Washington State Car Accident Attorney
The aftermath of a car accident can be filled with confusion and anxiety. It is likely you are shaken up emotionally from the accident and may have serious injuries to deal with as well. When a car accident is the result of another person’s negligence, it can be particularly difficult to deal with. One minute you are on your way home from work, thinking about what you will have for dinner, and the next you are forced to deal with insurance companies and medical professionals, while attempting to maintain your normal, day-to-day activities, including work. It can all seem like an overwhelming task; you may be watching your medical bills mount alarmingly, and if you are unable to work due to your injuries, you may be unable to pay your normal monthly expenses.
According to a WebMD article, a 2001 British research study found that a full one-third of all those involved in a non-fatal auto accident suffered from depression, persistent anxiety, phobias or PTSD for as long as a year after the accident. Some of the symptoms associated with these issues include an inability to relax, insomnia, low energy, fatigue, confusion, feeling angry, upset, or out of control, or feeling helpless. A Washington car accident attorney from Palace Law can take a considerable amount of the stress and anxiety from you by dealing with the insurance company, ensuring you receive a fair settlement, helping you find appropriate medical care, and giving you the time to heal from your injuries without worrying about your financial future.
Washington State Car Accident Facts
According to 2015 data from the Washington State Department of Transportation, a person in the state died in an automobile collision every 16 hours. The following facts are taken from that same data:
- There were 117,053 total collisions in the state in 2015;
- A motorcyclist in the state was involved in a collision every 4 hours;
- A pedestrian or bicyclist was killed in a car accident every four days;
- Every 27 minutes, a Washington collision was caused by a speeding driver;
- Every 12 minutes, an inattentive or distracted driver in Washington was involved in a crash;
- There were 416,699 speeding citations in Washington state courts during 2015;
- There were 33,697 texting and cell phone citations in Washington state courts during 2015;
- DUI citations reached 26,363 in Washington during 2015;
- The highest number of Washington collisions occurred on Friday, while the least number of collisions occurred on Sundays;
- Most of the crashes occurred between 5:00 p.m. and 5:59 p.m., while the lowest number of crashes occurred from 3:00 a.m. – 3:59 a.m.;
- The highest number of auto crashes occurred in December, with about 401 collisions each day;
- In at least 30 percent of all car accidents with a fatality or serious injury between 2012 and 2014, impairment, speeding, lane departure, intersection-related or a young driver between the ages of 16 and 25 were involved, and
- In 10-30 percent of all car accidents with a resulting fatality or serious injury between 2012 and 2014, distraction, unlicensed driver, head-on collision, an older driver or unrestrained vehicle occupants were involved.
What Are the Causes of Washington Car Accidents?
While every car accident is unique, and the facts and circumstances of each car accident determine how those involved ill proceed, the two most common factors associated with car accidents include:
- Distracted driving—Far too many drivers continue talking on their cell phones or even texting, despite knowing just how dangerous these behaviors are. While teens tend to be the worst offenders as far as texting and driving, adults are guilty as well. We are a nation of multi-taskers, and regardless of the dangers involved in doing anything else while driving, we eat entire meals, check or set the GPS device, talk to our passengers, fiddle with the car controls, listen to music, turn around to see what the children are doing, watch what’s happening on the side of the road, and daydream during our time behind the wheel. The NHTSA estimates that at least 3,166 people died in 2017 as a direct result of distracted driving, calling distracted driving a “dangerous epidemic on America’s Roadways.”
- Fatigued Driving—The NHTSA believes that at least 795 auto accident fatalities in 2017 were related to fatigued or drowsy driving. According to the National Sleep Foundation:
- Those who get 6-7 hours of sleep per night are twice as likely to be involved in a car accident than those who routinely sleep 8 hours a night;
- Thirty-seven percent of drivers admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, with 13 percent saying they did so regularly—at least once a month;
- Younger drivers (between the ages of 18 and 29) are more likely to admit driving while drowsy than older adults;
- Men are more likely to drive while drowsy or fatigued than women, and about twice as likely to fall asleep while driving;
- Driving without sleep for one night produces sedating effects equal to 10 alcoholic beverages;
- Adults with children are much more likely to engage in drowsy driving than childless adults, and
- When alcohol and sleep deprivation are combined, the results are particularly dangerous.
Other causes of car accidents include reckless driving (excessive speed, tailgating, failure to yield, failure to use blinkers, impairment, failure to stop and dangerous lane changing), weather-related accidents, poorly designed roadways, and auto defects. The majority of accidents occur within 25 miles of the driver’s home. This is due in part to the fact that most of our driving occurs within that radius, but probably also because we are not as alert when driving familiar roads. The repetition associated with driving to and from work for months or years, and driving within our own neighborhood to run errands, tends to put our brains on “autopilot,” which is not a good place to be when driving.
Compensation You May Be Entitled to Following Your Washington Car Accident
The circumstances surrounding your car accident, as well as the extent of your injuries, will determine the level of compensation you might expect. Medical expenses related to the accident will be covered, as well as lost wages and lost future wages if you are unable to return to work for a significant length of time. Compensation for pain and suffering can also be a part of a settlement, and, in some circumstances, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and even punitive damages could be claimed.
How an Attorney from Palace Law Can Help Following Your Car Accident
If you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident, an attorney from Palace Law can help make the aftermath of your accident a bit easier. Insurance companies want to ensure your compensation is kept to a minimum, regardless of the serious nature of your injuries. A Palace Law personal injury attorney could truly be the only thing standing between an unscrupulous insurance company and the compensation you deserve for your injuries and damages.
You do not pay unless we recover compensation for you; we have recovered millions of dollars of compensation for our clients, handling thousands of personal injury claims. Together, our attorneys have a collective 200 years in legal experience, and we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure you receive the best legal assistance available following your car accident. Contact Palace Law in Tacoma, WA today for a comprehensive evaluation of your potential car accident claim.