Des Moines Personal Injury Attorney
Des Moines sits between I-5 and the Puget Sound shoreline, and what happens in the weeks after an injury here tends to shape the whole claim. If you were hurt on Pacific Highway South, near the marina, or on the roads that feed SeaTac and Kent, you are probably already hearing from an insurance adjuster, and you may be wondering whether you need a Des Moines personal injury attorney or can handle it yourself. Injury Law Group NW represents injured people and grieving families in Des Moines and throughout King County, handling car, truck, and motorcycle crashes, bus accidents, construction injuries, medical malpractice, brain injuries, premises cases, and wrongful death.
The decisions that matter most come early: whether to give a recorded statement, how to document your injuries, and when to start treatment. Des Moines is a corridor city, with heavy commuter traffic, airport-related freight and shuttle movement, and a busy retail and waterfront scene. That mix produces serious crashes and premises injuries, and the insurers handling them are experienced at paying less than a claim is worth. What you say and sign in the first few weeks can follow your case for years.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Des Moines Injury Claim
Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm serving Des Moines, Kent, Renton, Seattle, Bellevue, and the rest of King County and the Puget Sound region. Our attorneys spent decades defending insurance companies before representing injured people, and that experience is the main reason clients hire us. Founding partner Troy Hunter spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, and he also serves as a dispute mediator. Attorney David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, a Seattle defense firm, trying wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and product liability cases. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the team, supported by case managers who return calls and texts promptly.
Troy and David are both 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. 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. We prepare every claim as though it will go to trial, because insurers pay more fairly when the lawyer across the table is ready to try the case.
The results reflect that approach. We recovered a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck, and another for an elderly woman struck by a transit bus in a downtown Seattle crosswalk. We also recovered more than $1 million for parents whose newborn died after a hospital failed to adequately test for Group B Strep, a case that led the hospital to change its procedures. Clients describe us as responsive, honest, and clear about where their case stands. David speaks Russian and Warren speaks Spanish, so we serve Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish speaking families in their own language. Consultations are free and confidential, and we work on a contingency fee, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Injury Cases Common Around Des Moines
- Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Crashes: Pacific Highway South, Kent Des Moines Road, and the I-5 and SR 509 approaches carry commuters, airport traffic, and freight. Rear-end collisions, left-turn crashes, and semi-truck wrecks involving commercial carriers and federal safety rules are the cases we see most from this area.
- Bus and Pedestrian Accidents: Transit stops along the main arterials put pedestrians and riders near fast traffic. When a transit vehicle or a turning driver strikes someone in a crosswalk, liability can involve both a driver and a public or private operator.
- Slip and Fall and Retail Injuries: Grocery stores, shopping centers, restaurants, and apartment complexes must keep floors, stairs, entries, and lighting reasonably safe. Rainy Puget Sound weather makes wet entryways a constant hazard, and the question is whether the owner knew or should have known and failed to act.
- Construction Site Injuries: Development and renovation near the waterfront and along the commercial corridors means falls, scaffold failures, and equipment accidents. Third-party claims against owners and contractors can provide compensation beyond workers’ compensation.
- Medical Malpractice: Surgical errors, delayed diagnosis, prescription mistakes, and birth injuries at the many hospitals and clinics serving south King County. These cases require qualified medical experts and move on stricter deadlines than ordinary injury claims.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries: A head injury from a crash, a fall, or a slip can show symptoms slowly, and insurers often dispute it because it may not appear on a scan. Early diagnosis and thorough medical and vocational evidence drive the value of these claims.
- Dog Bites: Washington makes a dog owner liable when a dog bites someone in a public place or lawfully on private property, and the dog’s past behavior or the owner’s knowledge of it is not part of the liability question.
- Wrongful Death: When negligence takes a life, the personal representative of the estate brings the claim for the benefit of the surviving spouse or domestic partner and children, or for parents or siblings if there are none.
What to Do After an Injury in Des Moines
Start with your health. Get medical care the same day if you can, whether that means an emergency room, an urgent care clinic, or your own doctor, and follow through on every referral. Gaps in treatment are one of the first things an adjuster points to when arguing your injuries are not serious. If the crash was on a city street, make sure a police report was taken, and photograph the scene, your vehicle, visible injuries, and any hazard that caused a fall before it is repaired or cleaned up. Collect names and numbers of witnesses while they are still around.
Be careful with the other side’s insurer. You are generally not required to give them a recorded statement, and adjusters ask questions designed to minimize your injuries or shift blame to you. Washington requires auto insurers to offer personal injury protection coverage, which can pay medical bills and some lost wages regardless of fault, so check your own policy early. Keep a simple record of missed work, out-of-pocket costs, and how the injury affects your daily life, because pain and limitation are part of the claim.
Deadlines matter. Most Washington injury lawsuits must be started within three years, and wrongful death claims are counted from the date of death. A case is commenced by filing or by serving the defendant, but the other step must follow within 90 days or the case is treated as not started for deadline purposes. Medical malpractice has its own rules: three years, a one-year discovery rule, and an eight-year outer limit, with a separate one-year clock when a foreign object is left in the body. Claims against a city, county, or other local government require a formal claim filed with the entity on the standard form, delivered in person or by mail with a return receipt, followed by a 60-day wait before suit. Email and fax generally do not count. Claims against the state go through the Office of Risk Management with the same 60-day wait. These steps trip up people who try to handle a claim alone.
Where a case is filed depends on its size and facts. King County District Court can hear injury claims up to $100,000, and a plaintiff may choose the district where the injury happened or where a defendant lives. Larger cases go to King County Superior Court, and a south King County resident’s case is likely to be heard at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. Most claims settle before trial, but the settlement value depends on how credible the threat of trial is, which is why we build each file for a courtroom from day one.
How Washington Fault Rules Affect Your Recovery
Washington follows pure comparative fault. If you share responsibility for a crash or fall, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from recovering. Fault is defined broadly and includes unreasonable failure to avoid an injury or to limit your damages, so insurers look for anything that suggests you could have done more, including delays in treatment. Adjusters routinely overstate an injured person’s share, and an attorney who knows how those percentages get argued can push back with evidence.
Product cases and construction cases have their own time limits. A product liability claim generally must be brought within three years of discovering the harm and its cause, and a product more than twelve years old is presumed to have outlived its useful safe life, though that presumption can be rebutted. Construction-related claims generally must accrue within six years after substantial completion of the work. Some people also have extra time: limitation periods can be tolled for minors, for people who are incompetent or disabled so they cannot understand the proceedings, and for defendants who leave the state or hide. Do not rely on tolling without checking, because it applies narrowly.
Des Moines Personal Injury Questions, Answered
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Washington?
Most personal injury lawsuits must be started within three years of the injury. Wrongful death claims also carry a three-year limit counted from the date of death. Government claims and medical malpractice cases follow different rules, so earlier contact with a lawyer is safer.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault?
Yes. Your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from recovery. A person found 30 percent at fault can still recover the remaining 70 percent.
How much does it cost to hire Injury Law Group NW?
The first consultation is free and confidential. We work on a contingency fee, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Who pays my medical bills while my claim is pending?
Your own personal injury protection coverage, if you have it, can pay medical expenses and some lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. Health insurance may also cover treatment. The at-fault party’s insurer should ultimately bear your losses, and we work to coordinate these sources so bills are handled while the claim moves forward.
Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
You can give basic identifying information, but you are generally not required to give a recorded statement. Adjusters ask questions that can be used to downplay your injuries. Speak with a lawyer first.
What is my case worth?
Value depends on injury severity, medical expenses, lost income, effect on daily life, and available insurance coverage. Compensation can include past and future medical care, lost wages and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. Because our attorneys valued claims from the insurer’s side for years, we can tell you what a fair recovery looks like.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor crash?
Sometimes it is not, if you have no injuries and only minor property damage. But soft tissue injuries, concussions, and back and neck problems can worsen over weeks, and early settlements often close the door on later costs. A free consultation lets you find out before you sign anything.
What if the at-fault driver has little or no insurance?
Your own underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage, if you carry it, may apply. That coverage means dealing with your own insurer, which can be adversarial, so it helps to have counsel review the policy and handle the claim.
What if my child or a family member who cannot manage their own affairs was hurt?
Washington can pause the filing clock for minors and for people who are incompetent or disabled in a way that prevents them from understanding the proceedings, but medical malpractice cases for minors are treated differently after a Washington Supreme Court ruling. Do not assume you have extra time; get the facts reviewed early.
How long does an injury case take in King County?
It varies with injury severity and whether the insurer negotiates in good faith. Cases with ongoing treatment take longer because the full cost of care should be known before settling. If a case needs to be filed, the court schedule adds time, and we prepare as though it will be tried.
Can you meet me if I cannot travel?
Yes. If your injuries make travel difficult, we will come to you at home or at the hospital, at a time that works for you.
What happens if a hospital or doctor made a mistake?
We investigate with qualified medical experts to determine whether care fell below the accepted standard and who is responsible. Malpractice deadlines are shorter and more technical than ordinary injury deadlines, including a one-year discovery rule and an eight-year outer limit, so start the review promptly.
Serving Des Moines and South King County Injury Clients
We represent people across Des Moines, from the waterfront and marina district through the Pacific Ridge and Zenith neighborhoods and along the Pacific Highway South corridor. Our work extends to neighboring communities including Normandy Park, SeaTac, Burien, Tukwila, Kent, Federal Way, and Renton. We also serve clients in Auburn, Covington, and Maple Valley to the southeast, and across Seattle, Bellevue, Sammamish, Redmond, and Kirkland, so wherever in King County and the greater Puget Sound region your injury happened, our attorneys can handle the claim and meet you where you are.
Talk With a Des Moines Injury Attorney Today
If someone else’s carelessness hurt you or took someone you love, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. Injury Law Group NW offers free, confidential consultations with a Des Moines injury attorney who will listen to what happened, explain your options, and tell you honestly what your claim may be worth. Call or text us to schedule. We give hope. We get results.
