Proven Vancouver, WA Car Accident Attorneys Ready To Help You
Vancouver, WA, is a great place to live. From local historic landmarks like Fort Vancouver and Officers’ Row to the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Hood just a short drive away, there is more than enough to do, regardless of where your personal interests lie. Interstate 5 and Interstate 84 provide easy access to points north, east, and south, and the Columbia River provides endless opportunities for business and recreation.
Unfortunately, despite its virtues, Vancouver is not immune to the risks of city living. In particular, auto accidents in and around Vancouver lead to thousands of serious and fatal injuries every year.
Are You Entitled to Financial Compensation for Your Auto Accident in Vancouver, WA?
Nearly 34,000 people died in the United States last year as a result of a motor vehicle crash.
Thousands of injuries and fatalities occur on Oregon, Washington, and California roads and highways each year. Innocent people die or are seriously injured at the hands of negligent drivers who speed, ignore signs, are distracted by cell phones, or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Insurance companies for the at-fault driver usually ask car accident victims to sign a monetary settlement – and sign it quickly. A quick settlement, or one that you are asked to sign before your injuries are fully understood, benefits the insurance company at your expense.
It is your legal right to have a lawyer review the documents presented to you by an insurance company before you sign. Finding knowledgeable and committed Vancouver, WA car accident attorneys to help you through this difficult time is vital.
Oregon, Washington, and California all have time limits to recover your damages from an automobile accident. Once this time has elapsed, it may be impossible to recover any of your medical bills or other expenses. Furthermore, evidence and memories lapse over time. The sooner you contact a law firm, the better the chance that a legal practitioner can help you.
It can be very difficult to discuss making a claim if someone you love has died in an accident. All of the Vancouver, WA car accident lawyers and staff at D’Amore Law Group will treat you with the respect and care that you deserve. Tom D’Amore and his team of injury attorneys are experienced in bringing wrongful death claims and lawsuits across the Pacific Northwest.
An experienced and well-respected Vancouver, WA car accident attorney, Tom D’Amore was the 2010-2011 President of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association and serves on the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). He has served as AAJ’s Chair of the Motor Vehicle Collision Section and as Chair of AAJ’s Audit Committee. Tom is licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, and California. D’Amore Law Group has meeting locations in Vancouver, Washington – contact the firm for a free consultation.
Most Common Types of Motor Vehicle Accidents
Auto accidents can result from an almost endless list of factors, and they can occur in a variety of different ways. If you have been seriously injured in an accident, determining what triggered the accident and who is to blame will be a critical early step toward recovering just compensation for your losses. Despite the multitude of things that can go wrong, most auto accidents occur in one of a limited number of specific ways. These include:
- Rear-end collisions caused by aggressive and distracted drivers
- Head-on collisions caused by drivers who are drunk, high, or asleep behind the wheel
- Sideswipe collisions caused by careless or inattentive driving in heavy traffic
- T-bone collisions at intersections caused by drivers who are not paying attention or simply ignore the rules of the road
- High-speed collisions caused by drivers who are breaking the law
- Turning and merging accidents caused by drivers who are either not paying attention or who assume that other drivers will yield to their dangerous maneuvers
Along with these types of accidents, hit-and-run accidents, rollover accidents, road rage accidents, and certain other types of accidents are relatively common as well. Regardless of the specific type of accident in which you were injured, if your losses are likely to be substantial (and if you have been seriously injured, this will almost certainly be the case), you owe it to yourself to speak with a Vancouver, WA car accident lawyer, right away.
Statute of Limitations for a Washington Car Accident
In Washington, auto accident claims are subject to a statute of limitations. This means that if you wait too long to file your claim, you will lose your legal rights entirely. Under Section 4.16.080 of the Revised Code of Washington, the statute of limitations for auto accident claims is three years from the date of the collision.
Of course, while you can wait up to three years to file your claim, this does not mean that you should wait up to three years to file your claim. In fact, there are a variety of reasons why you should hire a legal practitioner to begin working on your claim as soon as possible. At D’Amore Law Group, we work diligently to secure maximum compensation for our clients. Once you contact us, our attorneys will begin working on your case right away. If you have waited and the statute of limitations for your claim is about to expire, we can file a lawsuit promptly to make sure you retain your right to pursue a financial recovery.
Recent car and motor vehicle accident results obtained by D’Amore Law Group and our Vancouver, WA Car Accident Attorney
- $2 million dollar recovery against a trucking company on behalf of a Tualatin, Oregon woman whose husband was killed when he was rear-ended by an 18 wheeler driven by a truck driver who was under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs
- $1 million dollar recovery on behalf of a woman seriously injured in a collision with a dump truck northwest of Portland, Oregon
- $900-thousand dollar recovery on behalf of a Portland-area teen, killed in a head-on auto accident
- $750-thousand dollar recovery on behalf of a driver who sustained a back injury in a rear-end collision
Auto Accident Cases We Handle
Auto accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, and it only takes one small mistake to cause a lifetime of pain, suffering, and financial loss. Despite the obvious risks of negligent and reckless driving, Vancouver, WA, drivers routinely make mistakes that put others in harm’s way. Tom D’Amore and the other attorneys at D’Amore Law Group have decades of combined experience recovering just compensation for auto accident victims who have been injured due to:
- Talking on the phone, texting, using social media, and other forms of distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, sleep medications, and other drugs
- Exceeding the speed limit and driving too fast for road or weather conditions
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Merging errors, lane change errors, and failure to yield
- Following too closely (tailgating) and failing to stop in time to avoid a collision
- Other common driving mistakes
Should You Sue or Settle?
Both parties usually prefer settlement, because settlement is quicker and cheaper than courtroom litigation. Nevertheless, there are distinct advantages to filing a lawsuit in the midst of settlement negotiations:
- It shows the other side you mean business. Filing a lawsuit is a particularly effective way to motivate the opposing party to issue a serious settlement offer if your law firm enjoys a strong reputation as a trial lawyer.
- It gives you access to the discovery evidence collection process. In the discovery process, you can compel the other party to provide you with evidence in its possession by petitioning the court to issue an order backed by sanctions for noncompliance.
Opposing parties become far more willing to settle once they learn that you have retained one of the Vancouver car accident lawyers at D’Amore Law Group.
Other injury practice areas we serve
Our firm represents clients for other types of personal injury cases as well, including:
- Highway-Roadway Accidents
- Trucking Accidents
- Bicycle Crash Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Motorbike Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Construction Accidents
- Medical Negligence and Malpractice
- Medication Errors
- Spinal Cord and Head Injury
- Sinus Surgery Injury
- Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
- Child Injury
- Product Liability
- Class Actions
- Bad Faith Attorneys & Insurance Fraud
Vancouver, WA Auto Accident FAQs
Q: What is the first thing I should do after an auto accident?
After an auto accident, your first priority should be to obtain medical treatment for your injuries. If you have not yet seen a doctor, you should do so promptly. It is also important that you speak with a Vancouver, WA car accident lawyer as soon as possible, as there are other steps you and your lawyer may need to take immediately in order to protect your claim for financial compensation.
Q: How much am I entitled to recover for my losses?
The amount you are entitled to recover depends on factors including (i) who was at fault in the accident, (ii) the extent of your injuries, and (iii) the effects your injuries will have on your life now and in the future. Most auto accident victims’ losses are far greater than they realize. During your free initial consultation, our legal team will begin gathering the information we need in order to assess the value of your claim.
Q: What if I was partially at fault in the accident?
Regardless of the circumstances involved, you should never assume that you were partially at fault in an accident. However, even if you were partially at fault, you are still entitled to compensation under Washington law.
Q: What can I do if the at-fault driver’s insurance is not enough to cover my claim?
If the applicable insurance policies cannot cover the full amount of your claim, and if the driver cannot pay out of their personal assets, you can try to identify a third-party defendant to sue. Possibilities include:
- The at-fault driver’s employer, if the driver was on duty at the time of the accident;
- A licensed alcohol vendor who contributed to the intoxication of a drunk driver who caused your accident;
- The manufacturer of a defective product, such as a traffic light or an auto part, if the defect caused the accident; and
- The city, state, or federal government, if improper road maintenance caused the accident.
There are many other possible third-party defendants, depending on the facts of your case. Contact the Vancouver car accident attorneys at D’Amore Law Group for further information.
Q: Should I allow the insurance company to access my medical records?
No, not unless your legal practitioner OKs it. Insurance companies like to go on “fishing expeditions” by scouring your past medical history looking for something they can use against you, such as a pre-existing condition.
Schedule a Free Auto Accident Consultation in Vancouver, WA
For more information about your legal rights, please contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. To speak with an experienced auto accident attorney at our offices in Vancouver, WA, call us or tell us about your accident online now.
