Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys for Lake Stevens, Washington, and All of Snohomish County
Most of the 30,000 or so people who live in Lake Stevens, Washington, known locally as “One Community Around the Lake” have been annexed into the so-called Urban Growth Area from previously autonomous neighborhoods such as North Lake, Frontier Village, Soper Hill, and Southwest so rapidly that the town’s formal population nearly quadrupled during the first decade of the 21st century.
This rapid growth rate has been a statistical fluke, however, and the town’s pastoral charms still survive. The sparkling clean waters of Lake Stevens is popular for fishing, boating and swimming. The Pilchuck River, as well as numerous parks and hiking trails (including Centennial Trail), also serve as attractions for lovers of the outdoors.
When Disaster Strikes
Disaster can strike suddenly, and its effects can be all the more devastating for having interrupted the tranquility of a seemingly idyllic small-town environment. For most people who suffer serious accidents, the catastrophe is multi-dimensional – physical pain and disability, the abrupt interruption of daily routines, and sudden financial difficulties can combine to form a “perfect storm” of misfortune that overwhelms the entire family. Sometimes, this comes in the form of a car accident. Other times, it is something as unexpected as a serious dog bite injury. If death results, the grief of a sudden loss can turn a difficult experience into something nearly unbearable. The injustice of such a scenario can be compounded when the accident turns out to have been the result of someone else’s misconduct.
At Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC, we can’t undo the accident. We can, however, help you obtain fair compensation for all of your losses, including intangible losses such as the mental anguish that every victim of a catastrophic accident undergoes. Washington personal injury and wrongful death law is designed to provide victims and survivors with a legal weapon to force the culpable party (or insurance company) to pay full compensation. We know the law, and it is our full-time job to see to it that our clients obtain every penny that they deserve.
We can help you navigate the insurance claims process, arrange for an income stream while you are incapacitated, negotiate with the insurance company, and file a civil lawsuit. If you or your loved one has suffered a serious injury or fatal accident that you believe may have been someone else’s fault, call us today at 1-800-925-1875 or complete our online contact form. We work on a contingency fee basis – we will completely waive our legal fees unless we bring you home a verdict or settlement. Our initial consultation is free of charge regardless of whether or not you decide to retain us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What kind of damages am I entitled to demand?
The type of damages available in Washington state are – compensatory damages. Compensatory damages include both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include losses that are easy to count in terms of dollars and cents – medical bills and lost earnings, for example.
Non-economic damages compensate you for psychological losses such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and even loss of consortium (loss of the ability to have sexual relations with your spouse can be classified as a loss of consortium).
What happens if the accident is caused by more than one person?
Washington’s “pure comparative fault” law allows a court to apportion damages among more than one party if the evidence justifies it. The attribution of fault is made on a percentage basis, and the total must be exactly 100 percent even if it includes parties who are not involved in the lawsuit. If a court decides that you were partly at fault, the court will deduct a percentage from your damages that exactly equals the percentage of fault the court assigned to you (35 percent, for example).
If I am injured in a truck accident, can I sue the trucking company?
It depends. If a trucking accident is found to be the fault of the truck driver, any decent personal injury lawyer will consider suing the trucking company because its “deep pockets” would likely allow it to pay a large judgment against it. Whether or not the trucking company can be held liable, however, depends largely on whether the court classifies the driver as an “employee” or as an “independent contractor.”
If the driver is found to be an employee of the trucking company, the trucking company can usually be held liable for the wrongful acts of its employee. If the driver is found to be an independent contractor, however, the trucking company may be relieved of liability.
What If I’m Injured By a Serious Dog Bite?
If you have been harmed in a dog attack, you know that recovery can be a long, expensive process. Depending on the severity of your dog bite injuries, you may have acquired major physical limitations. Or you may have been exposed to rabies or other potentially serious diseases. Dog bite injuries can be disfiguring and life-altering. After you have sought medical attention, the most important thing you can do is speak with a personal injury attorney at Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC.
Most Lake Stevens dog lovers know about the terrific off-leash areas here, like Cavalero Hill. Check to find out if your neighborhood permits off-leash walking during certain hours. But if you frequenting off-leash areas, keep in mind that this can leave you especially vulnerable to a dog attack if you are not careful. Inexperienced owners with dangerous dog breeds or dogs with a predisposition to visciousness pose a particular risk to others when their dogs are off-leash.
However, off-leash areas are not the only space where owners need to be responsible for their dogs. Owners must be responsible for their dogs at all times by taking adequate steps to protect the public—particularly if they own a potentially dangerous dog. As long as you were legally on public or private property at the time of the attack, you may have rights against a negligent dog owner.
Call our Lake Stevens, Washington Injury Lawyers for Answers today!
Call our offices to schedule a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. Let us assess your case and answer your questions.
