Were you injured in an accident in Tacoma, WA? If so, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer is here to help you get the compensation you deserve. Call us at (253) 264-0225 to schedule a free consultation with a Tacoma personal injury lawyer.
Our Tacoma personal injury lawyers have decades of experience helping injured victims in Washington State. Since our founding, we’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars for our clients. Attorney Darrell Cochran has significant courtroom and trial experience, including appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Our experienced legal team is ready to get to work for you, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Why Should I Hire Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer to Handle My Tacoma Personal Injury Case?
After an accident in Tacoma, Washington, choosing the right personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Insurance companies will try to pay you as little as possible, and without help, you might get less money than you deserve under the law.
At Darrell Cochran Law, we know how to protect your rights. We’re experienced in fighting insurance companies and powerful companies to get full compensation for our clients. We understand how local laws, procedures, and courts work – and we’ll use our knowledge to benefit you at every turn.
When you choose our experienced personal injury attorneys in Tacoma, we will:
- Investigate your accident carefully
- Gather strong evidence, such as accident reports, medical records, and witness statements
- Work closely with experts who can prove what happened
- Negotiate with the insurance company for you so you don’t have to
- File a lawsuit and represent you in court, if needed
Attorney Darrell Cochran has been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, and Best Lawyers in America.
Our goal is to make the process simple for you. You can focus on your recovery while we handle your case. Contact our personal injury law firm today for a free consultation.
Visit Our Tacoma, WA Law Office
Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer
909 A St Ste 700, Tacoma, WA 98402
(253) 264-0225
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Tacoma?
You might wonder if you really need a lawyer after getting hurt. Trying to handle a personal injury claim alone can make things harder. Here’s why hiring a lawyer is important:
Insurance Companies Have Lawyers
Insurance companies hire skilled lawyers who try to limit how much they pay you. Without a lawyer on your side, you might accept less money than you deserve. A personal injury lawyer can help protect you and ensure you’re treated fairly.
Lawyers Can Hire Important Experts
Winning a personal injury case often requires help from experts. Doctors, accident experts, and others can explain exactly how your injury happened and how much money you should receive. An experienced lawyer has a network of experts to call upon.
Protect Yourself from Being Blamed
Insurance companies often try to blame accident victims. If they say you caused part of your injury, you might receive less money. Your lawyer will protect you and make sure you’re not unfairly blamed.
You Deserve To Focus on Your Recovery
After an accident, you need time to rest and heal. A lawyer will handle all the paperwork, deadlines, and negotiations. You won’t have to deal with stressful phone calls or confusing legal documents. Instead, you can focus on your recovery.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Case in Tacoma?
In Washington State, a personal injury case usually happens when someone else causes your injury by acting carelessly. However, you may still have a case even if they acted intentionally. To know if you have a case, you need to be able to answer these questions:
- Did someone else act carelessly, recklessly, or intentionally toward you?
- Did someone else’s actions (or inaction) cause your injury?
- Did your injury cost you money, pain, or other problems?
Examples of common cases in personal injury law include:
- Car accidents caused by speeding, texting, or driving drunk
- Slip and fall accidents caused by unsafe property, like wet floors
- Mistakes by doctors or hospitals that hurt patients
- Injuries caused by dangerous products, like faulty car parts or unsafe medications
If you were injured in one of these ways—or another accident caused by someone else—you might have a personal injury case. We can review your case and explain how having legal representation can benefit you.
We Handle All Types of Personal Injury Cases in Tacoma, WA
At Darrell Cochran Law, our personal injury attorneys are qualified to help you with virtually any kind of case. No matter how you were hurt, we’ll fight to get you the compensation you need and deserve. Our practice areas in personal injury law include, but are not limited to, the following:
Car Accidents
Auto accidents happen often in Tacoma and cause serious injuries. If another driver was careless—like texting or speeding—and you got hurt, we can help. Our Tacoma car accident lawyers will work hard to get compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle riders often get severely injured in accidents. Injuries can include broken bones, brain injuries, or spinal damage. Drivers sometimes don’t watch out for motorcycles, causing dangerous crashes. Our Tacoma motorcycle accident attorneys understand motorcycle riders’ special challenges and will fight for fair compensation.
Truck Accidents
Large trucks cause serious accidents because they’re heavy and hard to stop quickly. Injuries from truck accidents can be life-changing. Our Tacoma truck accident lawyers understand complex trucking laws and will fight trucking companies who try to avoid responsibility.
Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle riders are vulnerable to serious injuries and accidents. Drivers sometimes fail to see cyclists on the road, causing serious crashes. Our bicycle accident lawyers help injured cyclists get fair compensation to pay for medical care, lost wages, and emotional suffering.
Workplace Accidents
Getting hurt at work is stressful, as you might not know your legal options. Whether it’s filling a workers’ comp claim or a personal injury lawsuit (or both), our workplace accident attorneys are here to help you from start to finish.
Medical Malpractice
Doctors and hospitals sometimes make serious mistakes that hurt patients. These mistakes can include wrong diagnoses, surgical errors, or medication errors. Medical malpractice cases can be complicated, but our medical malpractice lawyers know how to investigate and hold healthcare providers accountable.
Airplane Accidents
Plane crashes don’t happen often, but when they do, they almost always cause serious injuries. Plane accidents can involve commercial flights, private airplanes, or helicopters. Our airplane accident attorneys help victims and families get compensation from airlines or plane manufacturers responsible for these tragedies.
Wrongful Death
Losing someone you love is incredibly painful, especially if their death could have been prevented. Our wrongful death lawyers are here to provide compassionate guidance throughout the legal process so you can focus on your family and healing.
We can help with many other types of cases as well, such as those involving dog bites, intentional torts like sexual abuse, pedestrian accidents, premises liability, and more. Call our lawyers today after any type of accident.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Tacoma, Washington?
You might worry about how much a lawyer costs after an accident. The good news is that you won’t have to pay anything upfront or out of pocket, as most personal injury attorneys in Tacoma work on a contingency fee basis.
With a contingency fee, we only get paid if we win money for you (whether through a settlement agreement or jury verdict). You never pay hourly fees or upfront costs. Our payment comes as a percentage of the money we recover for you, usually around 33%.
If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing in attorney’s fees. This means you can afford a skilled lawyer without financial stress. It also motivates us to work even harder for your case, as the more money we recover for you, the more we receive as well.
What Damages Are Available to Tacoma Accident Victims?
When you’re hurt in an accident in Tacoma, you might wonder what type of compensation you can get. Washington law allows you to recover different kinds of damages, depending on your injuries and how they’ve impacted your life.
Damages generally fall into two categories:
Economic Damages
These damages cover direct costs you’ve had because of the accident. They include:
- Medical Expenses and Bills: past and future doctor visits, hospital stays, surgeries, medicine, and physical therapy
- Lost Income: wages you lost while unable to work, plus any reduced ability to earn money in the future
- Property Damage: repairs or replacement of your car or other property damaged in the accident
- Out-of-Pocket Costs: expenses related to your injury, like travel to doctor appointments, medical devices, or home modifications
The facts and circumstances of your case will dictate the damages available to you.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages cover things that are harder to put a price tag on, such as:
- Pain and Suffering: physical pain, emotional stress, anxiety, or depression caused by the injury
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: if your injuries stop you from enjoying activities you used to love
- Mental Distress: feelings like fear, worry, or ongoing trauma caused by the accident
- Loss of Companionship: if your injuries affect your relationships with family or friends
Our personal injury lawyers will work hard to ensure that your non-economic damages are calculated in full.
You might have also heard of punitive damages, which are meant to punish someone who was extremely careless or intentionally hurtful, like someone driving drunk or causing deliberate harm. Unfortunately, Washington State does not allow punitive damages unless expressly authorized by law.
When you hire our legal team, we’ll carefully review your injuries and losses, making sure we include all the damages you deserve. Our goal is to help you recover fully from your accident.
How Much Is My Tacoma Personal Injury Case Worth?
Every injury case is unique, and there’s no simple formula to know exactly how much your claim is worth. The total amount depends on several factors, such as:
- How serious your injuries are
- How long your injuries will affect your life
- The amount of medical care you need, now and in the future
- How much income you’ve lost, and if you’ll lose income in the future
- The emotional and physical pain you’ve experienced
- Whether you have a permanent disability or need ongoing care
- The terms and conditions of any applicable insurance policies
At Darrell Cochran Law, we’ll take time to carefully evaluate your case. We’ll gather your medical records, talk to doctors, and work closely with experts to clearly show how much you should receive. Ultimately, our lawyers have one goal: to recover as much compensation for you as possible.
What if I’m Partially at Fault for My Accident in Tacoma, WA?
You can still get money even if you share some blame for your accident in Tacoma. Washington uses a standard called pure comparative negligence. This means your compensation gets reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, let’s say your claim is worth $50,000, but you’re found to be 20% responsible for the accident. Your award would be reduced by 20%, meaning you’d get $40,000.
Insurance companies often try to blame accident victims more than they deserve. Our lawyers are skilled at fighting these unfair tactics. We’ll work hard to minimize any blame placed on you so that you get the compensation you truly deserve.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After an Accident in Washington State?
In Washington, you have a limited amount of time to file your personal injury lawsuit. This deadline is called the statute of limitations, and it’s typically three years from the date of your accident or injury.
If you miss this deadline, you might lose your right to get compensation. However, some cases have shorter deadlines, especially those involving government agencies or medical malpractice.
Since exceptions could change the time limit for your case, it’s important to act quickly and speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. The sooner our attorneys start working on your case, the stronger it will be.
What Is Negligence, and How Do I Prove It?
Most personal injury claims involve negligence. Negligence simply means that someone didn’t act carefully, causing harm to another person. To win a negligence claim, you must prove four important things:
- Duty of Care: The other person had a responsibility to keep you safe. For example, drivers must drive safely and follow traffic rules.
- Breach of Duty: They broke that responsibility by being careless or reckless. An example is a driver speeding or texting behind the wheel.
- Causation: Their careless actions directly and proximately caused your injuries. You must clearly show how their actions led to your harm.
- Damages: You suffered actual injuries or losses, like medical bills, lost income, or emotional pain because of the accident.
To prove negligence, we will collect evidence like police reports, medical records, witness statements, and expert opinions. Our team knows how to build a strong claim to show you deserve compensation.
Will My Tacoma Personal Injury Case Go to Trial?
Most injury claims are settled through out-of-court negotiations without needing a trial. However, sometimes, insurance companies won’t offer a fair settlement. In that case, going to court may be the best option.
At Darrell Cochran Law, we always prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. Attorney Darrell Cochran is a respected trial lawyer with decades of experience. He has even argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Our firm has the skills and experience to represent you effectively in court.
If your case does go to trial, we’ll guide you carefully through every step, clearly explaining the process and answering your questions so you always know what’s happening.
How Long Will My Injury Case Take?
Every personal injury case is different. Some settle quickly—within a few months. Others may take longer, especially those with severe injuries or complicated facts.
Several factors can affect your timeline, and these include:
- How serious your injuries are, and how long your medical treatment lasts
- Whether the insurance company offers a fair settlement quickly or fights your claim
- How clearly we can prove who was at fault
- Whether your case must go to trial
We know waiting is difficult, and we work efficiently to move your case forward. However, we never rush to settle for less money than you deserve. Our priority is getting you the best possible outcome.
Contact Our Experienced Tacoma Personal Injury Attorneys to Schedule a Free Consultation
If you’ve been injured in Tacoma, you don’t have to face your claim alone. At Darrell Cochran Law, our lawyers have decades of experience helping injured clients just like you. We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars for accident victims across Washington. Our team will work hard to protect your rights and get you fair compensation.
Let us handle the stress of your legal claim while you focus on healing and moving forward. Contact our Tacoma personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation. We’ll answer your questions clearly and help you decide your next steps.
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