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Olympia Car Wreck Lawyers

Car accidents are commonplace in today’s society. Few daily tasks can be accomplished without a vehicle, and the high number of vehicles increases the chances of a collision. Some accidents may be a small fender bender, but at Putnam, Lieb, Potvin, Dailey, we know they can also be disastrous. When you are injured in a car accident, you need our experienced Olympia car wreck lawyers fighting for your right to compensation. 

Recovering fully from a motor vehicle accident can take weeks, months, or even years. In some cases, fully healing may still mean lasting damage or effects on your life. Our Olympia car accident lawyer will work with you to handle the legal intricacies of your situation while you focus on following your doctor’s recommendations and healing your body and mind. 

What We Can Do as Car Accident Lawyers

You may have submitted your Google search for ‘car wreck attorneys near me’ to determine your options. There are countless ways a car accident attorney can help you beyond the obvious of trying to secure compensation for your injuries. Diligent attention to your case is part of what sets us apart from other law firms. When you work with Putnam, Lieb, Potvin, Dailey, you may notice several things we do to investigate your case and its needs thoroughly. 

Investigation

When we investigate the facts of your accident, we may include pulling documents such as the police report and witness statements. We may request medical records to support your injury claims and estimate your damages. Additionally, we may reach out to witnesses to collect statements and identify anyone who may have photos or videos of what happened. We may also visit the area where your accident happened to evaluate whether there may be other factors that contributed to your accident. 

Identifying All Liable Parties

A large component of a car accident case is establishing the negligent and, therefore, the responsible party. In some instances, this may be multiple people or entities. If the insurance company or courts suspect that the at-fault driver may not be entirely responsible, this can affect your ultimate payout. For this reason, our car crash lawyers endeavor to proactively identify all liable parties to avoid any surprises during negotiations that may negatively impact your settlement. 

Communication

When you work with our Olympia auto crash law firm, we will handle all communication regarding your case. In Washington state, the insurance company or other legal representation cannot contact an individual with legal representation. This means your car wreck lawyer is the point of communication for all other parties. This allows you to communicate only with your attorney and reserve the time and emotional energy that you need to recover from your injuries. 

Representation

Representation in negotiations and court is additional support when you work with a car crash attorney. Negotiations with insurance can be intense and complicated. The insurance company’s primary goal is to protect its assets and pay out as little as possible, meaning its representatives will take anything you say that they can exploit and do just that. Our experienced car wreck attorney knows their tricks and can help you navigate common pitfalls to secure the maximum compensation available. 

How do You Know if You Need a Car Accident Lawyer

The decision to retain an attorney after a car wreck in Olympia, WA, can be one that people are unsure about. Many may see it as an aggressive move or an attempt to simply exploit the system for money. However, an important consideration is that the insurance company has an attorney available to it, immediately putting you in a more vulnerable position. Securing a lawyer is a smart move, if for no other reason than that. However, some more specific indicators that you need a lawyer may include:

  • You sustained injuries
  • Someone else is at fault
  • You have property damage 
  • You have missed time from work 
  • You had to receive medical care

Your need for an attorney to secure fair compensation is often related to the severity of your injuries and damages. For example, a minor fender bender that does not cause significant damage and no injury may not leave much on the line for you. However, an accident that leaves your car totaled and in need of ongoing treatment for injuries may not be something you want to be responsible for, nor should you. 

Causes of Olympia Car Accidents 

The causes of car accidents in Olympia are varied. The Washington State Department of Transportation provides an interactive map allowing users to view details of the local car accidents. In the most recent complete reporting year, the city of Olympia saw 940 car accidents. When we filter the data further, we see that 231 of those resulted in injuries, and two were fatal. Some common causes documented in the database include distracted driving, which caused 102 crashes. Alcohol use contributed to 50 accidents. Finally, 125 accidents involved teen drivers that may simply be caused by inexperience. Some common causes that are not listed on the Washington DOT page include:

  • Poor visibility
  • Mechanical failures
  • Exhaustion
  • Failure to follow traffic signals
  • Speeding

Ultimately, the cause of most car accidents can be isolated to negligence. For some reason, someone did not fulfill their duty to others on the road by following the legal requirements to ensure everyone’s safety, whether this is a driver, municipal services leaving dangerous roads or landscaping conditions, or another third party. 

What to Expect from Your Case

Washington law requires drivers to report most accidents to the police as outlined in 46.52.030. This statute specifies that an accident should be reported whenever an accident causes injury or a fatality. It also requires you to report the accident to police if property damage exceeds the specified amount. This can often be difficult to determine initially, so calling the police may be the best option regardless to ensure you comply with this law. A police presence will also mean they complete an accident report, which can be instrumental in your case. 

The accident should be reported to both insurance companies, allowing them to investigate and determine who is responsible for payment. After these reports are made, the insurance companies and your attorney will begin investigating to determine what happened. 

Negotiations

After the initial investigation, negotiations for the settlement amount will generally begin. From here, the parties will either reach an agreement and settle the matter without going to court or, if they cannot agree, the case may be taken to trial. The timeframe for this can vary but will generally take months, even absent significant delays. 

Negotiation is a critical part of your claim. You can expect that most insurance companies will not want to take the case to court. Suppose you are working with a diligent and aggressive attorney who lets insurance know you are serious about fair compensation. In that case, they may be more motivated to come to a fair agreement to avoid taking the case to court. This is particularly true if you are approaching the end of the statute of limitation. 

Washington Insurance Policy Limits

Anyone who has a vehicle registered in Olympia, Washington, is subject to the insurance minimums for this state. According to RCW 46.30.020, all drivers are required to carry liability insurance on their vehicles. This requirement means you can expect the other individual to have at least the minimum coverage as required by The Washington State Department of Licensing (SDOL), which are the below amounts:

  • $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person per incident
  • $50,000 of bodily injury or death of up to two people per accident
  • $10,000 of injury to or destruction of property of others per accident

Why Your Case May be Delayed

While the general process for each case is similar, your case may see delays or complications in areas unique to your situation. You can do two things to ensure the quick onset of your case in the immediate aftermath of your accident. First, you should ensure you have called the police to file a police report. You should also notify your insurance company and ensure you have the policy information from the other driver.  These tasks will help with the timely initiation of the case but are only a few things you should do after an accident. The timeline to finalize a case can take months or years, even when things are progressing without delay. However, there are many places in addition to these early notifications that can hold up the final settlement. 

Underinsured Drivers 

Complications may arise if your injuries exceed the policy limits of the responsible driver. For example, if the other driver only carries the minimum $10,000 of coverage, but your vehicle is a total loss valued at $15,000 or requires $12,000 in repairs, the policy may not pay out those additional amounts. The same is true if you have injuries resulting in more than $25,000. 

When damages exceed policy limits, you may be able to file a separate lawsuit against the individual for the difference. Some individuals may carry packages on their insurance policy for under or uninsured drivers that can add additional protection. Many individuals will choose to carry higher limits to avoid these complications.

Insurance Strategies

We have discussed that insurance may be more motivated to come to an agreement when you present a strong case and a commitment to fair compensation. However, sometimes, they may try to call your bluff, and they do this by delaying the negotiations. They may take longer than appropriate to respond to e-mails or counteroffers. They may make last-minute requests for additional information that may take more time to procure and review. This may be done closer to the end of the statute of limitations to increase your pressure to settle for an amount less than what is fair. They may pursue this strategy if they do not think you will take the case to court or if they feel they are likely to win if the case goes to court. 

Trial 

Taking a case to court will almost always result in the delayed payment of your settlement. Most situations result in your case settling prior to court to avoid this delay and the increased risk and legal expenses. However, filing a lawsuit is more likely to be recommended closer to the end of the three-year statute of limitations, at which point a court date will be set for some time in the future and may require multiple dates before the final decision and payment. 

Injuries in a Car Accident

The injuries you sustain in a car wreck can be incredibly varied in both the type of injury and the way it affects your functioning. Some of the most common types of injuries include:

  • Neck and soft tissue injuries like whiplash 
  • Head injury such as traumatic brain injury 
  • Broken bones 
  • Burns, contusions, and lacerations
  • Wrongful death

Physical injuries from a car accident are common, but a major or life-threatening accident can cause significant emotional injury as well, including depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. These injuries can have significant and lasting effects on the individual and may take months or years to heal fully. 

What Compensation is Available to You?

The premise of most personal injury or civil cases is accountability and compensation. After you suffer injuries in a car accident, it can require a significant amount of your financial and emotional resources. If someone else’s behavior caused your injury, you should not be responsible for these losses. Some of the damages you may choose to claim in your car accident case include:

  • Medical bills
  • Anticipated medical costs
  • Lost wages
  • Pain and suffering
  • Property damage

Your lawyer will discuss your financial losses and what the injuries have caused you to lose based on some of the above considerations. You may expect some of your damages, such as pain and suffering, to relate directly to the physical costs of your injuries. Once you have calculated these costs, you may have a better idea of what to expect from your ending settlement, though it may vary with negotiations. 

Call our Car Accident Lawyers in Olympia Today

Recovering from car wreck injuries can be grueling. The thought of adding an attorney may feel overwhelming or exhausting, but we are here to take some of that stress from you while working to recover the money lost to the accident. Putnam, Lieb, Potvin, Dailey is here to support you in your recovery and compensation. 

Our firm offers free case consultations to discuss your case and determine which of our services are most appropriate. We also provide services on a contingency fee basis, allowing you to rest assured that you will not owe us money until we recover compensation for you. Call us today to schedule your consultation with no obligation.