King County Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney
The goal in a brain injury case is a recovery that reflects what the injury will cost over a lifetime, not just the first round of hospital bills. Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm that represents people hurt by someone else’s negligence throughout King County and the greater Seattle area, and our work as a King County traumatic brain injury attorney centers on building the medical, vocational, and financial proof that makes a lasting injury visible to an insurer or a jury.
Brain injuries are unusual among injury claims because the harm is often hard to see. A person can walk out of an emergency room after a crash on I-90, I-405, or I-5 with a clean scan and a discharge sheet that says concussion, then spend the next year struggling with memory gaps, light sensitivity, irritability, trouble finding words, and fatigue that makes a full workday impossible. Insurers know that a normal imaging result gives them room to argue the injury is minor or already healed. Much of what we do is close that gap with treating physicians, neuropsychological testing, and the observations of the people who knew you before the injury.
King County is where many of these claims begin: rear-end collisions on the Eastside corridors, pedestrians struck in Seattle crosswalks, workers falling from scaffolds on the region’s steady stream of construction projects, and shoppers or tenants who fall on poorly maintained floors and stairs. Each of those settings brings different defendants and different insurance coverage, and a brain injury claim has to be built around the one that actually applies.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Brain Injury Claim
Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm serving King County, the Eastside, Seattle, and communities across Washington. Our attorneys spent decades defending insurance companies before representing injured people, which means we know how a carrier evaluates a head injury claim from the inside: which records an adjuster pulls first, what language in a chart gets treated as a reason to discount the injury, and when a company is preparing to settle versus preparing to fight. Consultations are free and confidential, and we work on a contingency fee basis, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. If your injuries make travel hard, we will meet you at home or in the hospital.
Troy Hunter, our founding partner, spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, and he also serves as a dispute mediator. David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at the Seattle defense firm Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, trying wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and product liability cases before judges and juries. Both are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. David has been selected to the Super Lawyers list and teaches trial and deposition skills as faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold are associate attorneys on the team, and Warren speaks Spanish while David is fluent in Russian and has represented Russian and Ukrainian speaking families. Our attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court, and the firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice.
That trial background matters in brain injury cases because they are valued on evidence that insurers resist. We prepare every claim as though it will be tried, and carriers tend to pay more fairly when they believe the lawyer across the table will actually do it. Our results include a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck, a mid-six-figure settlement for an elderly woman struck by a transit bus in a downtown Seattle crosswalk, and more than $1 million for parents whose newborn died after a hospital failed to adequately test for Group B Strep, a case that also led the hospital to change its procedures. Clients consistently describe our team as responsive and honest, and our case managers return calls and texts promptly. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Where Traumatic Brain Injuries Come From in King County
- Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Crashes: The sudden stop in a collision can injure the brain without any blow to the head, and helmets do not eliminate the risk for riders. Freight traffic on I-5 and I-90 adds commercial carriers and federal safety rules to the analysis.
- Pedestrian and Bus Collisions: Crosswalk strikes in downtown Seattle and along busy Eastside arterials often involve head impact with pavement, and transit agencies bring their own claim procedures.
- Construction Site Falls: Ladders, scaffolds, and unprotected edges are classic sources of head trauma. Third-party claims against property owners and contractors can supplement what workers’ compensation provides.
- Slip and Fall Incidents: Wet entryways, icy walkways, broken stairs, and falling merchandise at stores and apartment complexes can cause head injuries, especially in older adults.
- Medical Negligence: A missed stroke, delayed treatment of a bleed, oxygen deprivation during surgery, or a birth injury can cause permanent brain damage, and these claims require qualified medical experts.
- Assaults and Negligent Security: Where a property owner failed to provide reasonable security, a violent attack can lead to a premises claim in addition to any claim against the attacker.
- Fatal Head Injuries: When a brain injury ends in death, the family may pursue a wrongful death action, which has its own beneficiaries and rules.
What to Do After a Suspected Head Injury
Get examined promptly, even if you feel mostly fine. Symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury can surface hours or days later, and an early record that ties your complaints to the incident is the foundation of the claim. Tell every provider about every symptom, including the ones that seem embarrassing or minor, such as trouble concentrating, mood changes, sleep disruption, or sensitivity to noise. If the emergency visit missed something, follow up with your primary physician or a neurologist and keep going to appointments, since gaps in treatment are routinely used to argue that you recovered.
Keep a daily symptom journal, and ask family members and coworkers to write down changes they notice, because people with brain injuries often underreport their own deficits. Save photographs of the scene, the vehicle, or the hazard, get the police report if officers responded, and gather the names of witnesses. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer before you have spoken with a lawyer. You are generally not required to, and adjusters are trained to ask questions that minimize injuries or shift blame.
Deadlines matter. Most Washington personal injury actions must be commenced within three years under RCW 4.16.080, and an action counts as commenced by filing the complaint or serving the defendant, provided the other step follows within 90 days. Wrongful death claims follow the same three-year period, counted from the date of death. Medical negligence claims run under RCW 4.16.350, which combines a three-year limit, a one-year discovery rule, and an eight-year outer limit. Claims against a city, county, or other local government must first be presented on the standard tort claim form, and suit cannot be filed until 60 days after presentment; claims against the state have their own 60-day presentment rule under RCW 4.92.110. Email and fax generally do not count as presentment to local governments. Washington also pauses the clock in limited situations, including for minors and for people whose disability keeps them from understanding the proceedings, though the minor-tolling rule was struck down for medical malpractice claims.
Cases are generally filed in King County Superior Court, which hears them at the King County Courthouse in Seattle or the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent depending on the circumstances. District court civil jurisdiction is capped well below what most serious brain injury claims are worth, so these cases belong in Superior Court. Federal court in Seattle may come into play in some disputes, such as those involving parties from different states.
How Brain Injury Claims Are Proved and Valued
Liability and damages are separate fights. On liability, we establish who was negligent through crash reconstruction, surveillance footage, maintenance records, safety rule violations, and witness testimony. Washington applies comparative fault, so if an insurer claims you were partly responsible, your recovery is reduced by your share rather than eliminated. Insurers frequently overstate that share, and correcting it is part of the job.
Damages are where brain injury cases demand the most work. We gather treatment records from emergency physicians, neurologists, rehabilitation specialists, and neuropsychologists, and we look for objective support such as cognitive testing and imaging where it exists. Vocational evidence shows how the injury changes your ability to hold a job or earn what you earned before, and life care planning projects the future cost of therapy, medication, and support. Lay witnesses, including spouses, supervisors, and friends, describe the person you were and the person the injury left behind. Compensation can include past and future medical care, lost wages and lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering. A brain injury settlement that closes out the claim too early can leave a survivor paying for decades of care out of pocket, which is why we do not rush toward a number before your medical picture is clear.
Questions About King County Brain Injury Claims
How long do I have to file a brain injury lawsuit in Washington?
Most personal injury claims must be filed within three years under RCW 4.16.080. Medical negligence, government, and wrongful death claims have their own timing rules, so the right deadline depends on how the injury happened. Speak with a lawyer early so evidence is preserved and no deadline is missed.
What if my CT scan or MRI came back normal?
A normal scan does not rule out a brain injury. Many concussions and diffuse injuries do not appear on standard imaging, which is why neuropsychological testing, specialist evaluations, and documented symptoms carry so much weight in these claims.
Can I recover compensation if I was partly at fault?
Yes. Under Washington’s comparative fault statute, your fault reduces your damages proportionally but does not bar recovery. A person found 30 percent responsible can still recover the remaining 70 percent.
What is a brain injury case worth?
Value depends on the severity and permanence of the injury, medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, the effect on daily life, and the insurance coverage available. We value cases the way insurers do, so we can tell you realistically what a fair recovery looks like.
How much does it cost to hire Injury Law Group NW?
The first consultation is free and confidential. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Who pays my medical bills while the claim is pending?
Personal injury protection coverage on your own auto policy can pay medical expenses and some lost wages regardless of fault, unless you rejected it in writing. Health insurance may also cover treatment. We help coordinate these sources so care continues while the claim moves forward.
Can I bring a claim if symptoms appeared days or weeks after the incident?
Yes, though prompt medical documentation matters. Delayed symptoms are common with head injuries, and a physician who connects the later complaints to the original event is important evidence. Report any new symptoms to your doctor as soon as they appear.
What if a child suffered the brain injury?
Parents have their own claim for a child’s injury under Washington law, and the child has a claim as well. Washington pauses the limitations period for minors in most injury cases, but evidence fades quickly, so waiting is rarely wise.
Do I need a lawyer if the insurer has already made an offer?
An early offer usually reflects the insurer’s view of a short recovery. Brain injuries can change over months or years, and signing a release ends the claim permanently. Having a lawyer review the offer against your likely long-term needs is worth doing before you accept anything.
What if my loved one died from a head injury?
Washington’s wrongful death statutes allow the personal representative to bring an action for the benefit of the spouse or state registered domestic partner and children, and for parents or siblings if there is no spouse, partner, or child. Survival claims for the injured person’s own losses may also be available.
Will my case go to trial?
Most cases resolve through negotiation, but we prepare each one as though it will be tried, because that preparation is what drives fair offers. If an insurer will not pay what the evidence supports, we are ready to file in King County Superior Court and take the case to a jury.
Serving Brain Injury Clients Across King County
We represent injured people throughout King County, starting with Seattle and its neighborhoods and extending east across Lake Washington to Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish. Along the I-90 corridor we serve Issaquah and the surrounding Eastside communities, and to the south we handle claims for clients in Renton and Kent. Our reach covers the broader Puget Sound region as well, so a crash on a freeway in one part of the county or a fall at a business in another is within our work. Whether the injury happened on a King County roadway, at a job site, in a store, or in a hospital, we handle brain injury cases for families across the Eastside and the greater Seattle area.
Speak With a King County Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
If someone else’s carelessness left you or a family member with a brain injury, a conversation with a King County traumatic brain injury lawyer at Injury Law Group NW costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We will listen to what happened, explain how the deadlines and evidence apply to your situation, and tell you plainly what a fair recovery could look like. Call or text us to schedule a free, confidential consultation. We give hope. We get results.
