Read through some of the most frequently asked questions to help choose your Washington personal injury lawyer, or call 971-205-3266 to have your questions answered directly.
Yes. Even if you decide that you do not need representation, talking with an experienced personal injury attorney can be an invaluable experience and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Schedule your free consultation today. More details on the personal injury claims process.
The sooner you are able to schedule your free consultation, the better off you will be. It’s important that you contact an attorney as soon as you can so that you are able to discuss the personal injury claims process and discuss your rights. Just because the claims adjusters with the insurance companies are asking you to sign documents and provided recorded statements does not mean that you must comply. If you talk with a personal injury attorney early on, you will have a much better understanding of which claims managers you should and should not be talking with.
No. When you settle your personal injury claim, you are giving up your right to pursue claims for the full impact on your life. So, if you settle your claim while you are still receiving medical treatment, it is highly unlikely that you will receive full compensation for the impact the crash, the injuries, and the medical treatment had on your life. It is highly unlikely if not impossible to receive additional compensation after you have settled your claim. There should be no rush to settle your claim. If you receive an offer to settle you claim while you are still receiving medical treatment, you should schedule a consultation with a personal injury attorney to discuss your options.
In Washington, the Statute of Limitations on a personal injury claim is three years. This means that you have three years from the date the crash occurred to either resolve your claim through a settlement or pursue your claim through litigation.
The Statute of Limitations (“SOL”) is three years. This means that if you do not resolve or initiate litigation within the three-year window, you lose the ability to seek compensation. Additionally, even though three years may seem like a long time, it does not mean that you wait until one or two months before the SOL runs to consult with a personal injury attorney. Most personal injury attorneys will want you to consult with them at least 6 months before your SOL runs, so there is sufficient time to review the facts of your case and gather any required information.
At Johnson Law, P.C., we’re normal, everyday people. Give us a call and we’d be happy to talk to you about your claim, so you can decide if representation is right for you.
Most likely a Washington personal injury attorney will work on what is known as a contingency basis. This means that they only get paid if they recover something for you. You do not pay the attorney an upfront fee. The contingency fee comes out of the settlement once your claim is resolved. This could mean that your attorney works on your behalf for several years before they get paid. The contingency fee at Johnson Law, P.C. is 33.33% of the recovery after outstanding medical bills have been paid. If we go through an arbitration or trial, the fee goes up to 40%. This is explained thoroughly in the Contingency Fee Agreement, which is reviewed in detail at the start of representation. More details on how a Washington personal injury attorney gets paid.
Most claims end up requiring the spending of some money to pursue the highest recovery for our client, and we happily front these claim related costs. The costs in many cases are limited to obtaining medical records. However, if a claim requires litigation, the costs can increase because of filing fees, deposition costs, expert costs, among other. Many attorneys require their clients to pay the costs as they go. At Johnson Law, P.C., we are able to front these costs for our clients and then they come out of the settlement or judgment at the conclusion of your claim.
This is hard to answer without talking about all the details of your claim. However, if someone else caused your harm, you were injured, and you sought medical attention, you likely have a case and it’s worth your time to have a free consultation with a Washington personal injury lawyer.
No guarantees, but insurance companies are known to offer unrepresented individuals a fraction of what they should receive because insurance companies are in the business of making a profit. This means they have an incentive to pay you as little as possible. A personal injury attorney’s job is to get the insurance company to pay as much as possible. In most instances, it is in your benefit to consult with a personal injury attorney.
Many law firms make it difficult if not impossible for you to communicate directly with your attorney. At Johnson Law, P.C., we pride ourselves on our client communication. You can call or email your attorney as we are generally available. If we’re not available, we will get back to you as soon as possible. We routinely answer late night emails to make sure our clients have questions answered as soon as possible. With Johnson Law you won't get a Washington personal injury attorney that is in a different time zone and unreachable.
We represent people who are injured due to the negligent conduct of another. The most common type of cases we handle are motor vehicle cases, where people are injured in car collision, truck collision, buss collisions, motorcycle collisions, or big-rig collision. We also represent pedestrians who are injured by vehicles of any sort. Moreover, we also represent people in medical malpractice claims when their medical doctors negligently cause harm.
We have extensive experience representing individuals in diminished value claims. Diminished value occurs when your vehicle is worth less after a collision, even when it has been repaired to the best of human ability. As an attorney, I am not able to say whether your vehicle has or has not lost value, but I am happy to speak with you about the process of pursuing a claim for diminished value.
If you are the driver or passenger of a vehicle involved in an automobile crash, the first place to look for payment of your medical costs is the automobile coverage on the vehicle you were in at the time of the crash. In Washington, many vehicles have Personal Injury Protection coverage, which provides a minimum of $10,000 of coverage for reasonable, necessary, and related medical treatment. If you do not have PIP coverage, you should consult with a personal injury attorney to determine if there are other ways to get the medical treatment you need. Ultimately, once you’ve gone through all of your medical treatment and you are ready to resolve your claim, the at-fault insurance should pay for the medical treatment.
If you have personal injury protection on your insurance coverage, then you can make a claim for lost wages with your insurance company if you have a medical provider keeping you off work for 14 or more consecutive days. If you do not have personal injury protection coverage, you will likely have to wait until you’ve completed treatment to demand compensation for you lost wages from the at-fault insurance company.
Maybe. No guarantees, but often, medical providers are willing to work with attorneys if they know that the medical bills were incurred as the result of a car crash and they know that a personal injury claim is being pursued. In many cases, the medical providers are willing to accept a “Letter of Protection” in leu of making you pay for the ongoing treatment and in leu of submitting outstanding charges to debt collectors. Contact a personal injury attorney to see if this is the right path for you.
According to our most experienced Washington personal injury attorney, your insurance company can request that you attend an IME because your insurance contract indicates that you are supposed to cooperate with reasonable requests made by your insurance company when they are paying for medical treatment. This means that you may not have to attend the exam if the request is unreasonable. However, your insurance company is going to deem any request reasonable and if you do not attend, they will terminate benefits. It’s similar to being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Insurance companies routinely request IME after approximately 3 months of treatment. This is routinely done even when your medical providers continue saying ongoing treatment is needed. It’s best to consult with an attorney before your insurance company requests the IME.
No. Hiring a personal injury attorney does not mean that you are required to sue the at-fault driver. Ultimately, whether you have an attorney or not, it is up to you what you want to do with your claim. With that in mind, sometimes we will advise that filing a lawsuit is the most effect means to maximize your recovery.
We represent plaintiffs in Southwest Washington. This means we practice in Clark, Skamania, Cowlitz, and Lewis County. However, we also represent clients in other parts of Washington looking for a personal injury lawyer.
We represent plaintiffs in the following counties in Washington: Clark County, Skamania County, Cowlitz County, Wahkiakum County, Lewis County, Pacific County, Thurston County, Pierce County, Klickitat County and Yakima County.
We represent plaintiffs in the following cities in Washington: Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Fern Prairie, Mill Plain, Minnehaha, Hazel Dell South, Lake Shore, Hazel Dell North, Walnut Grove, Five Corners, Orchards, Proebstel, Oreland, Livingston, Hockinson, Brush Prairie Barberton, Salmon Creek, Felida, Mt. Vista, Baker, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center, Woodland, Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Cowlitz, and Chehalis.
