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Your Yakima 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 Yakima County sits in Yakima, at 128 N 2nd St, Rm 314, Yakima, WA 98901-2639. To talk it through, send the form on this page and we will work to connect you with an attorney in our network.
Getting hurt rarely comes at a convenient time. You may be in pain, missing work and answering calls from an insurance company while trying to learn what you are owed. If your injury in Yakima was someone else’s doing, start with the basics below and go at your own pace.
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 Yakima Injury Attorney
Ask these in any first conversation:
- If you were partly to blame. Ask what happens to your award if a jury finds you share the blame (RCW 4.22.005).
- The date. Ask for the specific last day to file in your case. The general rule is three years (RCW 4.16.080(2)).
- Limits on damages. 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 Yakima? Get matched with an attorney now.
How Fault Is Divided
If an insurer says you were partly responsible, that does not decide the case 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.
Time Limits To Know
The general time limit for an injury claim in Washington is three years (RCW 4.16.080(2)). A child may have more time, and a few other limited situations extend the period too (RCW 4.16.190).
A wrongful death claim is brought by the personal representative, and the general three year period of RCW 4.16.080(2) applies (RCW 4.20.010, RCW 4.20.020, RCW 4.20.046). If a government body may be responsible, the steps can differ (RCW 4.92.090, 4.92.100, 4.92.110). The type of claim decides the date, so do not wait.
What Auto Policies Must Cover
The least liability coverage an auto policy in Washington can provide is $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)).
Those figures are floors, and a serious injury can cost more than the other driver’s policy pays. They are minimums, not a measure of what your claim is worth.
Local Courts and Hospitals in Yakima
Yakima County is the county the Census Bureau assigns to Yakima. The Washington court directory lists the superior court for Yakima County in Yakima, at 128 N 2nd St, Rm 314, Yakima, WA 98901-2639. MultiCare Yakima Memorial in Yakima appears on the state list of trauma centers as a Level III trauma center.
Measured in a straight line from Yakima, the nearest hospitals in the federal Hospital General Information file are Yakima Valley Memorial in Yakima, 0.2 miles, an acute care hospital, then Astria Toppenish Hospital in Toppenish, 18.8 miles, an acute care hospital, then Kittitas Valley Community Hospital in Ellensburg, 27.4 miles, a critical access hospital. Yakima Valley Memorial is at 2811 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98902.
Road distance from Yakima 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.
Further down the same list are Astria Sunnyside Hospital in Sunnyside (31.8 miles) and Prosser Memorial Hospital in Prosser (45.8 miles). The file lists 1 hospital within 10 miles of Yakima, 2 within 25 miles and 5 within 50 miles, all in a straight line.
Other places this site covers near Yakima: Ellensburg at 28.3 miles north, Sunnyside at 32.1 miles southeast, Cle Elum at 45.9 miles northwest. The reference cities are 111 miles northwest (Seattle) and 164 miles northeast (Spokane).
Where To Begin After An Injury In Yakima
Use the form at the top of the page to tell us what happened. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Washington. There is no charge to submit it, and submitting it does not hire anyone.
Until someone calls, make a simple record: what happened, the date and time, names of anyone who saw it, the treatment you have had, and the days you missed from work. Keep every bill and letter in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there special steps for claims against the government?
There are special steps. Special claim or notice steps can apply (RCW 4.92.090, 4.92.100, 4.92.110). Skipping a required notice step can end a claim. An early start protects your rights.
How soon can an injury claim settle?
That depends on the injury and how the insurer responds. Many claims wait until treatment has finished so the full cost is known. A lawsuit takes longer than a settlement.
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)). Children and some other limited situations can have more time (RCW 4.16.190). A claim against a government body has its own notice step (RCW 4.92.090, 4.92.100, 4.92.110).
How does shared fault change what I can recover in Washington?
Short answer: 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 put a ceiling on pain and suffering?
It depends on the facts of your claim, so ask an attorney whether any rule limits it in your case. Special rules can apply to particular kinds of claims. Keep every bill, because the economic part of a claim is proved by records.
Does Washington require drivers to carry liability insurance?
Liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries (RCW 46.30.020(1)(a) and RCW 46.29.090(1)). Those figures are floors, not a measure of what a claim is worth. Ask an attorney to check every policy that may apply.
What is the nearest hospital to Yakima?
On the federal list the nearest hospital is Yakima Valley Memorial in Yakima (0.2 miles, straight line), then Astria Toppenish Hospital in Toppenish (18.8 miles) and Kittitas Valley Community Hospital in Ellensburg (27.4 miles). In an emergency call 911; not every hospital has an emergency room.
What other places near Yakima have their own page here?
Ellensburg is 28.3 miles north of Yakima, Sunnyside is 32.1 miles southeast and Cle Elum is 45.9 miles northwest, by straight line from the Census coordinates.
If You Were Hurt Somewhere Else In Washington
The same matching service covers more of Washington. Pick the community closest to where it happened.
