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Shoreline, WA Personal Injury Lawyer
Something happened that wasn’t your fault: a car accident, a fall, a dog bite, or another type of injury caused by someone else not paying attention. Now your life is dominated by pain, doctor visits, and a growing pile of paperwork. Meanwhile, you’re trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for it.
The insurance company has already started calling and asking questions, and maybe even offered you a settlement. It sounded fine until you realized it barely covered what you’d already spent.
You don’t have to accept that. A Shoreline, WA personal injury lawyer from our team can help you protect your rights, build your case, and fight for fair compensation.
Our personal injury firm serves Shoreline and the surrounding area. We can take the pressure off you and give you the time you need to recover, while working to hold those responsible for your injury accountable.
3 Immediate Steps If You’re Injured in an Accident in Shoreline
Before doing anything else, make sure you take these steps after an accident:
- Seek medical attention. Get checked out at Northwest Hospital, Swedish Edmonds, or elsewhere, even if the injury seems minor.
- Document the scene. If you can, take photos, get the names of witnesses, and request a police or incident report.
- Talk to a lawyer before talking to the insurance company. Don’t give any statements to insurers or sign anything until you’re clear on the next steps.
Doing this will help protect your health and your right to claim damages.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?
With a personal injury attorney in Shoreline, WA, on your side, a bad accident doesn’t have to mean a bad settlement. Confusion, stress, and practical difficulties after an accident are normal, but they can cost you money you badly need. Poor decisions can count against you, lowering the settlement that the insurance company offers.
If a personal injury lawyer from our firm takes your case, you can focus on recovering from your injuries while we handle the rest. This includes:
- A free consultation. This is the first step, where we listen to what happened.
- Assessing the strength of your case. We tell you honestly what your options are.
- Building your case. We do this by gathering evidence, medical records, and witness statements to prove what happened.
- Dealing with the insurance company. Every call, email, and negotiation goes through us instead of you.
- Fighting for the full value of your claim. This includes medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and anything else you’ve lost from the accident.
Managing all this alone can be difficult at the best of times. When you’re nursing injuries, it’s even harder.
What Types of Accident Injuries Do We Handle?
From the retail areas along Aurora Avenue to the trails and parkland at Shoreview Park and Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, Shoreline’s attractive spaces also present injury risks for residents and visitors.
Our attorneys often see the results of car accidents, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, dog bite injuries, slips and falls, and more. In the worst-case scenarios, we help victims’ families file a wrongful death claim.
Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Accidents
Accidents often happen on high-traffic routes like I-5, Aurora Avenue (SR 99), and NE 145th Street, especially at busy intersections and interchanges. These crashes typically result in whiplash, broken bones, head injuries or concussions, back and spinal injuries, and internal injuries. It can be especially hard to follow up on accidents involving multiple liable parties. A Shoreline car accident lawyer can help you navigate the difficulties.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents
Accidents are especially common near transit and retail corridors, such as crosswalks by the light rail stations at 148th and 185th Streets, along Aurora Avenue, and at busy shopping-area intersections. The area around Shoreline Community College is another accident hotspot for pedestrians and cyclists with little protection. These accidents often cause more serious injuries, such as fractures, head trauma, spinal cord damage, road rash, and soft tissue injuries.
Slip-and-Fall and Premises Liability Claims
Slip-and-fall accidents often happen in parking lots, store entrances, restaurants, and sidewalks along Aurora Avenue, especially when surfaces are wet, uneven, or poorly maintained. Common injuries include broken hips or wrists, back injuries, head injuries from falls, and sprains or strains.
Dog Bite Injuries
Dog bites are common on trails and in parks, such as Richmond Beach Saltwater Park and Boeing Creek Park, as well as in residential neighborhoods. These incidents can cause puncture wounds, lacerations, nerve or tendon damage, scarring, and a risk of infection. Contact a Shoreline injury lawyer if you’re not sure what to do after a dog attack.
Wrongful Death Claims
Car, truck, motorcycle, or pedestrian accidents involving severe trauma can result in wrongful death claims. These claims allow surviving family members to recover for the loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and funeral or burial expenses.
How Can We Help You Prove Fault and Manage the Claims Process?
After the free consultation, if you decide to pursue damages with us, we begin by thoroughly investigating the accident. We can check the police report and medical records, and interview witnesses.
To file a successful claim, we may need to prove fault. This means showing:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care,
- The at-fault party breached its duty of care,
- The breach resulted in the accident, and
- You suffered losses as a direct result of the breach.
Once this is accomplished, we will be in a strong position to claim compensation on your behalf. However, very few personal injury cases reach trial in King County (or anywhere in Washington). Negotiations usually lead to settlements during the weeks and months after the accident.
We handle all negotiations with the insurance company. We are familiar with the tactics they use to reduce or deny claims, and we are ready to fight for the best possible outcome for you.
What Is Your Shoreline Personal Injury Case Worth?
How much your case is worth depends mainly on how bad your injuries are and how badly they affect your life. Settlements range from a few thousand dollars for minor injuries up to millions of dollars for catastrophic injuries that permanently change lives.
In Washington, you can claim damages even if you were partly at fault for the accident (up to 99%). The pure comparative fault law means your compensation is reduced in line with your proportion of fault. If your award is $100,000 but you are 25% at fault for the accident, you receive $75,000.
A Shoreline, WA personal injury lawyer can help you claim compensation for all your losses, including:
- Medical bills, past and future;
- Lost income and reduced earning capacity;
- Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life;
- Property damage; and
- Long-term care, if needed.
These damages mount up. In serious injury cases, pain and suffering awards can be even higher than medical bills and lost earnings.
FAQs
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Shoreline?
You have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim in Washington. In exceptional cases, where you don’t discover the injuries until later, you may have a longer deadline. Check with a personal injury attorney whether this applies to you.
What Does It Cost to Hire You?
We work on a contingency basis. This means there’s nothing to pay until you receive your compensation, at which point we will deduct our pre-agreed fee from your payout.
How Long Does a Personal Injury Claim Usually Take?
Personal injury claims can take anywhere from a few months to a year or more to settle. If the case ends up in court, it usually takes longer than an out-of-court settlement.
What If the Insurance Company Denies My Claim?
A denial isn’t always final. We can review the reasons given, gather additional evidence, and challenge the decision through an appeal or negotiation. If necessary, we can file a lawsuit to pursue the compensation you’re owed.
What If the Police Report Doesn’t Blame the Other Party?
A police report is helpful, but it isn’t the only evidence that matters. We can investigate independently, reviewing witness statements, photos, medical records, and other evidence, to build a strong case, even if the report doesn’t clearly assign fault to the other party.
Let an Experienced Shoreline, WA Personal Injury Lawyer Handle Your Claim
You can be sure that the insurance company already has a plan. Shouldn’t you?
Every day, insurance adjusters review files and decide how little they can offer and still call it fair. They’re trained to protect their company’s money, not yours.
Having a lawyer from Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner on your side levels the playing field. We build cases and fight for our clients every day, with former judges and leaders in the Washington State Association for Justice on our team.
We use our experience to investigate, negotiate, and secure compensation for you. The first step is talking to us during a free, no-pressure consultation. Contact us today.
Legal References Used to Inform This Page
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:
Wrongful Death—Right of Action, RCW 4.20.010.
Pure Comparative Fault RCW 4.22.005.
Washington Pattern Jury Instructions, Negligence, WPI 10.01.
