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Your Port Orchard Personal Injury Attorney
The short answer. In Washington most injury claims must be filed within three years (RCW 4.16.080(2)). The trial court for Kitsap County sits in Port Orchard, at 614 Division St, MS 24, Port Orchard, WA 98366-4683. To talk it through, send the form on this page and we will work to connect you with an attorney in our network.
An injury changes the pace of your days. Medical visits, paperwork and worry about money can crowd out everything else. If you were hurt in Port Orchard because of another person’s actions, this page explains how Washington treats injury claims so you can plan your next step.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and NeedAnAttorney.net is not a law firm. It is a service that connects injured people with attorneys. The rules described here are quoted or summarized from Washington’s own statutes so that you can check them yourself.
Questions To Ask A Port Orchard Injury Attorney
Bring these to your first call, whoever it is with:
- The deadline. Ask the attorney to name the exact last day to file for your claim. The general limit for injury claims in Washington is three years (RCW 4.16.080(2)).
- If you were partly to blame. Ask what happens to your award if a jury finds you share the blame (RCW 4.22.005).
- Any ceiling. Ask whether any rule restricts the amount you could recover in Washington.
- The money terms. Ask how fees are calculated and which costs come out of a recovery.
- Who will work on it. Ask who handles your file day to day and how fast messages are answered.
Personal Injury Types of Cases
Motor Vehicle Accidents
As long as the person that was operating the vehicle that injured you was negligent in some way, you can could have a claim for compensation. This can include.
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- 18 wheeler Accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Drunk Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- and other types of motor vehicle accidents
Work Place Accidents
These types of personal injury lawsuits involve more that just a employee and employer. If you feel like your place of employment was negligent in some way, you might have a claim for compensation. These types of accidents can include.
- Slip and Fall
- Unsafe working conditions
- Unmaintained equipment
- Auto Accidents
- Death
- Electrical Hazards
- Occupational illnesses like COPD, contagious diseases, and asbestosis
- personal injuries at work
Premises Liability
Many premises liability claims are from a property owner’s duty to maintain a property in the way that does not endanger others. There are may ways a property owner can violate this duty.
- Broken Stairs
- Unlit alleyways
- Slippery Floors
- Surfaces that are uneven
- Places to receive burns
- Places to receive chemical exposure
- Dog bites
- and other dangerous conditions
Wrongful Death
When negligence leads to fatal injuries, a wrongful death suit can help the surviving family members hold the negligent company, persons, and or person accountable for what was done. A wrongful death case can involve different types of compensation from other personal injury claims. After a fatal accident, family members can ask an attorney to review what compensation the surviving loved ones may have a right to. These types of accidents can include.
- Auto Accident
- Maritime Accident
- Drowning
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Helicopter Accident
- Fire
- Firearm
- and other types of wrongful deaths
Injured in Port Orchard? Get matched with an attorney now.
How Fault Is Divided
Having made a mistake yourself does not end a claim in Washington. The source is RCW 4.22.005.
Your own share of the fault reduces your award in proportion to that share, and no fixed percentage ends the claim by itself, though a few narrow statutory exceptions can still bar a claim (RCW 4.22.005). Insurers often press this point first, so keep notes about how the injury happened.
How Damages Are Measured
There is no general ceiling on pain and suffering for an ordinary injury claim in Washington. What you can recover turns on the bills, the missed work and the lasting effects.
Lasting effects and missed work are part of what is proved.
How Long You Have To File
Washington allows three years to file most injury claims (RCW 4.16.080(2)). Extra time can be available for a child and in some other limited situations (RCW 4.16.190).
A claim against a government body usually has its own claim or notice steps that must be followed before you sue, so ask early (RCW 4.92.090, 4.92.100, 4.92.110). If someone died, the personal representative brings the claim and the general three year period of RCW 4.16.080(2) applies (RCW 4.16.080(2)). Ask in your first conversation which date applies to your claim.
The Court and Hospitals Behind a Port Orchard Claim
The Census Bureau places Port Orchard in Kitsap County. Kitsap County’s superior court is listed in Port Orchard, at 614 Division St, MS 24, Port Orchard, WA 98366-4683. In Kitsap County, the state list of trauma centers shows St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale as a Level III trauma center.
Measured in a straight line from Port Orchard, the nearest hospitals in the federal Hospital General Information file are St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, 8.4 miles, an acute care hospital, then St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, 12.0 miles, an acute care hospital, then Highline Medical Center in Burien, 14.7 miles, an acute care hospital. St. Michael Medical Center is at 1800 Nw Myhre Rd, Silverdale, WA 98383.
Road distance from Port Orchard is longer than a straight line. Wherever you were treated, ask for the full records and an itemized bill, and keep a list of every visit.
Fourth and fifth on the list are Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, 15.0 miles, and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, 15.1 miles. Within 10, 25 and 50 miles of Port Orchard the file shows 1, 17 and 30 hospitals, by straight line.
Other places this site covers near Port Orchard: Bremerton at 3.9 miles west, Silverdale at 9.2 miles north, Seattle at 14.2 miles northeast. The reference cities are 14 miles northeast (Seattle) and 242 miles east (Spokane).
How To Take The First Step In Port Orchard
Fill in the form at the top of this page. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Washington. The form is free to use, and sending it does not mean you have hired anyone.
Before the first call, collect the basics: the date, the place, names of witnesses, your medical visits and your missed work. A single folder for bills, letters and photographs saves time later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the other driver’s policy enough to cover my injuries?
At least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more people in one accident and $10,000 for property damage (RCW 46.30.020(1)(a) and RCW 46.29.090(1)). A crash with several injured people can use up limits quickly. It helps to learn early what other coverage may exist.
What is the nearest hospital to Port Orchard?
On the federal list the nearest hospital is St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale (8.4 miles, straight line), then St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor (12.0 miles) and Highline Medical Center in Burien (14.7 miles). In an emergency call 911; not every hospital has an emergency room.
Which nearby places does this site cover besides Port Orchard?
Closest by straight line are Bremerton (3.9 miles west), Silverdale (9.2 miles north) and Seattle (14.2 miles northeast).
Is a claim against a government entity different in Washington?
It can be. Special claim or notice steps can apply (RCW 4.92.090, 4.92.100, 4.92.110). The rules for public bodies differ from the rules for private parties. Do not wait to ask.
What court would handle a case from Port Orchard?
It depends on who is being sued and how much is claimed. Ask for the court by name. The section above names the court that the state judiciary lists for this area.
How many years do I have to sue after an injury in Washington?
Most injury claims must be filed within three years (RCW 4.16.080(2)). Extra time can be available for a child and in some other limited situations (RCW 4.16.190). Do not wait to ask.
What if the other side says I caused part of the accident?
Under Washington law, your own share of the fault reduces your award in proportion to that share, and no fixed percentage ends the claim by itself, though a few narrow statutory exceptions can still bar a claim (RCW 4.22.005). How the blame is assigned matters. Keep notes about how the injury happened.
Does Washington limit how much I can recover?
Ask an attorney whether any rule limits the amount for your kind of claim; the facts and the records drive the number. The bills, the missed work and the lasting effects drive the amount. The facts of your claim drive the amount.
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