Personal Injury

Personal Injury cases can happen to any person at any time. The Law Office of George T. Freeman has many years’ experience in the areas of law that pertain to personal injury cases, and has achieved terrific results for its clients. The most common personal injury is an auto accident.

Auto Accidents

So you’ve been involved in an auto accident; hopefully you have personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, which will help with your medical bills and lost wages. Most policies, under their PIP provision, include $10,000 each for medical bills and wage loss, and additional monetary compensation for what is known as household help or: housekeepers, lawn and gardeners, etc., to help you do the work you would normally do had you not been injured in an accident.

Liability insurance is required by the State of Washington, and just about everybody who drives a vehicle has it. This is the part of an insurance plan that most people come into contact with when they are involved in an auto accident. Liability is basically ‘the other guy’s insurance’, the one who caused the accident. He is liable for all injuries you received as a result of his negligence. Liability is a third party insurance, and accordingly an insurance company has no requirement to deal with you in good faith at any time. Liability limits begin at $25,000 and can go up to $5,000,000.

Uninsured/underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) Policies

This is the type of policy that is most important to most people in the State of Washington, yet it is not required as a part of your policy. Many good agents advise their insureds to pick up this type of policy, as this is the type of insurance that kicks in when you’re involved in an accident and the adverse party does not have insurance, or has too little insurance to compensate you satisfactorily for your injuries. The price of this insurance is very minimal, often less than $10 per month, and, in the unfortunate event that you are struck by an uninsured or underinsured motorist, is by far the most valuable insurance in your policy. A good idea would be to review your policy to check and see if you have UM/UIM insurance, as this is the one that will fix your car, pay your medical bills, and award you pain and suffering in the event that the other guy does not have insurance.

What to do if you’ve had an accident

The first thing to do is get some information from the other side, basically: name, address, telephone number, driver’s license number and insurance information. It’s not a good idea to give statements to anyone before you have the opportunity to consult with an attorney. If police officers arrive, give them your version of the story and be very polite at all times. Once you’ve completed the steps required by the state of Washington, it is a good idea to seek medical attention immediately. The emergency room, a chiropractor, or your regular doctor’s office are great places to begin. By documenting the injuries you’ve received so quickly after the accident, you will make it difficult for the insurance company to argue that you were not injured in the accident.

After you have been to the doctor, contact the Law Office of George T. Freeman for a free consultation that will allow us to represent you in a personal injury case.