Injuries aren’t always accidents—even if the party at fault didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
When a serious injury is caused by negligence—whether it’s a person driving dangerously, a company that created a defective product, or even a dog owner that doesn’t restrain their pet—it’s hard to call it an accident. (That’s why you won’t see that term very often on our site.) We fight to ensure our clients are fairly compensated for both the financial and emotional costs, including loss of income, pain and suffering, medical bills, long-term care for issues such as traumatic brain injuries, and more.
There’s no question that being on the roads is dangerous: More than 103,000 car crashes (including truck crashes) occurred in Washington state alone in 2021, with nearly 30,000 of those involving suspected or confirmed injuries and almost 600 causing fatalities.
While good drivers can get caught up in a crash, many of those incidents are caused by the irresponsible behavior of others—whether it’s speeding, distracted driving, DUI, or simply going too fast for conditions. If you’ve been injured in a car or truck collision, even if you don’t know the other driver’s status, it’s a good idea to talk to an attorney.
Many people take advantage of Seattle’s bike lanes to ride around the city—but that doesn’t always prevent collisions with cars. And similar to motorcycle riders, bicyclists who are hit by cars often suffer severe injuries. Some drivers are even aggressive toward cyclists, furthering the danger—and increasing the likelihood that negligent or even reckless behavior caused the incident and subsequent injury. That kind of behavior, or even simply thoughtless driving habits, can create a compelling case for an injured cyclist.
There aren’t nearly as many motorcycles as cars, but even though they only account for about 3% of vehicles on the streets, riders make up a far higher percentage of overall injuries from traffic crashes. According to statistics from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), motorcyclists suffer serious injuries or die in about 20% of motorcycle wrecks.
This is in part due to the fact that riders have less protection than drivers, but also because it’s harder to see motorcycles. If you’ve been in a motorcycle wreck involving a car, it might have been caused by a driver that wasn’t paying close enough attention to their surroundings—which means you could be entitled to compensation.
WSDOT statistics show that nearly 1,400 pedestrians were injured or killed on state roads in 2022. Similar to motorcyclists and bicyclists, a pedestrian-vs.-car incident is highly likely to result in serious injury—and there’s also a good chance it was caused by a distracted or reckless driver, as pedestrians have the right of way in all intersections, even those without marked crosswalks. Given the typical severity of pedestrian injuries, it’s important to ensure that the responsible party or parties are held accountable.
Seattle is one of the most dog-friendly cities around: We’ve all heard the stat about the city having more dogs than kids. But Washington law isn’t quite as dog-friendly, because typically the owner is legally responsible for the resulting costs if their pet bites someone. Depending on the severity of the bite, those costs could include significant medical expenses and even longer-term care. Additionally, many owners here violate leash laws regularly, letting their pet roam free because “she’s friendly” or “he doesn’t ever bite.” If you’ve been injured by a dog, you know that’s not always the case—and you probably have a case.
Defective products can cause serious injury or even death, and regardless of the producer’s intent or knowledge of the defect, they can be held liable for its impact. A manufacturer can even be held responsible if the instructions or warnings provided with a product weren’t enough to ensure proper use or prevent injuries. If you’ve been injured by a product, it’s important to understand your options—and our experts can help.
Negligence comes in many forms on someone’s property—it could be as big as the collapse of a structure or wall on a construction site, or something as small as a loose hand railing on a set of steps. Either way, if an injury results, and the building owners knew (or should have known) about the issue beforehand and did nothing, that might qualify as negligence. Even a slip and fall at a person’s home or on their sidewalk could result in injuries that deserve compensation.
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