Spokane Personal Injury

If you or a loved one have sustained an injury as a result of another party’s negligence, you need to contact a Spokane serving personal injury lawyer right away. Whether the incident involves a reckless driver striking the individual while running errands, purchasing hazardous sleepwear for a child, or suffering an injury due to a building owner’s negligence in addressing a known hazard, the injured party deserves justice. It is crucial to seek the representation of an experienced lawyer who can assist in navigating the legal system and advocating for the deserved compensation.

Every day, people in Spokane and in neighboring communities in Washington and Idaho suffer an injury that shouldn’t have happened. Sometimes, the injury calls for little more than first aid. Sometimes, it’s serious. And sometimes, it’s fatal.

What Happens After A Personal Injury?

So, what happens when you or a family member is seriously hurt or injured because a property owner didn’t provide adequate security or delayed making repairs that caused a severe injury? When you were harmed in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you have the right to sue the other party for personal injury.

As a dedicated personal injury attorney, Jim Bendell upholds professionalism by serving as an advisor, advocate, negotiator, and evaluator. These standards are taken seriously, and the team strives to surpass them by representing the best interests of the injured assertively and with integrity.

We will provide aggressive representation and exhaust all options for obtaining the deserved compensation. If negotiations fail, Jim Bendell’s track record as a trial-tested lawyer assures that he will not stop fighting until justice is served.

Experienced Spokane serving personal injury lawyer

If you have been hurt or if you have lost a loved one in an accident, you shouldn’t have to go it alone. Insurance companies will try to get you to settle fast, when they know you’re likely to be worried about mounting bills and confused about the best course of action. That’s why you need to put our skill, knowledge and experience on your side.

You don’t need to talk to the other party’s insurance adjuster—nor should you. Why? Whatever you tell them can be used against you. They are adept at getting you to say things that you may not mean, or even getting you to admit some culpability. Let us do the talking for you. We help ensure that you get maximum compensation for current and future expenses in cases including:

• Car accidents: Car accidents are one of the two most common causes of injuries in the U.S. Sadly, the number of fatalities on Washington’s road has increased dramatically, reaching its highest point since 1990.
• Wrongful death: When a loved one is killed in an accident or subsequently died from the injuries he or she sustained, a claim of wrongful death can be pursued. Compensation helps families move forward with greater financial security.
• Broken bones: Broken bones are more than an inconvenience. They can keep you out of work for extended periods of time and cause lost wages. Some broken bones can be exceptionally difficult to repair, such as a compound fracture in which the bone pierces the skin; often requiring multiple surgeries.
• Spinal injuries: In the most extreme cases, spinal injuries can lead to paralysis. Motor vehicle accidents, falls, and sports accidents are the three leading causes of spinal cord injuries.
• Neck and back injuries: A broken back generally refers to damage to the vertebrae, the 33 bones that interlock with each other to form the spinal column. These in turn protect and support the spinal cord, the structure that carries messages from the brain to the rest of your body. Damage to the neck and back can carry a lifetime of chronic pain.
• Motorcycle injuries: Of all traffic-related injuries, few are more dangerous and more likely to be fatal than these. Motorcycles make up only three percent of all registered vehicles, yet motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities. While most motorcycle injuries involve damage to the lower body, head, spine and organ injuries also occur.

Financial compensation for your Spokane personal injury claim

You have the right to seek compensation for the harm you have suffered because of the negligence, carelessness, or reckless behavior of another. Typically, you can recover damages for medical bills, loss of wages (both recent and future), cost of physical and psychological therapy, and more.

Permanent injuries—those that have an indefinite effect on your ability to work, require help with activities of daily living (ADLs) and disrupt your quality of life—require help from an attorney with deep experience in serious injury compensation. To learn more, please contact us at 208-981-0555 for a free consultation.

Personal Injury Claims Process in Washington State

If you require compensation for a personal injury, you must navigate a legal process that entails following precise steps, collecting and submitting required documents, and meeting designated timelines. It may be helpful to consult a Spokane Personal Injury Lawyer for guidance throughout this process:

1. It starts with a discussion, or interview, with your Spokane personal injury attorney. It’s important to tell them everything you know about the accident, the injuries you sustained, and your medical treatment.
2. We will obtain all your medical records, including all the bills related to treatment or your injury.
3. The next step depends on the severity of the injury. If it is relatively small, we can usually settle the case quickly. Of course, we will negotiate the best possible compensation for you. If your injuries are more serious, a claim is not filed until you have attained maximum medical improvement (MMI)—meaning you have received all the treatment required to allow you to recover. This is done to ensure that the insurance company does not undervalue the full cost of your case.
4. If the greatest possible settlement can be reached through negotiation, great. It saves you the time and turmoil of a trial. However, there are times when, in order to maximize your compensation, taking the case to court (litigating) may be in your best interest.
5. Filing the lawsuit in court begins the litigation process.
6. The investigation that goes into uncovering facts related to the accident is called discovery. During this phase, each side exchanges information regarding the claim.
7. A negotiation may require mediation; a process in which a third party guides both parties to “a mutually beneficial resolution of their disagreement.”
8. If a negotiated and/or mediated agreement cannot be reached, the case goes to trial and the outcome is decided by a judge and jury.

How do I calculate the value of my personal injury case?

Calculating the value of your personal injury case in Tennessee involves considering several factors, such as the severity of your injuries, the extent of your medical expenses, and the impact of the injury on your daily life. There are two avenues of compensation that we pursue. The first is for economic damages. These are easily calculable and include items such as:

• Medical expenses for bills from physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies. It also includes the cost of ongoing care
• Physical rehabilitative services and mental health counseling
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
• In the case of wrongful death, funeral expenses for the deceased

Non-economic damages are intangible but may make up a large part of your overall compensation. They often include damages such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish/emotional distress
• Disability or disfigurement
• Loss of consortium
• Destruction of the parent/child relationship

Consulting a knowledgeable Spokane Personal Injury Lawyer can provide you with valuable insight into how to calculate the value of your case and navigate the legal process.

Proving negligence in a Spokane personal injury case

Negligence is the most common basis for a Washington personal injury claim. To prove negligence, the following must be true:

1. Duty: The person or entity (the defendant) that caused the accident owed you a duty of care.
2. Breach of duty: Through their action or inaction, the defendant breached, or failed to perform, their duty of care.
3. Causation: By breaching their duty of care, the defendant caused you harm or damage.
4. Damages: You can prove the nature and extent of your damages (your personal injuries) with hospital and physician bills, auto repair bills, and proof of lost wages, among other expenses.

With decades of experience in personal injuries in Spokane, as well as Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we know how to prove negligence and get you every penny you deserve for economic and non-economic damages.

Comparative negligence in a Spokane personal injury case

Sometimes, more than one party has fault in an accident. In that case, Washington’s comparative negligence law comes into effect. In some cases, you, the victim, may also share part of the blame. Pure comparative negligence works this way: You, the injured party, were running late for work and going 12 miles over the speed limit. Another driver was not only going 25 miles over the speed limit, he cut you off and in so doing, caused a collision. The faster and more aggressive driver may be more at fault but you were also speeding—and the court finds that you contributed to the accident. Therefore, you bear 10 percent of the liability and your compensation award is reduced by 10 percent.

Tactics insurance companies use in Spokane personal injury cases.

It bears repeating: Never, ever talk to the defendant’s insurance adjuster. They don’t work for you. Their goal is to minimize your compensation so they can maximize their employer’s profit. Here are just a few of the tactics they may use:

1. The waiting game: The more they stall, the more anxious you become as you watch bills pile up at a time when you can’t work because of your injury.
2. An offer you can (and should) refuse: When they figure you’ve sweated enough, they will make an offer that is way too low to cover all your current and future expenses.
3. The blame game: They will look at your medical history, your driving record, they may even question if all the treatment you received was necessary. They may not only make you look a bit guilty; they may make you feel a bit guilty. Guilty enough to gratefully accept their lowball offer.
4. Anything you say can and will be used against you…: Whatever you say, no matter how innocent it may seem, can be all too easily twisted. Just let your attorney handle this one.

Contact our Spokane serving personal injury lawyer today

Whether you are in Spokane, WA or Post Falls, ID, we are here to help you get full and fair compensation when you’ve been injured in an accident. To schedule a free consultation, please call us at 208-981-0555 or complete and return our online free injury claim evaluation form.