Do I Have To Go To Court After A Car Accident In Seattle?

Home » Car Accidents » Do I Have To Go To Court After A Car Accident

Washington is a fault-based state for car accidents. This means drivers are not required to buy insurance to cover themselves in a crash. Instead, the injured party will seek compensation through the vehicle owner’s insurance policy. Thus, the only source of injury compensation for most accident victims in Seattle, WA will come from the at-fault driver and their insurer.

Faced with this prospect, many motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists who suffer personal injuries wonder, “Do I have to go to court after a car accident in Seattle?” A Seattle car accident lawyer from Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers will fight for a fair settlement so you can avoid or limit any litigation in your car accident case. We have decades of combined experience and have recovered tens of millions of dollars for our clients.

Call our law office today at (206) 727 4000 to schedule a free consultation.

How Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After A Car Accident In Seattle, WA

Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in Seattle, Washington to help injured people in Seattle, Washington pursue fair compensation due to someone else’s careless or deliberate acts. Members of our legal team have been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers, Top American Lawyers, and Expertise.com.

Our Seattle personal injury lawyers provide the following services to hold the at-fault party responsible for your losses:

• Review your situation and provide legal guidance about your options
• Gather evidence to support liability and loss, such as medical records
• File a claim with the at-fault driver’s auto insurer and negotiate with the adjuster
• Pursue a lawsuit if the auto insurer refuses to resolve your claim

Injuries from a car accident can cause significant physical trauma and financial costs. Contact Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a Seattle car accident attorney to discuss how we can resolve your case through negotiation or litigation.

The Typical Car Accident Claim Process In Seattle

Auto liability insurance in Washington includes bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage. BIL pays the losses incurred by crash victims due to their injuries, including the following:

• Past and future costs for treatment, therapy, and medication
• Lost wages
• Diminished future income due to an inability to work
• Injury-related out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering

You can seek these insurance benefits by filing a claim with the insurer. The claim describes what happened during your car accident and the losses you suffered. It may include documents like medical bills and receipts.

The claims adjuster will review the evidence provided by you and the other driver. Your claim will be resolved relatively quickly if the insurer accepts liability and offers a settlement. Even though the adjuster will make a low initial offer, your attorney can negotiate for a better one.

However, it is possible that you and the at-fault driver’s insurer will genuinely disagree over the facts or law in your case. Your lawyer will try to resolve these differences through negotiation. However, your attorney may advise you to file a lawsuit when the parties are too far apart to settle.

Reasons You May Need To Go To Court

You will not automatically go to court if your lawyer files a lawsuit. The parties will continue to discuss a settlement. However, if the litigation goes on long enough, you may need to testify and endure cross-examination in the following situations:

Hearings

The judge must decide the evidence and legal arguments that the parties can present to a jury. When a dispute arises, the parties will brief the court and present their reasoning at a hearing. In these hearings, you may need to testify on a limited scale so the judge has all the information to decide the matter.

Deposition

You will most likely be required to give testimony during a deposition. Depositions do not occur in court. However, you will testify under oath. A court reporter will produce a transcript and video or audio recording of the deposition to preserve your testimony. The insurer’s lawyer will question you about the crash, your injuries, and the losses you incurred.

During a deposition, the other attorney is allowed to ask wide-ranging questions that might be disallowed in court. Specifically, the rules allow the lawyer to ask questions to uncover relevant evidence or testimony that might lead to relevant evidence.

Depositions can get heated, since there is no judge present to monitor the questioning. However, because the rules are broad, you must rely on your lawyer to defend you. 

Trial

Only about 5% of personal injury lawsuits reach trial. If your case goes to trial, you will probably testify. Your lawyer will need your testimony to prove how the crash happened and what injuries you suffered.

The opposing attorney will also cross-examine you. The lawyer might insinuate that your negligence caused or contributed to the crash. They might also question the severity of your injuries and imply that you faked or exaggerated them.

Contact Our Seattle Car Accident Lawyers For A Free Consultation

Although most cases settle out of court, you should always be prepared to litigate to seek fair compensation for your injuries. Contact Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to learn about your right to compensation and the options you have for seeking it. Our Seattle car accident attorneys are here to support you.