Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Handling Personal Injury Claims in the Seattle Area and Throughout Washington Since 1995

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

The Seattle Personal Injury Blog

Hit by an Uninsured Motorist?

Posted Friday, January 10, 2020 by Chris Thayer

Alternative TextBeing in a car accident is already a traumatic and overwhelming experience. If you suffered any type of physical injuries, you likely have medical bills along with pain and suffering, loss of wages, as well as damage to your vehicle. Drivers in the state of Washington are required by law to have insurance coverage, but many operate a vehicle without any insurance at all. If you were in an accident with an uninsured motorist, you may have a more challenging time attempting to receive compensation for your damages.

*Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists*Uninsured drivers are persons who did not elect to pay for car insurance coverage or failed to maintain the required minimum amount of coverage. Underinsured drivers are those drivers who purchased only the minimum amount of insurance required by law that still will not cover all of your damages from the car accident. A Washington driver must have the following insurance coverage under the law:

  • $25,000 of bodily injury or death of one person
  • $50,000 of bodily injury or death of two people
  • $10,000 of property damage for a single accident

*Uninsured Motorist Coverage*Uninsured motorist coverage is a type of insurance any driver is allowed to obtain in the state of Washington that will cover damages or expenses related to a car accident if the other driver was either uninsured or underinsured. The state of Washington does not require that drivers obtain this coverage, but it is recommended as you will then be able to file a claim with your own insurance company regarding any loss for damage to your own vehicle or any medical bills you may have as a result of the accident.

*Filing an Uninsured/Underinsured Claim *If you were in a car accident in the state of Washington, regardless if the other driver had insurance, you will need to file a police report or file a collision report with law enforcement. If a police officer arrives at the scene of the accident, you will not have to file this report. However, if no police officer completes a collision report, then each driver involved in the collision has the responsibility to file a collision report within four days of the car accident. You may submit a report online or obtain a collision report from your local police department.

If the other driver was uninsured and fails to pay for any damages resulting from the accident, you may report it to the Washington State Department of Licensing within 180 days of the accident through a Motor Vehicle Claim for Damages form. To qualify for this, you must have incurred at least $1,000 in property damages or suffered an injury.

*Contact Our Experienced Car Accident Attorneys Today *If you were in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, contact our experienced legal team at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008. You have the right to receive monetary compensation for your damages. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.

What to do if You are an Injured Passenger

Posted Friday, January 3, 2020 by Chris Thayer

Alternative TextIf you were in a car accident as a passenger, you have the right to receive compensation for injuries if they were caused by someone else’s negligence. You may have the right to sue the driver of the car in which you were a passenger or another driver. Follow these guidelines if you were injured in a car accident as a passenger.

*Seek Medical Attention * If you were involved in a car accident, you should seek medical attention immediately. If the ambulance arrives at the scene of the accident, allow the medical professionals to assess your injuries. If you need to go to a hospital, do so as soon as possible. If you start to feel worse over the next few hours or days, go to your primary care physician. At any time after an accident, pain and injuries can appear. Oftentimes, the adrenaline of an accident will prevent a victim from feeling or noticing the extent of his or her injuries.

*Exchange Information*You are not only a victim in this accident, but you are also a witness. Make sure to give the police officer your name and contact information. Due to the fact that you were also hurt in the accident, attempt to exchange contact information with all other drivers, passengers, and witnesses to the accident.

*File a Claim *Depending on the facts and circumstances of the car accident you were involved in, your options regarding filing a claim to receive compensation as a passenger include:

  • Your Driver. You have the right to file a claim against your driver if the accident was determined to be his/her fault.
  • Any Other Driver Involved. If your driver was not at fault, or not completely at-fault, you have the right to file a claim against any other negligent driver involved in the accident.
  • Your Own Insurance Company. If you were a passenger in your own vehicle but someone else was driving, you may have the right to file a claim with your own insurance company.

Regardless of which insurance company you file a claim with, make sure to be careful when visiting with an insurance adjuster regarding the accident. Insurance companies often offer low settlements or simply refuse to pay your claim altogether based on something you may say. Having an experienced attorney on your side can help you negotiate with insurance companies and receive the compensation you deserve.

*Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney*If you were injured as a passenger in a car accident, you have legal rights. Contact our experienced legal team at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008. We can help you negotiate with the appropriate insurance company and help you receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and help you build a strong personal injury case. No matter which driver was negligent and caused your injuries, you have the right to receive monetary compensation for your damages. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.

Wrong-Way Car Accidents

Posted Friday, December 27, 2019 by Chris Thayer

Alternative TextIf you have ever seen a car coming directly toward you driving the wrong way in the incorrect lane, you were likely terrified, and with good reason. Wrong-way car accidents typically result in substantial and catastrophic injuries. These accidents commonly involve head-on collisions with massive force and impact. There are some ways you may be able to protect yourself from a wrong-way car accident and save yourself from severe injury or death.

*Common Causes of Wrong-Way Accidents*A wrong-way accident occurs when a driver is on the incorrect side of the roadway or the traffic flow. Some of the reasons that a wrong-way accident may occur include:

  • Driving While Distracted. While there are several ways a driver may become distracted, by far the most common form of distracted driving today is either texting while driving or talking on a cell phone while driving.
  • Drowsy Driving. Drowsy driving causes more than 6,400 deaths annually.
  • Elderly drivers. Unfortunately, may elderly drivers lose the ability to see as well at night, or lose cognitive function needed to drive safely. If you have elderly loved ones, make sure that they are capable of driving before continuing to allow them behind the wheel of a car.
  • Driving While Intoxicated. Many wrong-way accidents are the result of a driver being under the influence of either alcohol or drugs and making poor choices due to lowered cognitive function.
  • Emergencies. There are many cases in which an emergency is the cause of a wrong-way accident. Perhaps a driver is attempting to veer away from a deer or other animal in the road, or in other cases, a driver may be having a medical emergency such as a stroke, seizure, or heart attack while on the road. Any of these scenarios could result in a wrong-way accident.

*Ways to Avoid Wrong-Way Accidents*Many wrong-way accidents are simply unavoidable. However, the following are ways you may be able to protect yourself if you see a driver headed in the wrong direction toward you:

  • At night on the weekends, always use extra caution. Statistically, these are the times when more wrong-way accidents occur.
  • Always fasten your seat belt every time you drive.
  • Always use your own blinker to identify when you are changing lanes or exiting.
  • Use common sense and slow down and stay aware at all times.
  • If you see a wrong-way driver coming toward you in traffic, attempt to pull over or get off of the roadway completely and call 911 immediately.

*Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney Today *If you were injured due to a wrong-way car accident, contact our experienced legal team at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008. We can help you receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and help you build a strong case. If someone was driving negligently and caused your injuries, you have the right to receive monetary compensation for your damages. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.

Proving a Slip and Fall Case

Posted Friday, December 20, 2019 by Chris Thayer

Alternative TextIf you were injured due to a property owner’s negligence, you may have suffered physical and emotional damages. Medical bills may be piling up, you may be unable to work and losing out on wages, and you may be facing pain and suffering, as well. If your slip and fall accident was due to negligence regarding a hazardous condition or area on someone else’s property you may have the right to receive compensation for your injuries.

*Elements of a Slip and Fall Personal Injury Case *One-fifth of all falls result in serious injuries. However, you must be able to prove that your injuries were suffered as a direct result of the property owner’s negligence. In order to establish a strong slip and fall personal injury case, you must be able to prove the following elements:

  • The property owner had a duty to keep the property clear of any hazardous or dangerous areas, knowing that certain persons, or the public, would be on the property.
  • The property owner breached that duty by failing to warn of the dangerous area or clear the hazardous condition.
  • The hazard or danger directly caused your injuries.
  • You suffered actual physical, emotional, or financial damages.

The law does not define exactly what a hazardous or dangerous condition would be, however, the courts will typically look to see if a reasonable person in the same or similar situation would have also slipped and fallen with respect to the hazardous condition.

*Visitor and Guest Classification*Property owners owe different levels of duty to different types of visitors and guests.

  • Invitee. Property owners have a duty of reasonable care toward invitees. These are persons who are either invited to a business or allowed to legally be on the property of a business owner. A great deal of care should be given toward invitees to ensure their safety on property.
  • Licensee. Any person who has a home or personal residence may invite a social guest to visit them. These social guests are considered licensees. The property owners must make sure to take reasonable care to ensure that their property is free from any kind of hazardous condition to ensure the safety of their guests.
  • Trespasser. A property owner has absolutely no duty regarding anyone who may be trespassing on their property illegally. The only exception may be if a child wanders onto their property under the “attractive nuisance doctrine.” This would include property that has swimming pools or artificial conditions which may be attractive to a child and can cause injury or death.

*Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney* If you were injured due to the negligence of a property owner, you may have the right to compensation. Our experienced legal team at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008 can help you build a strong case on your behalf. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.

Pharmaceutical Errors

Posted Friday, December 13, 2019 by Chris Thayer

Alternative TextWith over 7,000 different types of prescription medications available for purchase in the United States, pharmaceutical errors account for thousands of patient injuries and deaths each year.

These errors are entirely preventable, however, and the consequences of such an error can be life-threatening or fatal.

*Medication and Pharmaceutical Errors*The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention indicates that a medication error occurs when a medication causes an injury due to some of the following reasons:

  • A patient is given incorrect medication
  • Medication is switched between patients incorrectly
  • Medication is mislabeled
  • Incorrect medication dosage is written, or distributed to the patient
  • Medication is confused and given incorrectly to the patient due to a similar name with a different medication
  • Incorrectly dispensing or prescribing a medication to a patient who has an allergy to it.
  • Lack of communication by the doctor or pharmacist regarding the medication including possible side effects, negative interactions with other medications, or allergies

These mistakes are preventable either by the doctor writing the prescription, or the pharmacist filling the medication properly. Without extra precautions, these medications and pharmaceutical errors can cause severe injuries or death.

*Failure of Communication *The first line of defense with regard to pharmaceutical errors is with the doctor. Every doctor should ensure that a patient understands the name and dosage of the medication being prescribed to them, as well as any possible side effects or interactions with drugs they are currently taking. However, the second line of defense for patient safety rests at the pharmacy.

If pharmacists took the time to follow pharmacy protocols and safeguards, as well as visit directly with the patient, some of these pharmaceutical errors could be avoided. Every patient at a pharmacy should be asked whether or not they would like to visit with a pharmacist, as well as ensure that their medication does not interact with any other drugs they have been prescribed or to which they have listed allergies.

Visiting with a pharmacist can provide the opportunity for a patient to receive valuable information or possibly clarify anything that the pharmacist may not have in the computer system with respect to allergies or other medications the patient is currently taking. Some possible questions or discussions a pharmacist should have with a patient could include the following:

  • Confirm with the patient that the correct medication was ordered, provided, and distributed in the correct dosage
  • Confirm that the patient has no allergies to the new prescription that would adversely affect them in any way
  • Confirm the patient’s medical history to ensure that no drug interactions exist with the current prescription being provided to the patient

These simple conversations between a pharmacist and a patient provide an extra layer of defense regarding any potential pharmaceutical errors, and can potentially avoid serious injuries or even death to a patient.

*Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney*If you were injured due to the negligence of a doctor, pharmacist, or other medical professional with regard to a prescription, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney. Our experienced legal team at the Pivotal Law Group at 206-340-2008 can help you build a strong case on your behalf. We proudly serve the Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island and Issaquah areas.