Seattle Personal Injury Attorney
Passion for justice. Compassion for people.
Sometimes life reminds us just how much we take for granted. The simple things we enjoy doing. Quality time with the people we care about. When these things are taken away we realize how precious they are. That is what your personal injury case is "worth." We never forget this and channel these thoughts into a zealous pursuit of justice for you.
A personal injury case is ultimately not about law. It is about people. It is about needless suffering. Personal injury law is as much about genuine empathy as it is about lawyering. A big part of our philosophy is to treat clients as people, not mere cases.
As part of that commitment, an experienced personal injury attorney will personally handle your case from start to finish. You will never be handed off to a newbie or unlicensed "negotiator."
Safety and Convenience.
Home and hospital visits are available. If you prefer or feel safer meeting remotely, we can meet speak on the phone and/or meet remotely. An office visit is not required.
No settlement, no attorney fee.
We do not get paid until you do. We handle personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis. That means you never pay an attorney fee unless and until the case is resolved in your favor and you receive monetary compensation for your injuries.
Statute of limitations.
Any claim, no matter how meritorious, must be initiated in court by filing and proper legal service of process before the applicable statute of limitations runs. Also, it is important to start gathering and preserving evidence early. Contact a personal injury attorney for a no-cost, no-obligation case evaluation today.
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
$775,000 result in multi-car collision after about two years of litigation.
(The background photo is from the accident scene.)
$175,000 settlement for a minor ejected from a vehicle in a car accident.
$475,000 settlement in mediation for client who lost her spleen and suffered other injuries in a motor vehicle accident. Original offer of $150,000.
Comment from former client.
The insurance company offered only $8,000, an amount well less than his medical expenses.
He hired us. We settled the case for $82,500 without having to go to court.
Colleague endorsement.
- Feedback from a continuing legal education seminar.
The supermarket offered only $4,000.
We filed a lawsuit and the store ultimately settled for $52,500--more than ten times their offer before we sued.
Free personal injury case evaluation.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation personal injury case evaluation.
No attorney fee until you receive compensation for your injuries.
206-801-1188
Personal Injury Practice Areas
Click + to read more.
Auto Accidents
We have been honored and privileged to represent people injured in auto accidents for more than twenty years. Some of our clients suffered catastrophic injuries requiring emergency surgery.
The photos below are not stock photos. Our clients were seriously injured in these collisions. Call 206-801-1188 for a free case evaluation. Home and hospital visits are available, but if it is more convenient no office visit is required.
Pedestrian Accidents
For obvious reasons, pedestrian accidents are especially dangerous and often result in serious injury. We have represented pedestrian accident victims whose lives were forever altered.
Our clients have included people walking home to or from work in their normal work attire, but the insurance companies tried to blame them (as they are fond of doing) for wearing clothes that were "too dark."
We obtained a six-figure settlement for a client who was "jay-walking" in an unmarked crosswalk at night and as a result of concussion could not remember the accident.
Call us at 206-801-1188 for a free case evaluation. No office visit is necessary.
Airplane Accident Injury
In addition to tragic air travel catastrophes that make the news, air travelers are injured by luggage falling from overhead, beverage carts, and scalding liquids.
Air travel is governed by a complex web of US and international laws. Speak to an attorney to help untangle that web. Call 206-801-1888 for a no-obligation no-cost case evaluation. No office visit is necessary.
Insurance Bad Faith
Insurance companies are not on your side.
Insurance companies are on their shareholders’ side, not yours–but do not just take our word for it:
“I ripped off a lot of people and I feel bad about that….My goal at the time was to save [the insurance company] money, not settle claims for what the case was worth.”
–An adjuster for a major insurance company as quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
Insurance companies hire legions of lawyers and investigators to resists personal injury claims. You need someone on your side. If you are an injury victim, you need a personal injury attorney to review your case and advise you. We offer a free, no-obligation personal injury case evaluation.
Slip and Fall Injury Cases
Slip and fall, or premises liability, are among the most challenging personal injury cases for an injured person to bring. The retail businesses and their insurance companies fight even the most meritorious slip and fall claims.
We have successfully pursued slip and fall claims, including for clients who underwent surgeries as a result of their injuries. We are happy to go over your claim in a no-cost, no-obligation consultation. No office visit is necessary.
Call 206-801-1188.
Bicycle Accidents
As cycling has become more popular in recent decades bicycle injury accident have become more common. Cars frequently hit bicyclists. Road or trail designs often present avoidable hazards that cause injury.
Tenant Personal Injury
Travis Eller has taught numerous landlord-tenant legal education seminars attended by other attorneys and has litigated landlord-tenant and personal injury cases for decades. Our firm is deeply experienced in both landlord-tenant and personal injury law.
If you are a tenant who has suffered an avoidable personal injury, we can help.
Personal Injury FAQs
Possibly.
Although a driver of an emergency vehicle has a privilege to violate certain traffic laws in emergency situations, those privileges are not absolute. The emergency vehicle driver must operate the emergency vehicle with due regard for the safety of all persons.
Whether the driver of a police, fire, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle violated legal duties to act with due regard for the safety of others is often far from clear.
Consult with an attorney if you have been injured in a collision with an emergency vehicle.
The primary duty to avoid a collision is on the disfavored driver.
But the right of way is not absolute. The favored driver must also exercise reasonable care for their own safety. Fault may be divided between drivers if the facts support it, even though one driver clearly had the right of way. The driver with the right of way may sometimes be held to be partly at fault.
It is important to contact an attorney as early as possible. Waiting may make it more difficult to prove the insurance company is wrong if they try to blame you.
Possibly.
Minors are held to an adult standard when operating powerful machines, such as driving a car.
Minors are otherwise usually held to the standard of a minor of similar age, experience, and maturity, such as when they are riding a bicycle or when they are a pedestrian.
Minors under age six cannot be negligent as a matter of law.
Parents are not automatically responsible for the actions of their children, but may be liable for accidents caused by minors under legal doctrines such as negligent entrustment and the family car doctrine.
For insurance coverage purposes, “using” a vehicle is not limited to driving. Sometimes when using a vehicle we get out temporarily: to change a tire; get something out of the trunk; assist another motorist; etc.
There may still be insurance coverage under Washington law if you are in close proximity to the vehicle and engaged in an activity essential to the use of the vehicle.
Consult with an attorney if you have been denied coverage, even if you were not in the vehicle.
Even though there are no fees unless and until there is a settlement, how personal injury attorneys handle subrogation and other liens differ and can have a big impact on how much compensation you receive from the personal injury settlement.
You have a right to understand the fee agreement before signing it, and attorneys have legal and ethical obligations to treat you fairly and answer your questions about how the settlement fees work.
What a personal injury attorney can do for you.
A personal injury attorney can help in many ways, some of which need attention as early as possible.
- Gather and preserve evidence including vehicle black boxes, witness statements, and surveillance videos, store and preserve the vehicle, and issue subpoenas.
- Retain medical experts, accident reconstructionists, and other experts.
- Negotiate a settlement with strategies to maximize your personal injury compensation, gleaned from years of experience and training.
- If settlement negotiations fail, file the personal injury case in court with appropriate motions and other litigation strategies to put you in the best position to continue negotiations or if need be successfully litigate the personal injury claim.
- Most cases settle even if filed in court. Hiring an attorney does not always mean you will have to go to court.
- Being treated unfairly by insurance companies causes you to have to go to court. If you have an attorney, they fear you.
- Review all insurance coverage (including your own) to ensure you are treated fairly and are fully compensated. Even though you do not pay the attorney until you are financially compensated, as part of the settlement you may be entitled to partial reimbursement from your own insurance company for the attorney contingency fee.
Personal injury attorneys do not charge fees upfront, but how is the money split when there is a settlement?
Almost all personal injury attorneys (including our office) charge a contingency fee, meaning you pay no attorney fee unless and until the attorney successfully recovers money damages for the injury claim. There are other factors in personal injury attorney fees to consider.
In most personal injury cases there are liens for medical bills, even if your insurance paid the medical bills. This is called "subrogation" in legal speak, and will often by law and/or your insurance contract come out of the settlement. Some attorneys charge an additional fee on these liens. How the personal injury attorney handles liens varies from one attorney to the next, and can make a big difference in how much ends up in your pocket. It can quite literally pay to ask.
Each side usually pays their own attorney but in some litigation scenarios, the at-fault party or their insurance company may be required to reimburse you for attorney fees--even if the fee is a contingency fee. The fee agreement with your attorney should spell out how this money is allocated, and this varies from one personal injury attorney to another.
Even though an attorney charges no upfront fees, how the details are handled vary from one law firm to the next and can make a big difference in how much of the personal injury settlement goes to you. When choosing a personal injury attorney, before signing the fee agreement read it carefully and ask questions about how liens and fee-shifting are handled in the fee agreement.
Personal Injury Law Pocket Briefs
Short Outlines on Personal Injury Law
Personal injury law varies a great deal from state to state and sometimes even at the local level. These summaries of Washington personal injury law are meant to be informative, and hopefully even entertaining (or at least not boring) but by no means exhaustive or comprehensive.
It is of course no substitute for legal advice. This disclaimer is ubiquitous on personal injury websites for a reason. While it is helpful to educate yourself, always consult with an attorney before acting (or failing to act).
Updates
Court Holds That Woman Injured by Drunk Driver Must Seek Compensation from Her Original Attorney
The Washington Supreme Court recently ruled that in a case of attorney malpractice the prejudgment interest should have been calculated on the total amount of the settlement lost, not the amount the injured party would have recovered after paying an attorney fee.[1]
Continue readingToyota Defects Lead to Injury Lawsuits
By now we have all heard about the Toyota recalls. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration five deaths and 17 injuries have been attributed to unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles since 2006.[1]
Continue readingWoman Injured in Supermarket Wins on Appeal
By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Travis Scott Eller The Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a woman injured in a supermarket.[1] The woman was injured when she fell in a QFC supermarket floral department. She claims she was injured as a result of the negligence of the supermarket.
Continue readingCourt of Appeals Reverses Dismissal of Case Against City of Seattle
Our personal injury attorney did not participate in the case described in this article. By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Travis Scott Eller Last month Division One of the Washington Court of Appeals revered the trial court’s dismissal of a wrongful death claim against the city of Seattle.[1] On a rainy evening in February 2007 the […]
Continue readingWashington Supreme Court Rules On Judicial Immunity
By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Scott Eller Last month the Washington Supreme Court issued a decision in a case in which the Court considered an issue of judicial immunity.[1] A sheriff deputy escorted an inmate from a courtroom to the jail on the instructions of the judge. She did not handcuff the inmate. The inmate […]
Continue readingCourts Reject Injury Attorney’s Fees as too High
By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Scott Eller A recent Court of Appeals decision upheld the trial court’s ruling that attorney fees requested by an injury attorney were unreasonable.[1]
Continue readingCourt of Appeals Reverses Dismissal of Slip and Fall Case
By Seattle personal injury attorney Scott Eller The Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a slip and fall case.[1] The claim arose from a fall on snow and ice in the parking lot of a commercial space. The injured party produced the opinion of an accident reconstruction expert. The trial court excluded the expert’s […]
Continue readingWashington Supreme Court Strikes Down Medical Malpractice Law
By personal injury lawyer Travis Scott Eller. Our personal injury law firm took no part in this lawsuit. A 2006 law required persons in Washington alleging injury from medical malpractice to file with the complaint a certificate of merit signed by an expert. In a decision announced a few months ago the Washington Supreme Court […]
Continue readingDismissal of Products Liability Case Upheld
By personal injury lawyer Scott Eller In a recent opinion the Washington Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a products liability case brought against the retail business that sold an allegedly defective bicycle. The plaintiff had been injured when the front tire of the bicycle failed the very first time he rode the bicycle. […]
Continue reading