It depends. In general, if someone is underinsured or uninsured, you may have underinsured motorist coverage through your auto insurance policy or (“UIM”) which means you may be able to recover from your own insurance company. If you are involved in an accident, make sure to seek treatment for your injuries, follow your doctor’s orders, and contact an attorney as soon as you can. Your Navigate attorney can help you determine whether it is worth it to sue a certain party. 

In personal injury cases, the goal is for you to be compensated for the pain and suffering that you have had to endure for someone else’s negligence. That means that we make every possible effort to have you compensated for the pain and suffering that you have endured. Every case is different, but in general, the more treatment you have had to receive, the more valuable your case will be. Make sure to follow your doctor’s orders when they advise you to receive treatment. Don’t stray from your medical provider’s plan. 

For most tort claims, the statute of limitations or (“SOL”) is three (3) years in Washington, two (2) years in Oregon, which means that you or your lawyer will need to resolve your case or file a lawsuit within that period in order to protect your claim. If you do not file within the allotted period, you likely will miss your opportunity to recover on your claim. Make sure to keep track of your statute of limitations.

No, the person for causing the accident or his or her insurance company is responsible for paying for the damage caused in the accident. 

Navigate attorneys will generally charge a contingency fee, usually a third of the total settlement to represent you in your accident. For example, if you recover $60,000 in total, the attorney will receive $20,000 and you will receive $40,000 minus any fees or costs. Your Navigate attorney will discuss the contingency with you and sign an engagement letter with you prior to representing you on a contingent basis. 

The most important aspect of a personal injury case is for the client to receive all of the medical treatment that he or she may need. Sometimes that takes a week, sometimes it takes years. The most important thing is that the client focus on getting better. Once the client returns to a medically stable position, the attorney can begin to negotiate a settlement. Be patient, this process will usually take at least a few months if not years before settlement can be reached.

Navigate personal injury attorneys will want to meet with you at the very beginning of your case to ascertain and then monitor your damages, especially your injuries. Navigate will keep in touch with you so that it can review your medical records and negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf. We take pride in handling the communication with the insurance companies or opposing parties so that you can focus on getting better. The best thing to do is if you have a question about your case, call, or email us. We are happy to help you along with your recovery. 

Absolutely. Don’t go it alone, we can help! Insurance companies will typically settle a case for less with someone who is not represented. They often try to take advantage of an unrepresented person. Do not accept a settlement or cash a check from an insurance company without having an experienced personal injury attorney review your case. We definitely recommend hiring an attorney to represent you for your personal injury case.

Generally speaking, you may have different options for paying your medical bills. Your own insurance company may have Personal Injury Protection or (“PIP”) which sometimes covers the cost of your medical bills up to a certain point before you have to start paying out of pocket. You can elect for your PIP policy to cover your medical bills.

You may also have your own medical insurance that will pay for at least a portion of your medical expenses and medical treatment. 

If you are incurring out of pocket expenses, such as pharmacy payments, co-pays, or anything else that requires you to pay cash for your treatment, keep track of those expenses in a spreadsheet. 

Ultimately, the goal is to have the opposing party pay for all of your medical bills in a settlement. Through a process called “subrogation” your PIP insurance or your medical insurance may then be reimbursed to a certain extent by the opposing party’s insurance. If you paid expenses out of pocket, Navigate will seek to have those expenses reimbursed to you.

If you are confused, that’s normal! This process is complicated. We are here to help you treat your injuries and recover from them as best we can! 

Most of these cases settle out of court. However, sometimes, insurance companies will dispute that they owe any money for the accident, and it is necessary to go to court. If going to court is required, we will help prepare you and guide you along the process.