Another driver struck and injured you in Lakewood, leaving you with a broken arm and foot. Now, you face mounting medical bills and lost income, struggling to manage the financial burden. Thankfully, Washington law allows you to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings, and other damages.
Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers are here to help. Our experienced Lakewood car accident attorneys are ready to assist if you’ve suffered serious injuries in a car crash. With a proven track record of securing substantial settlements and jury verdicts, our Lakewood car accident lawyers fight tirelessly for you after a devastating auto accident.
Why Choose Us?
At Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers, our Lakewood auto accident attorneys are committed to providing respect, excellence, service, and transparency to every injury client. With a proven track record of securing substantial settlements and jury awards, we proudly represent individuals injured in car crashes, truck accidents, motorcycle collisions, and pedestrian incidents.
Our skilled auto accident attorneys have earned recognition among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Recent successes include a $1 million truck accident settlement, a $300,000 car accident settlement, and a $200,000 settlement for a box truck crash.
Conveniently located at the intersection of NE 40th St. and 148th Ave., our Lakewood auto accident law office is just steps from the North Bellevue Community Center and a block from the Microsoft Building. Contact us at (425) 322-0577 for immediate legal assistance. We offer a free consultation to all auto accident clients and will thoroughly evaluate your legal options for recovery.
Possible Compensation In Lakewood Auto Accident Claims
In Washington, the possible compensation after a car accident depends on the case specifics. You can receive some or all of the following:
Economic Damages
These cover concrete, calculable losses:
- Medical expenses: Past and future costs, including emergency visits, surgeries, medications, therapy, or long-term care like nursing. A traumatic brain injury, for instance, can require years of treatment.
- Lost income: Income lost during recovery. Missing weeks of work due to a fracture adds up quickly.
- Loss of earning capacity: If a permanent injury, like spinal damage, limits your ability to work, you can claim reduced future earnings.
- Property damage: Costs to repair or replace your vehicle and other items, like a laptop damaged in the wreck.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages from a car accident address less tangible impacts:
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain, scaled to injury severity. A broken leg might yield less than chronic nerve damage.
- Emotional distress: Covers mental fallout—anxiety, depression, or PTSD. A near-fatal crash can leave deep trauma.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: For when injuries stop you from surfing, hiking, or playing with your kids.
- Loss of consortium: Compensates a partner or spouse for lost companionship or support due to your injuries.
Factors Affecting Your Compensation
Your payout in a car accident claim depends on:
- Injury severity: Minor sprains might bring thousands, while permanent conditions like paralysis or brain damage can reach hundreds of thousands or millions. More enormous bills and life changes drive higher awards.
- Insurance limits: Recovery often hinges on the at-fault driver’s liability coverage. Washington’s minimums are low: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident for bodily injury and $5,000 for property. If damages top this, you’re limited unless they have more coverage and assets or you carry underinsured motorist (UIM) protection.
- Evidence quality: Strong proof, police reports, witness accounts, dashcam video, and medical records boost your claim. Weak evidence can shrink your settlement.
- Settlement vs jury trial: Most cases settle with insurers for speed, but trials can swing higher (or lower) based on the judge or jury.
- Economic losses: Tangible costs, like $50,000 in medical bills, anchor your claim, while non-economic damages fluctuate depending on how convincingly you present pain or lifestyle shifts.
What Causes Auto Accidents In Lakewood?
Lakewood is growing quickly, and more auto accidents happen daily for the following reasons:
Distracted Driving
Activities like texting, using in-car technology, or eating divert attention from the road. This is a significant issue with Lakewood’s busy streets and increasing reliance on smartphones.
Speeding
Roads like Interstate 5, State Route 512, and Bridgeport Way SW see high traffic volumes, and drivers exceeding speed limits reduce their reaction time, increasing crash severity. Speeding is especially prevalent on these major routes.
Failure to Yield
Intersections such as Bridgeport Way SW and Gravelly Lake Drive are prone to collisions when drivers misjudge right-of-way, often due to confusion or impatience in heavy traffic.
Impaired Driving
Alcohol or drug use impairs judgment and reaction times. This is a notable cause of accidents in Lakewood, particularly on highways like I-5, where high speeds amplify the danger.
Reckless Driving
Behaviors like running red lights, making unsafe lane changes, or weaving through traffic frequently cause accidents, such as a truck flipping after running a red light at Gravelly Lake Drive and Mt. Tacoma Drive.
Poor Road Conditions
Construction zones, hazardous weather (common in Washington’s wet climate), or poorly maintained roads can create dangerous situations, especially on busy arterials or in the winter.
Rear-End Collisions
High traffic on roads like Steilacoom Boulevard SW often leads to tailgating or sudden stops, causing frequent rear-end crashes worsened by distracted or speeding drivers.
Multi-Vehicle Pileups
Congested highways like I-5 during peak hours can trigger chain-reaction crashes, especially if the parties involved don’t quickly manage the initial incident.
Various types of serious auto accidents in the Lakewood area often occur at
- Left-turn collisions occur when a driver turning left misjudges oncoming traffic or fails to yield to a pedestrian, often striking or struck by vehicles going straight. In Lakewood, busy intersections along roads like Gravelly Lake Drive or Bridgeport Way SW can be problematic.
- Rear-end crashes: Common at signalized intersections; these happen when a following vehicle doesn’t stop in time, often due to distraction, speeding, or sudden stops. Intersections with heavy commuter traffic, such as those near I-5 exits, such as Exit 124 at Gravelly Lake Drive, might see this kind of accident.
- T-Bone: Crashes occur when one vehicle runs a red light or stop sign, hitting another car crossing the intersection. This is a risk at four-way stops or poorly timed signals, potentially along streets like 100th Street SW or South Tacoma Way.
- Pedestrian and cyclist accidents: Intersections near commercial or residential areas, like those along Steilacoom Boulevard, may see collisions involving vulnerable road users.
Common Auto Accident Injuries In Lakewood
You may suffer many serious injuries in a Lakewood car wreck, so retain an auto accident attorney immediately for legal assistance:
Whiplash and Neck Injuries
Whiplash occurs in many Washington car accidents, especially rear-end crashes, and is frequent due to congested highway traffic. It occurs when the head is suddenly jerked up and down or left and right, straining the neck muscles and ligaments.
Head Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), ranging from minor concussions to severe brain damage, are common when a person’s head strikes the steering wheel, dashboard, or window.
Back and Spinal Injuries
Injuries to the back, such as herniated discs, fractured vertebrae, or spinal cord damage, are prevalent in car accidents. These can result from the force of a collision compressing or twisting the spine, particularly in side-impact or rollover accidents. Severe cases can lead to partial or complete paralysis.
Broken Bones
Fractures to the arms, legs, ribs, and pelvis are frequent due to the body being thrown against the vehicle’s interior or crushed in a collision. Rib fractures, for instance, are common when a seat belt restrains a driver or passenger during a frontal crash; leg injuries often occur when the lower body strikes the dashboard or becomes pinned.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Bruises, cuts, and sprains to muscles, tendons, and ligaments are widespread in car crashes. These injuries might seem minor but can cause significant pain and long-term complications if untreated.
Fighting The Insurance Company After A Lakewood Car Crash
Who wants to fight the auto insurance company after a serious auto crash? Unfortunately, this is often the reality. You may face the following insurance headaches after a car accident, so it’s usually best to hire an auto accident lawyer in Lakewood:
- Determining fault and disputes: Washington is an "at-fault" state, meaning the driver responsible for the crash is liable for damages. However, insurance companies may dispute fault, leading to delays or denials of claims. This can be especially challenging if the evidence is unclear or multiple parties share responsibility.
- Uninsured or underinsured drivers: Despite Washington law requiring minimum liability insurance (25/50/10 coverage—$25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 for property damage), about 17% of drivers are uninsured.
- Insufficient coverage limits: The state’s minimum liability coverage may not be enough to cover damages in a serious accident. Suppose the at-fault driver’s insurance is inadequate. In that case, you can be left with unpaid medical bills or repair costs unless you have additional coverage like UM/UIM or personal injury protection (PIP).
- Delays in claims processing: Insurance companies may delay investigating claims, especially when liability or injuries aren’t immediately obvious. Washington law requires insurers to act promptly, but delays can still occur, leaving you to cover expenses like medical bills or rental cars out of pocket.
- Denial of claims: Insurers might deny claims if they consider the accident outside the policy’s coverage or if you don’t report the crash promptly. If you’re uninsured and at fault, you can face personal liability for all damages plus fines up to $550 for driving without insurance.
A skilled Lakewood car accident lawyer will handle all of these insurance headaches so you can focus on healing and rest.
What To Do After A Lakewood Car Accident
A car wreck with serious injuries is immensely stressful and chaotic. But you can take several important actions in the hours and days after that ensure the best-case result:
Do Not Delay Medical Attention
Even if injuries aren’t immediately apparent, get checked by paramedics or visit a hospital. Adrenaline can mask pain, and some injuries (like whiplash or internal damage) may appear later. Washington is a "fault" insurance state, so documenting injuries is critical for claims. Delaying medical care will affect your claim.
Document the Scene
Take photos or videos of the crash site, vehicle damage, skid marks, road conditions, and any visible injuries if you can. Washington weather (e.g., rain or fog) often plays a role in crashes, so capture those factors, too. Collect contact info from witnesses and other drivers, including names, phone numbers, and insurance details.
Exchange Information
Share your name, contact info, insurance details, and vehicle registration with other involved parties, as required by RCW 46.52.020. Avoid discussing fault at the scene.
File a Police Report
If police respond, they’ll create a report. Get the officer’s name and report number. If they don’t arrive, file a report yourself within 4 days at a local police station or online via the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Collision Report system.
Notify Your Insurance
Contact your insurer promptly to report the crash. Washington’s fault-based system means the at-fault driver’s insurance typically covers damages, but your coverage might apply depending on the situation.
Preserve Evidence
Keep medical records, repair estimates, and receipts for expenses like towing or rentals. These documents strengthen your case if you pursue a claim or lawsuit and help ensure you receive fair compensation.
Get A Lakewood Auto Accident Lawyer
If the crash involves serious injuries, fatalities, or disputed fault, consult a Washington attorney familiar with state laws. Washington has a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims - RCW 4.16.080 - but acting quickly preserves your options.
Contact A Lakewood Car Accident Lawyer
If you’ve suffered a severe injury in a car accident, it’s wise to consult a lawyer as soon as possible. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and losses resulting from the crash. For assistance, contact the Lakewood personal injury attorneys at Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers by calling (425) 322-0577. Note that you won’t owe legal fees with auto accident claims unless Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers successfully secures compensation.