Personal injury lawyer help in Cowlitz County, Washington

Cowlitz County, Washington includes 11 named communities, the largest being Longview, Kelso, Woodland. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Washington rules apply: a 3-year filing deadline for most injury claims, pure comparative negligence, and lawsuits filed in the Cowlitz County Superior Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Cowlitz County may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Washington. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Longview, WApop. 36,848
• Kelso, WApop. 11,901
• Woodland, WApop. 5,842
• Kalama, WApop. 2,398
• Castle Rock, WApop. 2,184

Smaller communities in Cowlitz County include Ariel, Carrolls, Cougar, Ryderwood, Silverlake, Toutle. Residents of these areas follow the same Washington rules, use the same Cowlitz County Superior Court, and can request a free claim review from anywhere in the county.

Washington generally gives an injured person three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (RCW 4.16.080); medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within three years, and wrongful death claims typically run from the date of death. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency require a formal notice of claim far sooner, sometimes within a few months. Once the deadline passes, the Cowlitz County Superior Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Cowlitz County is to get legal advice early.

Washington follows pure comparative negligence. In plain terms, you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Cowlitz County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a crash in Cowlitz County, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Washington requires drivers to carry only 25/50/10 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Cowlitz County cases.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Cowlitz County are typically filed in the Cowlitz County Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Cowlitz County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Cowlitz County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Cowlitz County are generally covered by Washington workers' compensation, administered through the Washington Department of Labor & Industries. Report the injury to your employer immediately and file a claim within the state's deadline (generally about one year). Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Wahkiakum County, WA
• Clark County, WA
• Lewis County, WA
• Skamania County, WA

See the Washington personal injury guide for every county in the state.