Factors to Consider When Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer

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When you are injured in a car accident, whom you choose to hire, as your car accident lawyer, is a decision that should not be made lightly. Yet with so many law firms in Seattle alone, how do you know who you can trust to handle your case and obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries?

Before you settle on an attorney and a law firm, there are several factors you should consider.

Reputation is Key—it is best to choose a car accident lawyer who has built a solid reputation in his chosen field of law. Ask friends and family members whom they recommend and begin compiling a list of possible attorneys. Check on their trial experience and look to see how successful they have been in the past. How many cases have they won? Did they obtain large settlements for their clients? What do past clients have to say about them? All of these questions can help you choose an attorney with a proven track record.

Specific Experience—even if an attorney has a great reputation, if he is not experienced in handling your type of case, then keep looking. It is important to choose an attorney who has had success handling cases just like yours. If you have been involved in a car accident, be sure your attorney practices car accident law first and foremost.

Fees are a Priority—filing a lawsuit can take time and be expensive for many injured clients. That’s why many attorneys offer their services on a contingency basis. This means that you do not pay unless your attorney recovers money for you. Be sure you understand exactly what percentage you will owe and how your attorney’s fees are calculated. This will prevent unnecessary surprises when your case is settled.

Personalities—it is also important to consider the personality of your attorney and how easily you can discuss your case with him or her. If your attorney doesn’t return phone calls promptly or seems too busy to meet with you, then he may not have time to devote to your case. The right attorney will be able to give you the personalized 1:1 attention you need.

You might also be interested in: Why Do I Need A Personal Injury Attorney?

Contact Seattle Car Accident Attorneys 

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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New Auto Technology Warns Drivers Before an Accident Occurs

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Imagine if your car could detect an accident before it occurred and help you avoid devastating and horrific injuries by communicating with other cars. While that may sound like the plot of Hollywood’s latest sci-fi blockbuster, it is actually a reality now. A new technology has been introduced that will cut collisions, deaths, and vehicle injuries for years to come.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been working with automakers to develop such a technology and it has taken the better part of a decade to come to realization. This new technology would allow your car to transmit a radio signal that would give your vehicle’s position, heading, speed, and other vital information to other cars around you. It would then alert you to an impending collision or even apply the brakes itself to avoid the collision.

How would this work? Imagine a car is about to run a red light. Your vehicle would receive the information that this car was coming too fast and would alert you so you could avoid the intersection. Or let’s say a car several vehicles ahead of you suddenly stops. Your car would realize the stop before you even saw taillights.

In the not to far off future, roadways and traffic lights could also talk to your car and warn you of traffic congestion or road hazards. This would theoretically give drivers more control over driving by letting them choose an alternate route before it was too late.

Safety and Transportation officials want this technology to be mandatory in all vehicles in the future, but realize that this may be years away from actually happening. Automakers are enthusiastic about this new technology, but still need to address privacy and security questions first.

While safety benefits of such a technology are evident, the privacy concerns are something entirely different. As such, privacy issues must be addressed before this technology can be advanced.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Why Do I Need A Personal Injury Attorney?

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Gavel of JusticeWhen an accident occurs, it can be difficult to know where to turn for help. While you are still recovering, you may find yourself unable to pay medical expenses and spiraling into debt. Your family may be struggling financially, while you are still trying to sort through the damages from your accident. To make matters worse, insurance companies are giving you the runaround and refusing to answer your phone calls. Sound familiar? Insurance Companies Are Not Your Friend

Unfortunately, after an accident, insurance companies don’t always care who is to blame. Even the “at-fault” driver’s insurance companies may look to twist things back on you in order to avoid paying claims. Even when they do finally offer accident victims a settlement, it is usually only a fraction of what they need to fully recover.

Insurance companies are supposed to protect their policyholders, but in reality, they only protect their shareholders. They do this by trying to avoid compensating injury victims fairly. When this occurs, Seattle accident victims need someone on their side who can protect their interests and fight the large insurance companies.

Lawyers Are Threatening to Insurance Companies

A personal injury attorney can see to it that you receive the maximum compensation after an accident and that insurance claims adjusters don’t take advantage of you in your vulnerable state.

An injury lawyer knows how much your claim is worth. When injured accident victims settle their claims alone, they often fail to take into consideration future wage losses, disability, and long-term care. As such, insurance companies don’t usually offer enough compensation to pay for all of their accident’s expenses. When a lawyer is on your side, insurance companies realize that the threat of a claim going to trial is higher. This alone is often enough to convince them to offer you a fair settlement.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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How Long Will it Take for my Personal Injury Case Take to Settle?

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One of the first questions new clients ask is how long their personal injury case will take to settle.  Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. Some personal injury lawsuits will take a mere months to settle, while others may drag on for years. The more complicated the accident and injuries are, the longer it can take to reach an appropriate settlement.

It Takes Time to Fully Understand all Long Term Medical Issues

Before you reach a settlement with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, it is important to be sure that you have been adequately treated for your injuries and are on the road to recovery. It is also important that you receive a long-term diagnosis of your injury, so your attorney can be sure to take long-term expenses into consideration. If your injury resulted in a disability, we will need to be sure we account for any and all costs associated with your disability. If your injury is permanent, you will need money for medical care, long-term care, and even loss of future earnings.

Insurance companies are not usually cooperative, however, and they can drag out lawsuits unnecessarily. If your case does go to trial, you can expect litigation to take anywhere from 2-5 years, especially when large sums of money are being considered.

What About my Legal and Medical Expenses?

We know that during this time, it can be difficult to pay medical expenses and attorney’s fees. That’s why we work on a contingency basis. This means if we do not recover anything for you, you do not pay. This allows you to focus your time and your energy on recovering from your injuries. We can only directly alleviate the strain of attorneys fees but their are also multiple options to help you pay your medical expenses while awaiting your settlement, so be sure to talk to your lawyer to make sure that you are making the best choice.

Don’t Rush It

It is important not to rush personal injury settlements, because once a settlement is reached, you cannot go back and reopen the case. Your attorney will help advise you of all your legal options, so you can obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries and for any future pain you will now endure.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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Can Bars Be Held Liable for What Their Patrons Do? – Understanding Washington’s Dram Shop Laws

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Seattle BartenderWashington has a dram shop statute that makes a business which sells alcoholic drinks or a host who serves liquor to a drinker who is obviously intoxicated or close to it, strictly liable to anyone injured by the drunken patron or guest. Statutory violations are “punishable by a fine of not more than $500 as well as separate [civil] actions.”

One purpose for these laws is to keep persons who are already inebriated from overindulging in alcohol and being injured or killed from over-intoxication. The most important goal of dram shop laws is to prevent hosts or bartenders from providing more alcohol to an inebriated patron who could potentially get into a vehicle and drive off, placing innocent persons at risk of injury or death.

Establishments in Seattle, which are licensed to sell liquor to patrons, are required to properly train employees to assess whether or not a person has had too much to drink.

Holding an Alcohol-serving Establishment Liable

If a drunk driver has injured you or someone you love, you have the legal right to sue the establishment responsible for endangering the public by allowing an intoxicated patron to leave the establishment and drive away. You may be entitled to compensation from the restaurant, bar, pub, liquor store or other alcohol-serving establishment if you meet the burden of proof.

Any alcohol-serving establishment is accountable to victims of drunk drivers when its bartenders or waiters knowingly over-serve an underage or obviously inebriated patron. The difficult part is that the victim must show the restaurant knew that the driver was a minor or intoxicated.

How a Washington Injury Attorney Can Help

The legal hurdles associated with burden of proof can be daunting, and the longer you wait to pursue your case, the harder it may be. A Seattle Injury Attorney will conduct the legal and investigative work necessary such as;

  • Obtaining copies of the driver’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) exams
  • Interviewing eyewitnesses, police officers, paramedics and others at the scene of the accident who can offer more details about what happened
  • Gathering witness statements, credit card receipts and decisive video surveillance evidence from the establishment

Contact Seattle Car Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If a drunk driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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Should I Choose a Lump Sum Payment or Structured Settlement Payments for My Personal Injury Compensation?

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Lump Sum

If you’ve been injured in an accident, have taken the responsible party to court and have been awarded compensation you still have an important decision to make. Should you accept the compensation as a lump sum or structured payments? It’s a very important decision and can be a confusing one to make. To help ease in your decision making we have created a short guide on the pros and cons of each option.

 

Lump Sum Payments

The benefits in accepting a lump sum payment might seem obvious. As soon as your accident claim is closed, you receive a giant payment and you money is immediately available for anything that you might need. You can make improvements to your home to help you cope with a disability, or pay off the debt that has begun to spiral out of control. One major benefit of choosing a lump sum payment is that you don’t have to worry about the value of your settlement being eroded by inflation, as many structured settlements don’t take the rising cost of living into account as well as they should.

However, there are drawbacks to taking a lump sum payment. Much like lottery winners tend to mismanage their sudden good fortune, lump sum payments can quickly vanish too, if one spends wastefully. Controlling your spending and wisely investing a portion of your settlement could put you in a great position, but spending recklessly and living beyond your means could leave you in even worse economic shape than before.

Structured Settlement Payments

A structured settlement offers a variety of benefits to meet a claimant’s goals following a physical injury. Whether you want to retire earlier than planned, need extra money to replace lost earnings due to the injury, or want to have extra income for when your kids go to college, structured settlements can be tailored to meet your specific goals.

It is also possible to have your structured settlement linked to the inflation rate, or at least have the payments increase over time by a set amount. This helps to eliminate the downfalls that can effect structured settlements. There are some limitations, but the principle and interest generated from structured settlement annuities can be tax exempt for plaintiffs who have sustained physical injuries.

Structured settlements are not without their pitfalls, as you could find yourself in a stressful situation if you run into a sudden financial emergency because you don’t have access to all of your money.

There are benefits to both structured and lump sum settlement options but hopefully this has helped increase your understanding of each option.

Contact Seattle Car Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If a negligent driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle car accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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3 Injured in Central Washington Bus Crash

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School Bus AccidentWhen you send your child to school, you do so with the expectation that they will be kept safe and free from harm. As such, school bus drivers have a responsibility to drive safely and obey all traffic laws. In poor weather, they have an even greater duty to drive safely and responsibly. Yet even when bus drivers utilize the utmost care, other drivers on the road can drive recklessly and cause serious Washington bus crashes.

On January 11th, in Mattawa, a collision between a bus and car on an icy road injured one child. 13 children were on board when a Nissan Sentra passed a line of turning cars and struck the bus head on at Road 24 SW. The driver of the car was unable to stop on the icy road, but was not following proper traffic laws. The car’s driver was passing in a no-passing zone, driving without a valid driver’s license, and driving without insurance at the time of the bus accident.

Earlier that day a similar bus accident occurred outside of Goldendale when high gusts of wind tipped a tractor-trailer onto its side. A Roosevelt School Bus driver struck the cab, but luckily there were no students on board. Both the truck driver and the school bus driver were taken to the hospital with injuries.

School bus accidents can be very severe and can injure innocent children. Since the majority of school buses are not equipped with safety belts, children are vulnerable to sustaining a variety of injuries, including head and neck injuries, fractures, internal bleeding, soft tissue injuries, and more.

If a bus driver or motor vehicle driver has injured your child, it is important to speak with an experienced Seattle bus accident lawyer immediately. You may have cause to file a claim. Your lawyer will be able to investigate your bus accident closely to determine if another driver’s negligence contributed to your child’s injuries.

Contact Seattle Bus Accident Lawsuit Attorneys

If you or someone you love is injured in a bus accident, an experienced Seattle bus accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

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The True Costs Associated with Traumatic Brain Injuries

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Car Accident Brain Injury

One of the most horrific injuries a Seattle car accident victim can suffer is a traumatic brain injury. These injuries have the ability to significantly impact an individual’s quality of life in a way that few injuries can. If the brain injury is severe, Seattle families can suddenly find themselves struggling financially to care for injured loved ones.

The CDC estimates that in the United States, the total cost of acute care and rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury victims is $9 to $10 billion per year. While staggering, this number does not even take into account the billions of dollars families lose in the form of lost earnings and lost productivity for family members who must now devote their lives to caring for their loved one.  If you add up the direct and indirect costs, it is estimated that traumatic brain injuries cost $76.5 billion a year in the United States.

Roughly 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year. This can occur as a mild concussion or as a more severe closed head injury. Initial brain trauma after a car accident can cost families up to $162,000 and 2 weeks of rehabilitation another $60,000. Yet severe brain injury victims do not heal in a matter of weeks. Thus, families can expect that number to grow astronomically over time as additional hospitalizations, surgeries, and long-care facilities become necessary.

The Brain Injury Association of America estimates that over a lifetime, traumatic brain injury victims can cost up to $1.8 million. This includes occupational therapies, long-term care, refitting a home for handicap accessibility, and subsequent brain surgeries.

Sadly, traumatic brain injuries account for one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States ever year. The elderly and the very young are at an increased risk for sustaining such injuries, as are adolescent males who may take unnecessary risks.

Contact Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys

If someone you love has sustained a traumatic brain injury after an accident of any kind, an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.

 

 

 

 

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There is Hope for Paralyzed Seattle Accident Victims

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Spinal Injury - Seattle Accident AttorneysSeattle accident victims who sustain spinal cord injuries may have reason to cheer. According to Tufts Medical Center experts, complete paralysis from a broken neck may not always be permanent—and in most cases it isn’t. Unless the spinal cord nerve is completely severed, many spinal cord injury victims can regain some of their movements and feeling again.

After an accident, the spinal cord can be injured, causing swelling, bruising, and bleeding. Yet within 3-6 months, some of the paralysis can improve as the swelling decreases. The bony vertebrae of the spine make the spinal cord difficult to sever, making many spinal cord injuries something victims can recover from, even if it is only partially.

Even when spinal cord injury victims are able to recover, however, the recovery process is slow and can take some time. With aggressive rehabilitation and physical therapy, many paralyzed victims can regain some of their mobility and motor skills. Yet for many, the recovery is never a complete process, and accident victims often find themselves dealing with loss of fine-motor skills years after their initial injury.

The care an accident victim receives immediately following a serious spinal cord injury can make a significant difference between complete paralysis and temporary paralysis. This is why it is so important for first responders to immobilize the neck and back immediately following an accident.

In the initial weeks and months following a spinal cord injury, it can be impossible for doctors, therapists, and victims to truly realize the full extent of the injury itself. As such, it is important to have an experienced Seattle injury attorney on your side from the moment you are injured. Insurance companies routinely offer spinal cord injury victims a fraction of what they need to fully recover—and they often make these offers quickly, when injured victims are at their most vulnerable. This is not by accident. Don’t let the insurance companies take advantage of you and NEVER agree to a settlement without first speaking to a personal injury lawyer.

Contact Seattle Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or someone you love sustains a spinal cord injury in a Seattle accident, an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle personal injury lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.

The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington. 

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Bus Accidents Can be Deadly

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Bus accidents can involve vehicles used for public transportation, tour buses, school buses and buses run by private companies, and can be caused by any number of factors, including:

  • Driver error
  • Fatigue
  • Poor road conditions
  • Weather conditions
  • Improper Vehicle maintenance
  • And more

Issues of liability can become complicated because the buses may be owned and operated by large companies or government entities.

In Seattle and throughout the State of Washington, bus accidents often result in catastrophic injuries to passengers, pedestrians, and riders in other vehicles. These may include brain and spinal cord injuries, sprains, fractures, burn injuries, soft tissue injuries, abrasions and death. Victims and their families can face colossal medical bills and may be too disabled to work. Personal injury lawyers experienced in dealing with bus accidents can help ensure that victims have access to all the resources they need to help put their lives back together.

Take this accident for example:

Just last month, six people were seriously hurt and one person critically injured in an accident involving a semi-truck and an airport shuttle charter bus on Seattle’s I-5 after a heavy rain shower had just blown through the area near the West Seattle Freeway off ramp one early afternoon.

The semi-truck lost control as he merged onto I-5 south from West Seattle and struck two cars and the bus. Of the six people injured, three of those, including the critically injured patient, were on the bus. All six were taken to a local hospital complaining of neck and back pain.

Dealing with the bus company or insurance company after a bus accident is nothing like dealing with an accident involving a private passenger car. It is urgent that you retain an experienced bus accident lawyer who can act quickly on your behalf to preserve your claim against the responsible party.

Under most state laws, common carriers have a higher level of responsibility to drive with the utmost care to protect the passengers and other vehicles sharing the road.

Washington Bus Accident Attorneys

If you have been injured in a bus accident, it is important to understand all of your legal rights. At Phillips Law Firm, our bus accident attorneys are skilled in obtaining the maximum compensation for all of our clients. If your bus accident was caused by the driver error or bus company negligence, we will work diligently to help you file a lawsuit against the responsible party. We represent injured clients in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett, and throughout the State of Washington. Call us today at 1-800-708-6000.

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