From the busy intersections of South Meridian and 7th Avenue SW to the bustling retail corridors around the South Hill Mall, Puyallup roads see their fair share of vehicle collisions. If you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you’re likely facing a whirlwind of physical pain, medical bills, missed work, and insurance company tactics that put your financial recovery at risk.
Washington law entitles you to financial compensation, but getting what you need requires more than just filing a claim. You need a skilled auto accident attorney in Puyallup who can handle complex liability issues, document the full extent of your losses, and stand up to the insurance companies. That’s where the leading Puyallup personal injury law firm, Jacobs and Jacobs, comes in.
Burden of Proof in Puyallup Car Accident Claims
In a Washington personal injury case, the burden of proof falls on the injured party. This means you, the plaintiff, must prove that another party’s negligence directly caused your injuries. While this may sound straightforward, in practice it’s anything but. Insurance companies are armed with adjusters, defense attorneys, and investigators whose sole mission is to reduce or deny your claim.
At Jacobs and Jacobs, our personal injury attorneys will aim to build an evidence-based, legally sound case that meets or exceeds the burden of proof standard known as “preponderance of the evidence.” This means we must show it’s more likely than not (i.e., >50%) that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries.
Legal Elements to Prove Liability in Puyallup Car Accident Claims
To win your claim or lawsuit, our Puyallup car accident lawyers must prove all four of the following legal elements of negligence under Washington law:
Duty of Care
All drivers owe a duty to operate their vehicles with reasonable care to avoid causing harm to others. This includes obeying traffic signals, driving sober, staying attentive, and adjusting to weather or road conditions.
Breach of Duty
We must show that the at-fault driver breached their legal duty. This could be due to texting while driving, speeding, failing to yield, running a red light, or driving under the influence, among many other violations.
Causation
Our personal injury lawyers then connect that breach to your injury. This requires proving that “but for” the other party’s conduct, the accident and your resulting injuries wouldn’t have occurred.
Damages
Lastly, we must demonstrate the full extent of the damages you have suffered: economic (like medical bills and lost income) and non-economic (like pain and suffering). Without showing real damages, you cannot recover compensation even if liability is clear.
Our Puyallup car crash lawyers build each case on these pillars and back them with compelling evidence, expert support, and aggressive legal strategy.
Types of Compensation Our Puyallup Car Accident Attorneys Can Recover for You
At Jacobs and Jacobs Personal Injury Law Group, we don’t rely on generic settlement calculators or cookie-cutter estimates. Instead, we take a customized approach to valuation, fighting for fair compensation for your actual and future losses.
Medical Expenses
Medical costs following a crash can escalate quickly, especially for serious injuries like spinal trauma, broken bones, or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Our team fights to recover both current and future medical expenses, including:
- Emergency room and trauma care
- Cost of surgeries
- Imaging studies (MRIs, CT scans, x-rays)
- Lab tests and diagnostic procedures
- Hospital stays
- Physician, specialist, and surgeon fees
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Mental health counseling or therapy
- Chiropractic or pain management treatment
- Medical devices (braces, prosthetics, wheelchairs)
- Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications
- Home health aides and nursing care
- Long-term care needs or rehabilitation programs
- Modifications to your home or vehicle for mobility
- Medical mileage, parking, and ambulance transportation
- Co-pays and out-of-pocket insurance costs
In catastrophic injury cases, we may work with medical and life-care planning experts to forecast your lifetime care needs and secure damages to match.
Wage-Related Losses
Serious injuries can disrupt your work life in more ways than one. Some people miss a few weeks; others are permanently unable to return to their profession. Either way, we fight to recover all types of lost wages, including:
- Lost hourly wages, salaries, tips, and commissions
- Lost overtime or shift differentials
- Missed bonuses or promotion opportunities
- Lost paid time off, vacation days, or sick leave
- Loss of employer-sponsored benefits (e.g., health insurance, dental)
- Loss of pension or 401(k) contributions
- Loss of future earning potential (also known as diminished earning capacity)
- Job retraining or vocational rehabilitation expenses
We also calculate how your injuries impact your long-term career trajectory, especially in fields that require physical labor or manual skill.
Pain and Suffering
While economic losses are quantifiable, non-economic damages are sometimes the most profound. These damages address the physical pain and emotional trauma you endure as a result of the accident.
- Chronic pain
- Disfigurement and permanent scarring
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety, depression, or panic attacks
- Insomnia or sleep disturbances
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of mobility or independence
- Reduced capacity to engage in hobbies or family life
- Mental anguish or humiliation
- Embarrassment from visible injuries
- Loss of consortium (companionship or marital intimacy)
Our law office doesn’t let insurers downplay these deeply personal harms. Our attorneys document your suffering through medical records, therapist reports, journals, and witness statements to convey the full human impact of your injuries to adjusters or juries.
FAQs on Puyallup Car Accident Claims
Q: I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Can I still file a car accident claim in Washington?
Yes. Washington follows a comparative fault system. Not wearing a seatbelt may reduce your compensation, but it doesn’t automatically bar you from recovering damages if the other driver was at fault.
Q: How long will my car accident case take to settle?
It depends. Straightforward claims with clear liability and complete medical records may settle in a few months. More complex cases, such as those involving serious injuries or contested liability, can take a year or more, particularly if a trial is necessary.
Q: Can I recover compensation if I was partially at fault for the accident?
Yes. Washington follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which means you can recover compensation even if you were 99% at fault. However, your award will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Q: What if I was hit by an uninsured driver?
You may still recover damages through your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage if you carry it. We can also investigate whether other liable parties exist or if any assets can be pursued in civil court.
Q: What happens if the at-fault driver fled the scene?
Hit-and-run accidents are common in Puyallup. We can pursue a claim under your underinsured/uninsured motorist (UIM) coverage and work with law enforcement to support any criminal proceedings.
Steps Our Car Accident Lawyers Take to Maximize Your Compensation
Our Puyallup car accident attorneys take a personalized, hands-on approach that begins the moment you contact us and continues until your case is resolved.
Make Sure You’re Receiving the Right Medical Treatment
Your health comes first. We take steps to ensure that you seek medical attention immediately, and if you’re struggling to access it, we help you connect with top-tier physicians, orthopedists, neurologists, mental health counselors, physical therapists, and rehabilitation specialists in Puyallup and nearby areas.
Our goal is two-fold:
- Promote your physical and emotional recovery
- Document your injuries fully and accurately for your claim
We monitor your progress and coordinate with your healthcare providers to ensure a detailed medical record supports your injury case. A well-documented treatment plan is vital in the legal process to demonstrate the severity of your injuries, future medical needs, and associated costs.
Move Fast to Preserve Evidence and Collect Records
Critical evidence can vanish within days of an accident. Our Puyallup legal team acts swiftly to preserve all relevant material. This includes issuing spoliation letters to prevent the destruction of data, and when necessary, seeking court orders to secure key items.
Our skilled attorneys build a case for accident victims in Washington State on a foundation of reliable evidence, including:
- Police reports
- Accident scene photos and videos
- Dashcam or surveillance video
- Eyewitness statements
- Skid marks, property damage, and vehicle debris analysis
- 911 dispatch logs
- Event Data Recorder (EDR) or “black box” downloads
- Body cam footage from responding officers
- Traffic camera or business surveillance footage
- Cell phone records of the other driver (to prove distraction)
- Vehicle maintenance records and manufacturer defect reports
By controlling the evidence early, we don’t let the insurance company distort the facts, and we set the narrative based on truth and proof.
File Your Claim and Issue a Strong Demand Letter
Filing a personal injury claim isn’t simply filling out paperwork. It involves meeting strict procedural deadlines, submitting legally sound documentation, and articulating a powerful case for damages. We handle all of that on your behalf.
Once we have built a strong foundation of medical records and liability evidence, we send a forceful demand letter to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This letter:
- Summarizes the facts of the case
- Details the legal theory of liability
- Itemizes your economic and non-economic damages
- Demands full and fair compensation
Our demand letters are backed by real data, expert reports, and compelling arguments that set the tone for serious negotiation.
Shield You From the Unfair Tactics of the Insurers
Insurance companies aren’t on your side. Their goal is to reduce their financial exposure, even if that means manipulating your words or delaying your claim. Here are some of the tactics we shield you from:
- Requesting recorded statements to use against you
- Delaying claim responses to pressure for quick settlements
- Blaming you for the accident to reduce payout (comparative fault)
- Downplaying the severity of your injuries
- Cherry-picking medical records to argue pre-existing conditions
- Making lowball settlement offers soon after the crash
- Discouraging you from hiring an attorney
We take over all communication with insurers. From day one, we serve as your legal buffer, insulating you from pressure and protecting your rights.
Aggressively Negotiate From a Position of Strength
Our attorneys don’t wait to be offered a fair settlement; we fight for one. When we enter negotiations, we do so with a full case file, medical documentation, liability proof, and a reputation for taking cases to trial when needed.
Insurance companies know our name. They know that Jacobs and Jacobs:
- Doesn’t fold under pressure
- Has secured millions in verdicts and settlements
- Has courtroom experience spanning over a century
We strategically apply pressure, using real evidence, expert testimony, and powerful legal arguments to compel insurers to pay what our clients are owed. Every negotiation we conduct is anchored in facts, law, and leverage—not guesswork or assumptions.
Our goal is always to maximize compensation without prolonging your pain. But when settlement talks fall short, we’re more than ready to go the distance.
Begin Trial Preparations From Day One
Unlike firms that scramble to prepare a case when negotiations stall, we may begin trial preparations immediately, even while we’re still in settlement talks. This signals to insurers that we mean business.
We may do this by:
- Preparing visual exhibits and timelines
- Interviewing and preserving witness testimony
- Developing jury-ready evidence presentations
- Filing pre-trial motions and subpoenas as needed
- Consulting accident reconstruction experts
- Hiring vocational and economic damages experts
By showing that we’re courtroom-ready, we create powerful negotiating leverage, making insurers more likely to offer a full-value settlement to avoid a trial.
Take the Legal Battle to the Courtroom, If Necessary
When negotiations stall or liability is denied, we don’t hesitate to take the fight to trial. Our attorneys are seasoned litigators who are respected by Pierce County judges, juries, and opposing counsel alike.
We present your story with persuasive arguments, compelling visuals, and expert testimony that connect with jurors on a human level. We prepare you for the courtroom experience so you feel confident, and we stay by your side from opening statements to the final verdict.
Insurance companies know they face a formidable adversary in Jacobs and Jacobs, and our trial reputation may lead to stronger settlement offers before trial even begins. To schedule your free consultation, call us 24/7 at 253-342-4965 or contact us online.