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Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident can change your life in an instant. One minute your life is moving along normally, and the next you’re wondering if things will ever be the same. When you’ve been injured in an accident, the physical, emotional, and financial toll can be overwhelming.

Car accidents occur frequently in cities all over the Seattle area, and some collisions may result in minor damage while others cause far more severe injuries and complications. Often, accident victims are confused about what steps they should take after being involved in any kind of motor vehicle crash. A lawyer can help you understand your rights and legal options and fight for the justice you deserve.

If you suffered serious injuries or your loved one was killed in a car accident in the Seattle area, do not think that you have to handle your injury claim on your own. The The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee can make sure the negligent driver involved in your accident is held fully accountable.

Jeffrey R. Caffee has been honored with as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers every year since 2013. He can provide a complete evaluation of your case when you call (206) 899-5415 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Do I Need a Car Accident Lawyer?

If an accident clearly appears to be the fault of another driver, you may be tempted to believe that you have an easy case that does not require an attorney’s expertise. But payments in these cases are not automatic; insurance companies will always seek to find any way to minimize their losses, so victims need to have someone looking out for their interests.

One of the ways insurers accomplish this is simply by asking you to provide a recorded statement, during which an agent will ask questions that are specifically designed to get you to unknowingly admit to negligence. In other cases, an insurance company may offer a person a lump-sum settlement. It is likely that whatever you are being offered is a lowball offer that will not cover your future expenses.

You will want a lawyer simply to deal with the insurance companies on your behalf. An attorney will be able to conduct an independent investigation to determine the cause of your accident, collect evidence, and identify all liable parties before seeking a fair and full settlement.

Why Choose the The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee to Handle My Case?

Jeffrey R. Caffee was honored by The International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2009 with an Award for Advocacy for distinguished achievement in the art and science of advocacy. He is a member of the King County Bar Association, the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, and the Washington State Bar Association.

Mr. Caffee received his Bachelor of Science from Saint Leo University before earning his Juris doctor at the University of Notre Dame Law School. He has been admitted to state courts in Washington since 2009.

The The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee also provides legal representation on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will not have to pay us anything unless you receive a financial award.

Our firm will negotiate for a settlement that covers all of your past, present, and future needs. When an insurance company does not provide an adequate settlement, we will file a lawsuit.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle

The The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee has successfully represented many car accident victims, and though every car crash is different, many share common causes. Some of the most common factors we see regularly include but are not limited to:

Fortunate individuals aren’t hurt; others will suffer significant injuries that often require lengthy initial hospitalizations and several rounds of follow-up care.

More severe injuries can also impact a person’s ability to work. Some of the most common kinds of car accident injuries that The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee handles include but are not limited to:

  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Fractures
  • Paralysis
  • Neck injuries
  • Burn injuries
  • Whiplash
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Lacerations
  • Head injuries
  • Internal organ damage

When a person dies in a car accident, the family members of the deceased can file a wrongful death action against the negligent parties.

Seattle Car Accident Statistics

According to the 2015 Annual Collision Data Summary from the Washington State Department of Transportation, there were 14,508 total collisions in Seattle in 2015. These crashes included 22 fatal collisions, 167 serious injury collisions, 4,604 minor injury collisions, 9,568 property damage only collisions, and 147 unknown injury collisions.

This report also showed that:

  • A crash occurred every 4.5 minutes in Washington
  • A person died in a crash every 16 hours
  • A person was injured in a crash every 11 minutes
  • A speeding driver was involved in a crash every 27 minutes
  • An inattentive or distracted driver was involved in a crash every 12 minutes
  • A person was killed by an impaired driver every 1 1/2 days

There were 117,053 total collisions in Washington, which included:

  • 499 fatal collisions
  • 36,531 injury collisions
  • 77,358 property damage collisions
  • 2,665 unknown injury collisions

Inattention or driver distraction was the most common cause of all accidents. A driver under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs was the leading cause of fatal collisions.

Contact a Seattle Car Accident Attorney Today

Did you sustain catastrophic injuries or was your loved one killed in a car crash in Seattle or a surrounding area of Washington? It will be critical for you to retain legal counsel quickly to give yourself the best chance of recovering as much compensation as possible. Though no amount of money can take away your pain or bring your loved one back, we can help you get the justice you deserve.

The The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee represents residents and visitors involved in car accidents in communities all over the Greater Seattle area. Call (206) 899-5415 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and evaluation of your case.

FAQs

Frequently
Asked
Questions

When you have been involved in any kind of car crash, you should immediately seek medical care even if you do not believe you were hurt. Not all injuries involve immediate symptoms. When possible, take as many pictures as you can of your crash scene before the evidence disappears. Get photographs of the vehicles, people, and any other items you believe may help your case from different angles and distances. Also, be sure to get the contact information for any witnesses to the accident. If you cannot take these steps yourself, ask someone you know to do it for you. Avoid discussing your crash with anybody until you have an attorney, and do not post anything about your accident on social media. Lastly, refuse to provide any recorded statement to an insurance company until you have legal representation.

The Revised Code of Washington § 4.16.080 establishes that a person must begin an action for injury to their person within three years of the date of a car accident. If the crash results in death, then a wrongful death lawsuit must be filed within three years of the date of the person’s death (which could be later than the date of their accident).

The Revised Code of Washington § 4.16.190 does allow for the statute of limitations to be tolled (or delayed) when a victim is 1) under the 18 years of age, 2) is “incompetent or disabled to such a degree that he or she cannot understand the nature of the proceedings,” or 3) is imprisoned on a criminal charge prior to sentencing. Such victims will have three years from the date that they turn 18, become mentally competent, or are released from prison. The code also allows for the statute of limitations to be tolled when a defendant is out of the state or concealed within, and their period of absence will generally not be counted as being part of the limitations period.

Yes, you will. Washington is one of a dozen states that uses a pure comparative fault system for apportioning damages between negligent parties in civil cases. Under the pure comparative fault system, a victim can recover damages even when they were primarily at fault for their accident. The one catch to pure comparative fault is that a person’s damages can be reduced by their degree of fault for their accident. In other words, a person who is awarded $100,000 in a car accident case but it found to have been 60 percent at fault will have their damages reduced by $60,000 and ultimately receive $40,000.

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The The Law Offices of Jeffrey R. Caffee has years of experience handling all manner of injury cases. Our Seattle Injury attorneys care about you and want to help you through the overwhelming challenges that you face as a victim of another person's negligence. Our firm is available at (206) 899-5415.

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