Personal Injury
If you are injured due to the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation in the forrm of damages for pain and suffering, permanent or partial disability, lost wages, partial or permanent impairment of your earning capacity and past, present and future medical bills. A party may be guilty of negligence if he/she/it has a duty of due care to ensure your safety and has breached that duty which resulted in your injuries. For the liability of landowners/occupiers the standard of due care differs considerably depending on what type of landowner/occupier is involved and your legal status compared to this landowner/occupier. Washington's law of negligence follows the "pure comparative fault" system. This means that even if you are also partially at fault (say 10%) for the injuries you sustained, you can still recover damages from the other at fault party but your damage award would be reduced accordingly (i.e. by 10%). As a practical matter most attorneys will not take these cases unless there is some sort of insurance coverage (yours or the other party) or the other party has substantial assets which could be applied to any judgment obtained on your behalf. If you are injured it is important to immediately take the following steps: 1) obtain the names and addresses of any witnesses 2) contact the store manager or other on site manager to report your injury and ask for a copy of a written report if one is taken 3) take photos of the scene (before it is cleaned up and/or repaired) using your cell phone if necessary and 4) seek medical attention for evaulation and treatment of your injuries.
If you are intending to retain the services of an attorney you should do so right away before being contacted by any insurance adjusters. These adjusters will ask to record your statement and without a lawyer present they can and do ask questions going well beyond your statement of 1) how the accident occured and 2) the nature and extent of your injuries. Essentialy they are "fishing for information" that they might be able to use against you in the event of litigation. Mr. Critchlow has been handling these kind of cases since 1986 and is well versed in all the games that are played on naive and unsuspecting victims. Don't let them "play you"! Call Critchlow Law Office today for a free initial consultation.