Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys Serving the Families of North Bend, Washington
Although North Bend, Washington’s population of 6,700 is small, the town is rapidly growing – in fact, it has nearly quadrupled its population since 1980. North Bend’s small-town charm is so evident that it served as a primary filming location for the Twin Peaks television series, most notably the infamous Double R Diner – which is still doing business as Twede’s Café.
North Bend is nestled in the Cascade Mountain foothills, only about 30 miles from Seattle. The area offers plentiful outdoor activities, such as hiking to Mailbox Peak or Rattlesnake Ridge along the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail. Visitors can hike in peace, however – despite ominously named attractions, such as Rattlesnake Ridge, Rattlesnake Ledge Trail, and Rattlesnake Mountain, there are no poisonous snakes in the area (and no mailboxes on Mailbox Peak!).
North Bend’s small size doesn’t stop it from attracting industry – Nintendo North Bend, for example, is located in town and is the main production and distribution center for Nintendo video game consoles for all of North America. Nevertheless, North Bend is sometimes classified as a “bedroom community” for Seattle, because so many residents commute to work via Interstate 90.
For dog lovers, North Bend holds some particular gems. If you’re a dog parent or simply a dog admirer, you’re probably familiar with the off-leash areas near North Bend. We have at least four, huge open-space dog parks within 20 miles of us. And while most dog parks are pretty safe, off-leash areas can leave you especially vulnerable to a dog attack. It’s in these places where the unexpected can happen and cause injury.
When the Unexpected Happens
The Twin Peaks series eloquently addressed the darkness that can hide just underneath a placid exterior. While North Bend (fortunately) cannot match the dark intrigue explored in the television series, it is subject to the same dangers that plague any community. Road accidents on I-90, hiking accidents, and defective drugs are just three of many ways that a catastrophic injury or death can occur. When the accident is someone else’s fault, there is absolutely no reason why you should shoulder the financial burden for it. And that is where we come in.
We understand how traumatic this time must be for you. Accident victims contact us dozens of times each year for help with during difficult and incredibly stressful times. Fighting for our client’s rights is what comes naturally for us, and there are few, if any, other personal injury/wrongful death law firms in the state of Washington that have the experience that our personal injury attorneys enjoy or that have resolved as many cases as we have. Contact us today at 1-800-925-1875 or fill out our online contact form so that we can schedule you a free consultation for your case.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the statute of limitations and how does it work?
The statute of limitations is a statute that sets a deadline for you to file a lawsuit over a claim. If you miss the deadline, your claim becomes worthless. In Washington, the general statute of limitations is three years – three years from the date of the injury in a personal injury lawsuit, and three years from the date of death in a wrongful death lawsuit. Certain exceptions exist – plaintiffs who were minors (under 18) when the claim arose can wait until their 21st birthday to file a lawsuit, for example. The statute of limitations for personal injury is the same for most injuries, whether they stem from car accidents or dog bite injuries.
To beat the statute of limitations, all you have to do is properly file the lawsuit. File the papers in a form that is acceptable to the clerk, pay the filing fee, and wait for the state to properly serve papers on the defendant. Once you do that, you have beaten the deadline no matter how long it takes to resolve your claim after the lawsuit is filed.
Can I sue a city or state government for a defective roadway?
Yes, under certain circumstances you can. Although governments have the right to assert the doctrine of sovereign immunity to prevent themselves from being sued (on the reasoning that a lawsuit against the government amounts to a lawsuit against the taxpayers), governments can also waive sovereign immunity. The state of Washington has waived its sovereign immunity for certain kinds of claims. You can sue the state or local government, for example, for failing to properly maintain the roads, but you probably could not sue the government for failing to widen a road into a safer four-lane highway.
Can I sue my friend if their dog bites me?
If you’ve been the victim of a dog attack, you can usually sue the dog’s owner. After you’ve received medical attention, the most important thing you can do is speak with an experienced North Bend dog bite lawyer to evaluate your case. Whether or not you can pursue compensation depends on the facts of your case, and a good North Bend dog bite attorney can inform you of all your options.
How are pain and suffering damages determined?
“Pain and suffering” damages are a type of non-economic damage that are commonly awarded in personal injury cases. These damages are awarded to compensate the victim for physical pain and suffering arising from injury and for psychological pain caused by disability, such as mental anguish over not being able to walk anymore. Insurance companies and (sometimes) juries calculate pain and suffering damages as a certain multiple of total economic damages – typically 150 percent to 400 percent of total economic damages. Since there is no objective standard for pain and suffering damages, however, pain and suffering damages awards vary widely.
What are your firm’s practice areas?
Our law firm’s personal injury practice areas include:
- Automotive & Transportation Accidents
- Airport / airplane accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus crashes (and other public transit injuries)
- Car crashes
- Dog bite injuries
- DUI / DWI injuries
- Motorcycle crashes
- Pedestrian accidents
- Taxi and ride-sharing accidents
- Texting and driving accidents
- Tractor-trailer accidents
- Train and railroad injuries
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth injuries
- Dental malpractice
- Doctor errors
- Medication mistakes
- Nurse’s errors
- Nursing home negligence
- Pharmaceutical company liability
- Surgical malpractice
- Defective consumer products
- Property-related injuries
- School sports accidents
- Slip and falls
- Spinal cord damage
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Workplace accidents
- Wrongful death
Schedule Your Free Consultation with Brett McCandalis Brown & Conner PLLC today!
Contact Us Today – Your North Bend Personal Injury Lawyer
Call our North Bend personal injury attorneys today at 1-800-925-1875 or complete our online contact form to schedule your free initial consultation, so that we can discuss your case and advise you of your options.