Washington has a rich and varied landscape, from gorgeous beaches to some of the most incredible mountains in the country. Bellingham and the environs surrounding it in Whatcom and Skagit Counties is blessed with both land and sea, making it a wonderful place in which to work and play. Many residents enjoy traveling these landscapes by motorcycle. While most every ride is a wonderful way and safe experience, every time bikers get on the road, they are at the mercy of other drivers in vehicles that weight on average four tons. In a crash with one of them, the odds seriously are stacked against the motorcycle driver. Terribly, sometimes this means fatal injuries for the motorcycle driver.
When a loved one dies as a result of another driver’s mistake or negligence, it can be hard to think about money. Even though nothing can change what happened, it’s important to hold accountable the person or persons who created the circumstances that took your loved one away.
Bill Coats has dedicated his career to helping accident victims receive fair, full, and fast compensation. He has the knowledge and skills to help you get the justice you deserve. To begin, contact him for a free consultation at 360-303-0601.
Even though survivors are emotionally traumatized from their loss, there is no way to avoid a litany of decisions that must be made. Even while in a state of shock, survivors have to decide funeral arrangements and make ends meet when all they want to do is grieve. The future may seem insurmountably difficult without your loved one. Though the emotional and financial burdens seem unbearable, justice in the form of financial compensation might be the only way to ease some of those problems. If your loved one died as the result of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to hold their insurer to a level of justice that fits what happened.
Determining negligence is the key to wrongful death claims. This means that it is necessary to prove that your loved one died because of someone else’s reckless or negligent actions. Common factors that, if proven to be conditions surrounding the crash, can be things like dangerous roadways, speeding, distracted or drunk driving,
What Must Be Done
Once you have been notified of the death of your loved one in a motorcycle collision in Washington, the shock eliminates all other thoughts from your mind. You may feel like you are not capable of doing anything but grieve, but you have to make important decisions for your family. You need to address end of life decisions such as notifying the rest of the family, including children if you have any, making funeral arrangements, dealing with a list of other things which you cannot even imagine and, of course, looking towards the future, a future without your loved one.
Please bear in mind that, in Washington, once you have determined who the responsible party is, there is a deadline to file a lawsuit against them. Called a statute of limitations, it means you only have one to three years (depending on the facts) to initiate a lawsuit. If you try to file outside that time period, you won’t be able to file it, and that means whatever the insurance company offered you – if anything – is all you get for the rest of your life. This can make a profound difference in the financial future of your family.
It takes a skilled attorney to get you through the complexities of the laws that effect wrongful death claims. Starting the process with someone who knows it saves you much time and effort. Bill Coats Law has experience and know-how to dedicate to helping you after your loved one died from someone else’s negligence. Call him today.