Kirk Bernard

When you are involved in a Washington State auto accident, one of the focal points of the investigation is who or what caused the accident. If you caused the accident, then you could be held liable for the other person’s injuries. Similarly, if the accident was caused by the negligence or reckless actions of the other driver, then he or she could be held liable for the accident and resulting injuries. But sometimes, a car accident case is not black and white. There may be gray areas. Both you and the other driver may have contributed to the accident.

In such cases, the question that comes up is whether you still have a case if you were partly at-fault or responsible for the accident. Some states have a contributory negligence system. What this means is that the injured person can recover for his or her injuries only if there was absolutely no fault on his or her part. In other words, he or she should not have contributed to the accident in any way. However, that system does not exist in Washington State. What we have here is a system of comparative negligence. This means that you will be compensated depending on what your contribution was to the accident. This essentially means that if you were 50 percent responsible for an accident, the damages awarded to you will simply be reduced to 50 percent.

An experienced Washington auto accident lawyer will be able to guide you through these issues and make sure that you are fairly compensated for your injuries and loss. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by a reckless driver, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys of The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultation. We can also send you our FREE brochure, which has useful and educational information to help you better understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.