Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Chris Thayer
My name is Chris Thayer and I am a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Seattle. I have developed this website to provide information about me, the services my law firm provides, and to give the consumer some basic background information and resources relating to personal injury claims in Washington state. I handle personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims throughout the greater Seattle area, including Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. I am here to help you.
Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
If you or a loved one has recently been injured or harmed due to the fault, wrongdoing or negligence of another, you have come to the right place. You have a right to seek compensation for medical costs, loss of income or wages, pain and suffering, long-term medical care and other damages resulting from your personal injury.
A little about me: I have been handling personal injury, wrongful death, insurance, and medical malpractice claims in Washington since 1995. I am dedicated to efficiently and compassionately representing my clients to assist them in seeking resolution and compensation for their losses. My philosophy is to represent my clients aggressively to obtain a fair and just result.
I work closely with my clients so that I best understand their cases and how their injuries or losses have affected their lives. I will create reasonable expectations and options for you to consider and pursue. I will provide you with the information and tools to help you make the best decisions designed to maximize the recovery on your claim. I will work collaboratively with you throughout the process. I will provide you with the legal advice and counseling you need to make informed decisions and then aggressively, but reasonably, represent your interests to achieve the goals you set.
Just as no two individuals are alike, every personal injury case is unique, so you will receive my personal attention to ensure that I understand your case. Each case needs to be independently investigated and evaluated. I will spend considerable time talking with you and investigating the circumstances surrounding your injuries so that I can best understand your needs and how your injuries have affected you and your family members. In appropriate cases, I will also work with your family or spouse to understand how your injuries have affected them – as they may have a separate claim in addition to your claim - for spouses; this is known as a loss of consortium claim.
If you or a family member has suffered serious or severe personal injuries as the result of the negligence or other wrongful conduct of another person or company, you or your family member are entitled to be compensated for your losses and damages. Washington law on personal injuries provides that, if you have a valid claim, you are entitled to recover reimbursement for all medical expenses, documented wage or income loss that is related to the injuries, compensation for any property damage, together with compensation for the pain, discomfort, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life that you may suffer as a result of your injuries. For an experienced Seattle area personal injury attorney who can help you through this process, contact me for a free consultation and initial case evaluation.
Personal Injury Claim – the Basics.
A personal injury lawsuit is what is known as a “tort claim”, which is a civil claim for damages caused by the negligence or wrongful conduct of another person or company. Personal injury claims can arise out of a variety of situations and involve a wide range of issues. Liability can be based on negligence, intentional wrongful conduct, or even strict liability (e.g., product liability claims for dangerous and defective products).
For example, a property owner can be liable to a social guest if that guest is injured due to an unreasonably unsafe condition on the property, which the property owner was aware of. This type of claim is known as a “premises liability” claim, or “slip and fall” claim. Another common example arises out of motor vehicle accidents, such as rear-end collisions that cause injury to the occupants of the car that is hit.
The main objective of a personal injury claim or lawsuit is to determine who is at fault for causing the harm, and to award monetary damages to compensate the injured/harmed party for their losses. In addition to monetary compensation, personal injury lawsuits can often result in changes to policy or procedure by the defendant to help prevent similar injuries to other parties in the future and, in my experience, most of my clients feel a sense of “closure” once their case is resolved, which allows them to move on with their lives and complete the healing process.
Negligence – an Overview.
Most personal injury claims arise as a result of the negligent conduct of another person or company. Negligence is broadly defined as conduct that falls below the standard of care imposed by law for the protection of others against unreasonable harm. Obviously, this is a flexible standard, and each individual case must be evaluated separately, and various considerations come into play. In order to have a tort claim for negligence, you must establish four basic elements: (1) duty – that the person owed you some duty of care; (2) breach – the person breached or fell below that standard of care; (3) causation – that, as a result of the breached duty, plaintiff incurred harm; and (4) damages – legally recognizable harm/injury/damages were caused by the breached duty. A duty may be imposed by statute, law or regulation, or may be implied by common law. For help in understanding these concepts and in determining whether you have a personal injury claim, contact me to have a Seattle area personal injury attorney review and evaluate your claim for a free initial consultation.
Damages Recoverable in a Personal Injury Claim.
Under Washington law, a person who suffers from personal injuries as a result of the negligence or wrongful conduct of another is generally entitled to recover any damages or losses that are caused by the negligent or wrongful conduct. This includes: damages to or loss of property, medical costs, prescription costs, lost income or lost wages, future medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, loss of future earnings or earning capacity, costs of home health care or assistance, emotional distress and other damages – as long as it can be proven by the requisite evidence that the damages are causally related to the negligent or wrongful conduct. Whether a particular item of damage is “caused” by the negligent or wrongful conduct in a personal injury action, may require proof by an appropriate expert. If you need assistance in pursuing a serious personal injury action in the greater Seattle area, contact me for a free initial consultation and case evaluation.
The following is a partial list of types of personal injury cases that I can help you with:
Seattle Medical Malpractice Attorney
Seattle Wrongful Death Attorney
Please Call: 206-340-2008
Please Call: 206-340-2008
Seattle WA Personal Injury Lawyer