1.2 Million Awarded in Motorcycle Accident Case | Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

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As a King County motorcycle accident attorney and Washington wrongful death lawyer I know how dangerous the roads are for those riding a motorcycle- unprotected from the elements. Motorcyclists are 37 times more likely to be killed in a car accident than those driving a car and 9 times more likely to be injured.

Often times, the motorcyclist has nothing to do with the accident- they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are pleased to announce that one of these Seattle motorcycle accident cases returned a jury verdict of $1.2 million.

The accident happened on I-405 in Kirkland. A motorcycle was traveling southbound in the HOV lane with a semi in the lane right of it and a Kia in the lane right of the semi. The semi changed to the right hand land- striking the Kia which then spun around the front of the semi into the HOV lane triggering a collision with the motorcycle.

The motorcyclist had the following injuries: flail chest (severe rib fractures), cervical strain, fractured clavicle, aggravated acromio clavicular joint arthritis, depression, and a mild brain injury.

Some physical therapy records hindered the case such as “getting better”, “feels great”, “pain almost gone”, and “shoveling snow, tired of doing nothing, feels great to exercise”. And the jury sided with the defense doctor’s conclusion that the plaintiff suffered no brain trauma despite the plaintiff’s doctor’s assessment stating the client had a mild brain injury.

The insurance company’s highest offer for the case was $500,000. Before trial, the plaintiff had asked $900,000. The jury awarded $1,162,000 (over $200,000 more than the plaintiff was seeking) to the client and with the $49,000 medical bills that were not presented to the jury the total compensation was $1.2 million.

Results such as these are why lawyers are necessary in car accident cases. The defenses highest offer was $500,000 you can only imagine how much lower that amount would have been without an aggressive lawyer to force the case. With the aid of a lawyer the client was able to get justice.

To help those involved in motorcycle accidents such as this one and to give them a firmer understanding of the claims process and whether or not they require a lawyer I have written a book: The Truth About Washington Motorcycle Accidents which is free to Washington State Residence by clicking on the link above.