Car Accidents in Tacoma: The Washington Car Accident Facts

Tacoma is experiencing a staggering increase in traffic fatalities, with 35 fatal crashes and 44 deaths in a recent year, as reported by The News Tribune. WSDOT reports 124 car accidents causing severe injuries in the same year. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident, our car accident attorneys in Tacoma stand ready to help.

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Park Chenaur Injury Lawyers: Your Advocate for Justice

Our Tacoma car accident attorneys can take on the legal matters of a car accident with focused, professional legal skills. Our firm has been representing injured individuals for over 25 years, and we are proud to have achieved success for hundreds of our clients.

We are honored by the countless five-star reviews posted by our clients. Trust, loyalty, and friendship are the foundation for our practice. We treat our clients with the same care and determination we would for our families. Call us today for a free consultation—no fees unless we win.

Types of Compensation in a Car Accident

If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, the following types of compensation can be pursued by your attorney:

  • Medical expenses: Hospitalization, surgeries, treatments, medications, and rehabilitation.
  • Lost wages: Compensation for current and future income lost due to injuries.
  • Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical and emotional suffering.
  • Disability or disfigurement: For permanent impairments affecting work or quality of life.
  • Loss of consortium: Compensation for loss of companionship and support.
  • Loss of enjoyment: For reduced ability to enjoy life’s activities.
  • Wrongful death: The compensation a victim could have pursued had they not died and had been able to file a lawsuit, including both economic and non-economic damages.
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Who is Liable in a Car Accident?

Washington uses a “pure comparative negligence” rule in car accident cases. This legal principle determines how compensation is allocated when more than one party in an accident has some responsibility for the collision. The compensation awarded to each party is adjusted based on their assigned percentage of fault.

If you are found to be 30% at fault and your damages are determined to be $100,000, you would receive 70%, or $70,000. If you have concerns that you may have contributed to the accident, contact Park Chenaur Injury Lawyers to discuss the facts in your case—you may still be eligible for compensation. 

The Elements of a Car Accident Case: Negligence

In a car accident case, negligence refers to a legal concept where one party’s failure to exercise reasonable care results in harm or damage to another. To establish a successful claim of driver negligence in a car accident case, generally, four elements need to be proven:

  • Duty of care: The defendant had a responsibility to operate their vehicle safely.
  • Breach of duty: The defendant failed to meet this responsibility.
  • Causation: The defendant’s actions directly caused the accident and injuries.
  • Damages: The plaintiff suffered losses (financial losses, pain and suffering, etc.).

Your Tacoma personal injury lawyer must establish all four elements of a car accident injury claim. 

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Common Causes of Car Accidents in Tacoma

Drivers in Tacoma appear to be engaging in more dangerous driving behaviors, with innocent individuals paying the price. Some of the most common causes of car accidents in the area include the following:

  • Speeding: Drivers may choose to ignore speed limits, putting others sharing the road at risk.
  • Drunk driving: Alcohol-impaired driving continues to be one of the leading causes of vehicle accidents.
  • Drug-impaired driving: Medical drugs or recreational drugs impact cognition, response time, and ability to safely operate a vehicle.
  • Distracted driving: Many drivers fail to focus on the street or road ahead, whether engaged in conversations with passengers, on a cell phone, eating, or other distracting actions.
  • Texting while driving: One of the most dangerous of all driving behaviors, texting while driving has caused the death of innocent drivers and their passengers in Tacoma and Federal Way.
  • Driving too fast for weather conditions: When rain, snow, or ice is present, drivers must slow down to retain control of the vehicle. When they drive too fast for conditions, it can lead to a serious or fatal crash.
  • Aggressive driving: A driver who operates a vehicle in an aggressive manner may swerve from lane to lane, tailgate, or engage in other unsafe driving conduct, endangering others who share the road.
  • Reckless driving: A car driver may drive recklessly, merging unsafely, speeding, racing, ignoring stop lights or signs, making dangerous lane changes, overtaking another driver on the shoulder, swerving from lane to lane, putting all other drivers and their passengers at risk.
  • Vehicle defects: In some cases, a car accident occurs due to the failure of an auto safety system, such as tires, seat belts, or brakes, or an auto part that failed.
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Head On Collisions

Head On Collisions

Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous types of car accidents, the cause of many severe injuries or fatalities.

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Rear End Accidents

Rear End Accidents

If you’ve been injured in a rear-end collision, you face many challenges, physical, emotional, and financial.

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Rideshare Accidents

Rideshare Accidents

Although rideshare services are convenient for getting around the city, the drivers are not professionally trained. 

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Drunk Driving Accidents

Drunk Driving Accidents

If you’ve been injured in a crash caused by a drunk driver, you are likely in pain, shocked, overwhelmed, and suffering.

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Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash is a common injury sustained in a car accident, with consequences that can be underestimated.

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