We Represent Clients Throughout Washington Who Have Been Injured or Who Had a Loved One Killed in a Pedestrian Accident
As Seattle injury lawyers, we have decades of experience in representing injury victims and the families who have lost a loved one due to the negligence of others. We are tireless in seeking to hold those who are responsible for causing injury for the full measure of damages to which our clients are entitled.
We offer:
- Full service representation. We are there to help with insurance matters, documenting medical costs, answering your questions, and being available to help out with all aspects of your case when you need us. We carefully manage the number of cases that we accept so that we can invest the time and resources necessary not only in seeking to achieve a successful outcome for our clients, but also so that we have time to be available to our clients when they need us for questions or other matters concerning their case. We will be there with you at every step of your case.
- Cost Advancement for Litigation Costs and Expert Fees. Litigation costs can be substantial. We believe that if you are injured (and potentially out of work), you should not be burdened by the additional costs of associated with filing fees, deposition costs, and hiring experts that are need to prove your case. That is why we advance these costs on behalf of our clients.
- Free Consultation and No Fee Unless You Recover. Speaking with an attorney about your injury case is one of the few examples in our economy where you can get a free consultation with an experienced professional, with no absolutely no cost or obligation. Further, with contingency fee representation, an attorney will work on your behalf for no fee unless compensation is ultimately obtained. We encourage you to take advantage of our free consultation to learn how we can help you.
- An Enviable Record of Success, and Tireless Dedication Towards Achieving Full Compensation. While no attorney can promise a successful outcome, we have recovered millions of dollars for our clients and their families, including a settlement of over $19 million for one of our clients against the Washington DSHS (at the time, the largest settlement ever against such entity for a single person). We are tenacious in seeking full compensation for our clients. Achieving full compensation – at trial or through a settlement – does not come quickly, and is not achieved through taking the first offer that an insurance company may propose. Instead, cases involving severe injury and death must be meticulously developed through painstaking work.
When we accept a case, we do so with the intent of making a substantial investment of time and resources on behalf of clients. We know what is at stake. We believe that clients are entitled to nothing less than our best efforts and a full commitment on their behalf.
Call Us to Schedule a Free Consultation and to Learn How We Can Help you
In the interim, the following sections discuss key aspects of pedestrian accident cases.
Pedestrian Accident Injury Statistics
5,984 pedestrians were killed in 2017, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.[1] Likely tens of thousands of additional pedestrians were injured (many severely) during that year. Pedestrian accidents often result in severe injury and death, primarily because pedestrians have no protection against vehicles that often weigh 2,000 pounds or more, and which also may be traveling at a high rate of speed.
Those hit are often left with severe and permanent injuries, including paralysis and traumatic brain injury. These injuries are devastating, not only to those injured, but also to their families and loved ones, as such injuries may be irreversible.
How We Seek to Prove the Cases of Our Clients
While the cause and liability for an accident may seem clear, from a legal perspective this may not be the case. When insurance companies and their lawyers are involved, often they seek to shift the blame onto others, such as other drivers, the cities responsible for traffic control devices, crosswalks and other road conditions, and even the victim. When injuries are severe or if death results, insurance companies and the lawyers of the defendants will usually fight back hard in seeking to avoid liability.
We must also fight back hard. In order to obtain full compensation for those injured in pedestrian accidents or for the family members of those killed, we conduct a thorough investigation. We will want to know the answers to questions such as:
- Were their previous pedestrian injuries or fatalities at the same location?
- If the accident occurred at night, was there sufficient lighting?
- Were traffic control devices working properly?
- Were the roadway conditions unobstructed?
- Were other potentially responsible parties involved, such as construction companies who may have been engaged in work that may have contributed to the accident?
Is Uber or Lyft Liable for a Pedestrian Accident?
Uber and Lyft drivers transport millions of customers in rides every day in the US (with an estimated 15 million rides each day worldwide by Uber alone).[2] As with other drivers, Uber and Lyft drivers are not immune to causing accidents and crashes – both to other vehicles, as well as bicyclists, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.
As experienced injury lawyers, when we know more about the facts and circumstances of a crash involving an Uber or Lyft driver, we can provide advice as to whether the ride-share company may be liable.
Importantly, Uber, for instance, carries supplemental insurance to cover their drivers when the driver’s app is on (in other words, when they are driving and are available to accept rides). If a driver has their app on but has not yet accepted a ride, the limits of the liability insurance are currently at least $100,000 for personal injury. If the driver is on his or her way to pick up a customer, or if the driver has customer at the time of the crash, Uber’s insurance policy is at least $1 million for injuries.
In most cases involving a vehicle crash, the availability of “deep pockets” (a defendant who has significant assets and/or who is covered through substantial insurance) is critical in obtaining full compensation.
The Liability of Cities, Towns, and Municipalities
In many pedestrian injuries and fatalities, there is a history of previous accidents at or near the location of the current incident. In some cases, cities, towns, and other municipalities are aware of past pedestrian/vehicle accidents at a particular location, but choose to do little or nothing to prevent future accidents and injuries.
For the person involved in the accident, and for his or her family, such choice is devastating. When cities, towns, and municipalities are aware of dangerous conditions based upon past accidents and choose to do nothing, we believe that they should be held fully accountable for the future accidents, injuries, and death that occurs arising out of their deliberate inaction.
We Want to Uncover All Factors Leading to Pedestrian Injury or Death so that We Can Hold Those Accountable to the Fullest Extent of the Law.
In many pedestrian injury cases, liability will be shared among multiple parties, such as a driver, the city, and perhaps a bar if the driver was intoxicated. To determine liability, we typically retain accident reconstructionists and other experts as needed, we seek records of prior incidents at or near the accident scene, we depose defendants, we interview witnesses, and we determine whether any unsafe roadway conditions existed. This is the only way that we can identify all those liable in the course of advancing the case of our clients.
If You Have Been Injured in a Pedestrian Accident, or a Loved One Has Been Killed, Please Call Our Firm
We will meet with you at your convenience so that we can learn about the facts and circumstances of your case. When we do so, we can advise you as to the legal options for recovery that are available.
We accept pedestrian accident cases on a contingency fee basis; this means that you will not owe us any fees unless and until we recover for you. We also advance litigation costs, so that you and your family will not need to be concerned with paying such costs while your case is ongoing.
Please Call Us Today at 206-388-0333 to speak with an experienced pedestrian accident attorney.
More Information
Common Pedestrian Injuries, and Those Who May Be Responsible
[1] https://www.ghsa.org/resources/spotlight-pedestrians18
[2] https://www.ridester.com/how-many-uber-drivers-are-there/