compensating the accident victims for all the injuries and damages they incur.
Even though car insurance companies are aware of the at-fault car accident laws, they don’t always take up the responsibility without a fight, especially when the fault isn’t so obvious. This is because some accidents can be complicated, leaving room for the insurance company to discredit a plaintiff’s claim.
To prove fault after an accident in Tacoma, you must show that:
The driver owed you the duty of care: You must prove that the driver was negligent.
The driver breached their duty of care: You must prove that the driver ignored their duty of care to you. For instance, the driver was texting while driving, speeding, or running a red light.
The driver’s actions or inactions caused the accident: Besides proving that the driver breached their duty of care, you must prove that their negligence caused the accident.
You suffered damages due to the accident caused by the negligent driver: Examples of these damages include medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
What Happens If I’m Partially at Fault in A Car Accident?
Sometimes, a car accident may not be entirely a driver’s fault. The victim may also have contributed to the events that led to the accident.
For example, say Driver A runs a red light and hits Driver B, who was making an illegal U-turn. In that case, both drivers can be liable for the accident. Despite this, you may still have the right to file an insurance claim seeking compensation for the driver’s negligence.
When more than one party is responsible for an accident, the Washington State laws refer to such a situation as comparative fault. In such a case, the parties are held accountable for a certain percentage of the accident. For instance, if the damages of an accident you’re involved in is $100,000 and your percentage fault is 20%, your settlement will be $80,000. This is because your compensation will reflect your percentage of fault.
However, calculating the percentage of fault can be challenging. You’ll need to provide sufficient evidence to prove that you weren’t entirely at fault. Besides, the car insurance company may try to put most of the blame on you to reduce their fault percentage. As a result, you will likely not receive fair compensation for the accident.
How Can a Tacoma Car Accident Lawyer Help?
It is advisable to hire a Tacoma auto accident attorney when pursuing a car accident claim. This attorney can fight for your right to compensation.
For example, you need to provide sufficient evidence to prove the at-fault party’s negligence in a car accident. This may be difficult to accomplish on your own, especially if you’re still nursing your injuries and recovering from the shock, pain, and disorientation from the accident.
However, your car accident attorney knows the kind of evidence you need to prove a strong case of negligence.
Examples of the evidence a car accident lawyer may use include:
- Witness testimonies
- Police report
- Medical report
- Driver’s admission
- Video footage and photographs of the accident
- Car accident expert testimony
And much more.
The car accident lawyer will also ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your injuries. To achieve this, the attorney will analyze your claim and calculate all the damages resulting from the injuries.
What Damages Can a Car Accident Lawyer Tacoma, WA, Help Me Recover?
An experienced car accident lawyer in Tacoma, WA, can help you recover economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include monetary losses such as medical expenses, lost wages, vehicle damages, and other out-of-pocket expenses. On the other hand, non-economic damages cover non-monetary damages such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Lastly, your car accident lawyer can negotiate a reasonable compensation with the insurance company. However, if the negotiations don’t bear desirable results, your lawyer may file a lawsuit against the insurance company on your behalf. In addition, the lawyer can represent you throughout the case, so you don’t have to worry about going through lengthy and tiring legal processes.
Let The Law Office of Serah Waweru, PLLC Fight For You
Don’t let a car insurance company intimidate you or push you to accept a non-deserving compensation. You deserve better.
The Law Office of Serah Waweru, PLLC is ready to fight for you. When you contact us for a case evaluation, we will review your case to determine whether it is valid. Then, if you have a valid claim, we may be able to fight for you, ensuring you receive your much-deserved compensation as you sit back, relax, and recover from your injuries.
Reach out to us today at (253) 332-9193 or fill out our free case evaluation form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Other than Tacoma, our car accident lawyer also serves clients in Lakewood, Kent, Renton, University Place, Burien, Tukwila, Auburn, Federal Way, Steilacoom, DuPont, Fife, and throughout Pierce County.
In Washington, you have three years from the accident date to file a car accident claim. If you do not file a claim within three years of the accident, you will lose your right to pursue legal action against the at-fault party.
The cost of hiring a car accident lawyer varies from one attorney to another. For example, at The Law Office of Serah Waweru, PLLC, we do not charge our clients anything unless we win.