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There is a time limit on injury claims in Washington, and the insurance company knows exactly when it runs out. Answer five questions and we will connect you, free, with an independent attorney licensed in Washington.
Limited
Time to file most injury claims in Washington. Miss it and the claim is gone
Shorter
Government vehicle and public entity claims run on their own, tighter clock
Varies
Coverage carried by the at-fault driver is often well below the real cost
Pure
Washington follows pure comparative negligence
This page describes Washington law in general terms only. It is not legal advice, deadlines and rules change, and exceptions apply. Confirm anything affecting your own claim with an attorney licensed in Washington.
Washington applies pure comparative negligence: recovery is reduced by your share of fault but never eliminated. The state also has no general cap on damages in injury cases, so the medical record and the fault percentage are the two things that determine value.
Washington allows longer than many states for most injury claims. Claims against government entities require a formal tort claim followed by a mandatory waiting period before suit can be filed, which consumes part of that window and has to be planned for.
Minimum coverage is 25/50/10. Washington requires insurers to offer personal injury protection and UM/UIM coverage, which must be rejected in writing — so many drivers carry protection they have forgotten about.
Weather and light are genuine case factors here. Long dark winters, persistent rain and the mountain passes on I-90 and US-2 produce visibility and traction collisions, and the argument about what a reasonable driver should have done in those conditions is frequently the case.
King County dominates the state’s civil caseload and is evaluated differently by insurers than Spokane, Pierce or the rural eastern counties. The same injury does not carry the same settlement value across the Cascades.
Seattle’s cycling and pedestrian volume produces a steady stream of vulnerable road user cases, where a driver’s failure to yield meets a comparative fault argument about visibility, clothing or lane position — arguments that pure comparative negligence reduces rather than resolves.
Each one is common, and each one is avoidable.
Washington insurers must offer personal injury protection and it must be rejected in writing. Many people carrying it never use it, paying medical bills out of pocket while a benefit sits unclaimed on their own policy.
Filing a tort claim against a state or local entity starts a mandatory waiting period before suit. If that is left late, the clock can run out during the wait itself.
Rain, darkness and mountain conditions are the standard defence here. They do not remove a driver’s duty to adjust, and under pure comparative negligence contesting the percentage directly increases what you recover.
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A longer deadline than many states for most injury claims, plus a formal claim and a mandatory waiting period where a government entity is involved.
We match you with an attorney licensed in Washington who handles your collision type and works the county where it happened.
The carrier’s calls go to your attorney, including the visibility and conditions questions that drive the comparative fault argument.
Valuation waits for the treatment picture. With no damages cap in Washington, the medical record does most of the work.
Fault is contested proportionally, and your own PIP and UM/UIM coverage is identified early rather than discovered late.
Most Washington accident attorneys work on contingency. Our service is free to you throughout.
We match you with someone licensed in Washington who works your area.
Not on the list? We cover the whole state, including rural counties where fewer firms compete.
Washington sets a firm deadline running from the date of the accident, and a separate, considerably shorter one where a government vehicle or public entity is involved. Both are strict, and missing either generally ends the claim no matter how strong it was. An attorney can confirm which applies to your situation before anything expires.
Washington follows pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame, but it is never wiped out. Someone found 90% responsible can still recover the remaining 10%. Insurers know this, which is why so much of the early conversation is about shifting blame onto you.
Quite possibly. Insurers must offer personal injury protection and you must reject it in writing, so unless you actively declined it, it is likely on your policy. It pays medical expenses regardless of fault.
You generally file a formal tort claim first, then wait a set period before filing suit. That waiting period runs inside your filing deadline, so leaving it late is risky.
Possibly. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy may apply, including in hit-and-run cases where the driver was never identified. Many people do not realise they carry it.
Our service is free to you — attorneys pay us for the connection. Most Washington accident attorneys work on contingency, so their fee comes from any recovery rather than from you upfront. Confirm the arrangement directly before signing anything.
Free, about a minute, no obligation. We connect you with an independent attorney licensed in Washington.
ClaimMVA Now is a free matching service, not a law firm.