Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Mount Vernon, WA

1. Get medical treatment immediately and document every injury, including road rash and bruising that may seem minor.
2. Preserve your helmet, gear and the motorcycle; they are physical evidence of impact speed and direction.
3. Photograph the scene, the other vehicle, your bike and your injuries, and find witnesses. Riders are often blamed unfairly, and independent witnesses correct that.
4. Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Innocent phrasing is used to argue you were speeding or lane-splitting.
5. Ask a lawyer to request traffic and business camera footage right away.
6. Track all expenses, including gear replacement and modifications to your home or vehicle during recovery.

Washington generally gives injured people three years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in the Skagit County Superior Court. Miss that window and the court will almost always dismiss the case no matter how strong it is. Claims against a city, county or state agency usually have much shorter notice deadlines, sometimes only a few months.

Washington follows pure comparative negligence, which means you can recover damages even if you were mostly at fault, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters know this rule well and routinely try to shift blame onto the injured person, so what you say in the first days after an accident in Mount Vernon matters.

Washington uses a traditional fault-based auto insurance system. The at-fault driver's liability coverage is the primary source of compensation, and drivers are only required to carry minimum limits of 25/50/10 (bodily injury per person / per accident / property damage, in thousands). Serious injuries routinely exceed those limits, which is why underinsured motorist coverage and a careful search for every liable party matter so much.

Cases that cannot be settled are filed in the Skagit County Superior Court. Most motorcycle accidents in Skagit County resolve through negotiation with the insurer, but the credible ability to try the case locally is what produces fair offers.

• Drivers who fail to yield, turn left across a rider's path, change lanes without checking blind spots or follow too closely.
• Drivers who open car doors into traffic.
• Government entities responsible for potholes, loose gravel, unmarked road edges and faulty signals in Mount Vernon.
• Motorcycle or parts manufacturers for defective tires, brakes or frames.
• Bars that over-served a drunk driver, where Washington law permits dram shop claims.

• Police report and any citations for failure to yield.
• Helmet and gear damage analysis.
• Scene photos, gouge marks and debris fields that show speed and point of impact.
• Witness statements and video.
• Medical records, including documentation of permanent scarring or disability.

Motorcycle accident compensation in Washington includes medical costs, future care, lost wages and earning capacity, motorcycle and gear replacement, and pain and suffering, which is typically substantial in rider cases because of the severity of the injuries. Riders with underinsured motorist coverage on their motorcycle policy can also claim against it when the driver's 25/50/10 minimum policy is not enough.

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See also: Motorcycle Accident Claims: Overcoming Rider Bias and Recovering Fully, the motorcycle accident practice area overview, the Skagit County injury guide and the Washington personal injury guide.