Experienced Monroe Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Victims and their Families in WA
Dealing with the potentially catastrophic financial difficulties that accompany a serious accident can be more than overwhelming for an accident victim or a grieving survivor. At Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC, our Monroe personal injury lawyers make it their business to resolve these difficulties for our clients in a caring, compassionate, and absolutely professional manner, all without sacrificing our willingness to confront stingy insurance companies and anyone else who would deny our clients justice if we would let them.
About Monroe Washington
Monroe, Washington enjoys a population of only about 18,000, about enough to fill a major college basketball arena. Its comfortably warm summers and relatively mild winters make outdoor activity enjoyable most of the year for its predominantly youthful population. Even before the revitalization of the Old Town district, Monroe’s laid-back atmosphere attracted the attention of Hollywood studios, which filmed parts of The Ring and The Butterfly Effect here. The trains whistling as they round Stevens Pass further contribute to the rustic atmosphere of parts of the town.
Monroe is also home to thousands of devoted dog lovers. Wiggly Field is, without a doubt, Monroe’s best off-leash area. This public dog park is open from April to November and sits at the south end of Skykomish River Park. However, while Wiggly Field is very safe, off-leash areas in general can leave you vulnerable to a dog attack. Frightened stray dogs always pose a risk to humans no matter where they are encountered. And inexperienced owners with dangerous dog breeds present a particular risk to others in off-leash spaces.
Despite its charms, however, Monroe has dealt with its share of urban problems, particularly the clustering of urban development around Highway 2 and the resulting traffic congestion. Serious traffic accidents are not uncommon, and even fatal accidents are not unheard of. Most serious accidents, whether they be auto accidents or pedestrian accidents, are the result of someone’s negligence. When the victim and the culpable party are not the same person, Washington personal injury law allows the victim to claim full compensation for all losses suffered, including both tangible and intangible losses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do I have to prove to win a personal injury case?
To win a personal injury case, you must usually prove negligence, causation, and damages (you will not even need to prove negligence if, for example, someone intentionally assaulted you). Negligence is a legal term that means something like carelessness. A driver, for example, might cause an auto vehicle accident by running a stop sign, or an auto mechanic may cause one by carelessly repairing someone’s brake drums.
Causation cannot always be assumed. You must also prove that the carelessness that you assert actually caused the accident – if the accident was not caused by defective brake drums, for example, negligent repair will not result in liability. Finally, you must prove the exact amount of your damages. Every dime of your damages that you fail to prove with admissible evidence is a dime out of your recovery. If you were partially at fault for the accident, your damages can also be reduced in proportion to your own degree of fault. Proving damages is often the most difficult part of winning a case.
You must prove each of these three elements under a “more likely than not” standard (at least a 51 percent likelihood) instead of the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard used in criminal cases.
Is a car accident the only kind of personal injury case you handle?
No! We represent injury and accident victims of all kinds, including slip and falls and victims of vicious dog attacks. Dog attack victims sometimes minimize their own injuries. But the fact that someone else was injured in a car crash and you were “just” bitten by a dog does not—in and of itself—mean that their injuries are inherently any more serious than yours. We handle almost all forms of personal injury caused by the negligence of others, and we take them seriously.
Can you help if I’ve been bitten by a dog?
A serious dog attack can change your life. After the dog attack, you may be seriously disabled or you may have contracted a serious disease like rabies. If you have been a victim of a dangerous or aggressive dog, you may not know what to do after you’ve gotten immediate medical attention. Once you’re out of the hospital or emergency room, contact our Monroe dog bite attorneys at Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner PLLC. Our Monroe dog bite lawyers can help you navigate the complexities of these kinds of injury claims.
Can I obtain compensation for lost work time or damage to my career?
Yes you can, as long as you can prove your damages with admissible evidence. Proving lost earnings while you were in the hospital is relatively easy, while proving your total lost earnings in the case of permanent disability is relatively difficult. In the case of long-term disability, it is absolutely critical that you accurately calculate the full extent of your damages and gather enough admissible evidence to prove them, because you won’t be able to come back to court to ask for more money if you run out 15 years down the road. Our Monroe personal injury lawyer is experienced in making these calculations and gathering the required evidence.
Should I sign a settlement agreement?
Not without your Monroe personal injury attorney present. A settlement agreement typically contains a release of liability clause that will prevent you from ever filing a lawsuit against the same defendant over the same accident again. Since courts enforce these agreements, you could end up killing your claim if you unwisely sign a disadvantageous settlement agreement. Since the wording of a settlement agreement can be tricky and can contain arcane legal terminology, it is best to allow your accident and injury legal practitioner negotiates the exact wording of the settlement agreement on your behalf before you sign it.
Contact our Trusted Monroe Personal Injury Attorneys in Washington Today!
If you or your loved one has been involved in a serious accident that you believe may have been someone else’s fault, call our Monroe personal injury attorneys today at 1-800-925-1875 or complete our online contact form. We work on a “no win, no pay” basis. Our initial consultation with you is always free of charge even if you decide not to retain us.