My name is Chris Thayer and I am a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Seattle. I handle personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims throughout the greater Seattle area, including Issaquah, Mercer Island and Kirkland.
I am here to help you.
Call for a free consultation (206) 340-2008
Posted Thursday, February 6, 2014 by Chris Thayer
In order for the jury to perceive you as credible witness, you must come across as reliable and honest while giving your testimony in court. When you review the following tips with a personal injury lawyer, there’s a greater chance that the jury will believe the truthfulness of your statements.
Posted Thursday, January 30, 2014 by Chris Thayer
When going to meet with your Seattle personal injury law firm, you will be asked to bring several items and documents relating to your accident. This is so that the Seattle personal injury law firm can quickly review your case and figure out how best to prepare a strategy. Here some things you should be compiling before your meeting with your Seattle injury law firm:
A List of Medical Trips
Keep a written list of every doctor, hospital, therapy session or any other medical facility or service you go to after your accident. Write down the date, location and purpose of each visit. For example: “Dr. Williams for routine checkup,” or “Pharmacy for prescription pain medication.” Your Seattle personal injury law firm will want to see this so they can get a picture of your treatment and how much it is costing you. Your Seattle personal injury law firm might also show the list to the insurance company during settlement negotiations to prove that you are as injured as you say. To keep it simple, just include the items listed above. Your Seattle personal injury law firm will tell you that extraneous information is not needed.
A List of Medical Expenses
Also keep a written list of the medical expenses you are incurring, both billable and out-of-pocket. For example, “Dr. Williams’ bill, pain killers, bandages, heating pads.” You want to include anything that is a result of your injuries so that your Seattle injury law firm knows to include it in the report to the insurance company. Keeping an itemized list of each expense as you pay for it is more compelling than a single lump sum you record at the end of every week. For this reason, be as specific as possible for your Seattle personal injury law firm.
Bringing these items to your meeting with your Seattle injury law firm will ensure that they are able to quickly get up to speed on your case and start preparing a strategy for your claim.
For more information, contact an experienced Seattle personal injury law firm. Call Chris Thayer at (206) 340-2008.
Posted Tuesday, January 21, 2014 by Chris Thayer
When discussing your case, your Seattle accident law firm might ask you to begin keeping a journal of your pain and suffering as morbid as that sounds. This will be useful for proving how your injuries have impacted your life and how you are recovering, which are things your Seattle accident law firm will need to establish to the insurance company to have any hope of a settlement.
Additionally, if your case goes to trial, the journal will be an effective too for helping you and your Seattle accident law firm remember what happened on any given day.
Record Your Emotions and Feelings
The pain you feel doesn’t just include physical pain from your injury. It also includes emotional and mental pain from having to endure it. Your Seattle accident lawyer will advise you to write openly and honestly about your condition, but try to avoid being overly pessimistic. Also, try to be literal and specific and not exaggerate. If you write “I can’t move my arm,” you might think it’s acceptable as a figure of speech, but your Seattle accident law firm will want to know if you could literally not move your arm at all and, if you could, that journal entry will be inaccurate. Your Seattle accident law firm might tell you that it could be used against you at cross-examination.
Instead, write down how you are limited. If you are having difficulty sleeping or moving specific joints, write that down. Try to be as specific as you can. Ask your Seattle accident lawyer for advice if you are having trouble figuring out what to write.
It is also important you to write down the positive side such as how you are coping with your injury. Give some examples of how you are trying to change your lifestyle to accommodate your restrictions or how you are dealing with the pain. Your Seattle accident law firm can give you some ideas.
Record Your Lost Income
You should also keep a written record of any lost wages, W-2s or payroll stubs related to your injury and inability to work. Your Seattle accident lawyer will need these to get the entire picture of how much you have suffered financially. Without them, you will need to sign authorization forms to allow him to obtain them on his own.
Get the experienced help you need from a Seattle accident law firm when preparing to file a personal injury claim. Call Chris Thayer at 206-340-2008.
Posted Thursday, January 9, 2014 by Chris Thayer
How much your personal injury case is worth depends on a number of factors, as your Seattle personal injury lawyer will tell you. Some, like liability and whether you had any comparative negligence, are extremely important and will be the first things your Seattle personal injury lawyer will ask about when deciding to take your case. However, there are some factors that are less obvious but which can still significantly affect the value of your case. Here are some of them:
Loss of Consortium
Loss of consortium, as your Seattle personal injury attorney will explain, refers to the damage done to your relationship with your significant other or your family. This may be something that has impacted you very strongly or not at all, depending on the specifics of your case. If your spouse’s life was significantly impacted by your accident, it may be worth it for your Seattle personal injury lawyer to claim loss of consortium in your case.
• Has your spouse had to take up extra household duties or family matters because of your accident?• Has your relationship with your spouse suffered? This can be a difficult question to talk about, but your Seattle personal injury lawyer will want to know how much your life has been affected.• Has your spouse had to become a caretaker for you?
These are questions that your Seattle personal injury attorney might ask you. If you answered yes to any of them, loss of consortium might be a factor in your case.
The Insurance Company
Your Seattle personal injury lawyer has dealt with enough insurance companies to know they are not all equal. Some are far more conservative than others, and some are far more likely to go to court rather than settle. If they have to spend $10,000 to defend a case in court, they will spend it rather than pay you and your Seattle personal injury lawyer the same amount in a settlement.
It is important to understand the types of carriers you and your Seattle personal injury attorney are working with. Some carriers consider it a cost of doing business to lose in court verdicts when they could have settled for less.
Don’t go up against the insurance company alone. Know who you are dealing with. Call Seattle personal injury lawyer Chris Thayer at (206) 340-2008.
Posted Thursday, January 2, 2014 by Chris Thayer
Don’t be shocked, but the sole purpose of a claims adjuster is to deny your claim. In the realm of personal injury lawsuits, this is especially relevant. It’s also why you need an experienced Seattle personal injury lawyer filing the claim on your behalf. A good attorney who specializes in this field will know all the tricks pulled by an adjuster. Find the right Seattle personal injury attorney, and they’ll stop those tactics before they get started. Take a look at these common adjuster tricks to slow down the filing process.
Daring You to File As you file your claim, your Seattle personal injury lawyer will begin discussions with the adjuster. The initial response of the adjuster is to declare your claims are baseless. He’ll then challenge your Seattle personal injury attorney to file a lawsuit. On many levels they want that to happen because they no longer have to deal with your Seattle personal injury lawyer directly. Instead, the newly named defendants in the case will hire their own team of lawyers. The adjuster can move on to deny someone else.
Undervaluing the ClaimThe adjuster might tell your Seattle personal injury attorney that they just want this whole thing to go away, and the only way that can happen is to accept a low offer.
A strong Seattle personal injury lawyer will counter that offer for a more realistic number, beginning the negotiations process.
Waiting Out The adjuster is in no rush to settle a claim. They’ve got all the time in the world. Your Seattle personal injury lawyer understands how important settling this matter is to you and your family. They’re not going to put up with an obvious stalling tactic like extended intervals between payouts. Your lawyer understands that an insurance company makes their money by investing the cash they have on hand. That’s why they don’t want to part with the cash. However, that should have no bearing on a legitimate personal injury claim.
Let Your Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Cut Through the Red Tape Filing a personal injury claim will mean a mountain of forms and paperwork to process. Your Seattle personal injury lawyer can help you cut through that red tape and get to the end quickly. Attorney Chris Thayer and the knowledge and experience to handle these type of matters. You can reach him at (206) 340-2008 to talk about your case.