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Experienced Tacoma Auto Accident Lawyers

Experiencing a car accident is often a life-altering event where victims can experience physical injuries, trauma, emotional turmoil, confusion, and uncertainty. When experiencing this, you need to hire a Tacoma, WA car accident lawyer with a track record for achieving the best outcomes for clients.

On This Page

Types of Car Accidents

Causes of Car Accidents

Locations of Car Accidents

Liability in Washington Car Accidents

Pursuing Compensation After a Car Accident in Washington

Understanding Damages In Washington Car Accident Cases

Statute Of Limitations In Car Accident Lawsuits

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Life is all about the unexpected – and the unexpected can come as pleasant surprises or not-so-pleasant accidents. We’re here to help you out when life takes a turn for the worst, to get you back on your feet again.
Vigorous Defense for Victims of Car Accidents

Types Of Car Accidents

Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions happen when a driver following too closely or not paying attention hits the vehicle ahead. Wet roads, sudden stops in heavy traffic, and distracted driving all increase the likelihood of rear impact. Injuries from rear-end crashes range from whiplash and soft tissue damage to herniated discs and traumatic brain injuries, with severity increasing significantly at higher speeds.

T-Bone Accidents

Side-impact collisions, also called T-bone accidents, occur most frequently at intersections when a driver runs a red light or stop sign and strikes a vehicle crossing legally. A vehicle's side offers significantly less structural protection than the front or rear, which means occupants on the side of impact absorb much of the force directly. Broken bones, internal injuries, spinal damage, and traumatic brain injuries are all common outcomes, with severity depending heavily on the speed of the striking vehicle and whether the struck vehicle had side-curtain airbags.

Head-On Collisions

Head-on collisions occur when two vehicles traveling in opposite directions strike each other front-to-front, and the combined force of both vehicles' speeds makes these crashes among the most deadly on the road. Wrong-way driving, overcorrecting on a curve, and impaired driving are the most frequent causes. Survivors commonly face traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crushed limbs, and internal organ injuries that require long-term or permanent medical care. Freeman Law Firm's car accident attorneys have handled head-on collision cases throughout the Tacoma area and understand the catastrophic, life-altering losses these crashes leave behind.

Single Vehicle Accidents

Single-vehicle accidents don't always result from driver error. Road hazards, defective vehicle components, and poor road maintenance can all force a driver to lose control, and in those situations another party, a government agency, a contractor, or a manufacturer, may carry liability. Crashes into fixed objects like trees or guardrails, and rollover accidents in particular, produce serious injuries including traumatic brain injuries, spinal fractures, and crush injuries. If you were hurt in a single-vehicle crash, it's worth having an attorney review what caused it before assuming you have no case.

Multiple Vehicle Pile-Ups

Multi-vehicle pile-ups typically start with a single collision that triggers a chain reaction, pulling additional vehicles into the crash before drivers have time to react. Highway speeds, limited visibility, and heavy traffic all increase how many vehicles get drawn in and how severe the resulting injuries are. From a liability standpoint, pile-ups are among the most complicated car accident cases to resolve, with multiple drivers, multiple insurance policies, and disputed accounts of who struck whom and in what order. An attorney who has handled pile-up cases in Tacoma knows how to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify every party whose negligence contributed to your injuries.

Hit And Run Accidents

Hit-and-run accidents leave victims in a difficult position, injured by a driver who may never be identified. If the at-fault driver is not found, compensation can still be available through your own uninsured motorist coverage, and an attorney can help recover what you're owed through that process.

Causes Of Car Accidents

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in Washington State. Texting is the most dangerous form of distraction because it pulls your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your attention away from driving all at once. At 55 mph, reading a text takes your eyes off the road for the length of a football field. If a distracted driver caused your accident, phone records, traffic camera footage, and witness statements can all be used to establish what the driver was doing at the moment of impact.

Speeding

Speeding reduces the time a driver has to react to sudden stops, sharp turns, or unexpected hazards, and it increases the force of impact when a collision occurs. Washington law treats speeding as negligence, and in a personal injury case, speed can be established through black box data, traffic cameras, skid mark analysis, and witness accounts.

Drunk Driving

Drunk driving accidents frequently produce some of the most severe injuries seen in personal injury cases, and Washington treats them accordingly. A DUI conviction can be used as evidence of negligence in your civil case, strengthening your position when pursuing compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving, including tailgating, abrupt lane changes, and running red lights or stop signs, creates dangerous conditions for every driver nearby. Under RCW 46.61.500, reckless driving is a distinct offense from simple negligence, and that distinction can affect how liability is established and what compensation you may be able to recover.

Weather Conditions

Wet roads, ice, fog, and other adverse weather conditions contribute to a significant number of accidents in the Tacoma area each year. Drivers have a legal duty to adjust their speed and following distance to match road conditions, and a driver who fails to do so can be held liable even when the weather itself played a role in the crash.

Running Red Lights And Stop Signs

Drivers who run red lights or stop signs put every vehicle in the intersection at risk, and these crashes tend to be severe because the struck vehicle typically has no warning and no time to brake. Traffic camera footage, intersection sensors, and witness accounts are often available to establish that a driver failed to yield, which makes liability in these cases more straightforward to prove than in many other collision types.

Teen Drivers

Inexperienced drivers are statistically more likely to misjudge gaps in traffic, react incorrectly to road hazards, and underestimate stopping distances. When a teen driver causes an accident, their parents' auto insurance policy typically covers the damages, and in some situations the parents themselves may carry liability.

Fatigue

Driving while tired or drowsy can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Fatigue impairs a driver’s reaction time, judgment, and ability to focus on the road. This is particularly a concern for long-distance drivers or those who drive late at night.

A recent estimate by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that in the United States, approximately 42,795 people lost their lives in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2022.

In Washington alone, there were 698 fatal crashes. In 186 cases, the driver was impaired by alcohol. In 267 cases, the driver tested positive for drugs. 232 cases involved a speeding driver, while 94 involved a distracted driver.

Car Accidents Hot Spots in Tacoma

Tacoma recorded 4,153 total crashes in 2025, with 20 fatalities and 86 crashes resulting in suspected serious injuries. Certain roads and intersections account for a disproportionate share of those numbers, and the city has identified several of them as priority locations in its Vision Zero High-Risk Network.

High-Risk Intersections

SR-509 and Alexander Avenue is among the most dangerous intersections in the region, with more than 100 crashes over a six-year period, including a collision that killed six people, and 42 additional crashes since 2023, with red-light running identified as the primary cause. Canyon Road East and Military Road East sees frequent high-risk encounters between passenger vehicles and heavy freight, including a multi-vehicle crash in October 2024 caused by a semi-truck running a red light. East 72nd Street and East McKinley Avenue is a focal point of the city's 2026 Road Safety Audit, on a road that has recorded more fatality crashes than any other arterial in Tacoma in recent years.

Busy Surface Streets

Pacific Avenue at South 56th Street sees vehicle speeds of 40 to 45 mph mixed with pedestrians crossing to reach transit stops and nearby businesses, a combination that produces serious crashes on a road already flagged as one of Tacoma's highest-risk. South Tacoma Way between South 47th and South 62nd Street, near the Tacoma Mall, generates a high volume of rear-end crashes driven by heavy commercial truck traffic merging with passenger vehicles throughout the day.

Highway Interchanges and Transition Zones

The I-5 interchanges at SR-16 and SR-512 require rapid lane changes at highway speeds, and their complex designs contribute to a high frequency of crashes at both locations. Portland Avenue near Bay Street presents a different hazard, where the road transitions from city street conditions to a higher-speed route, catching drivers off guard and elevating risk for both drivers and pedestrians.

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Liability In Washington Car Accidents

Liability in a Tacoma car accident case comes down to negligence, specifically, which party failed to act with reasonable care and whether that failure caused your injuries. More than one party can share liability, and identifying all of them affects the total compensation available to you.

Driver Negligence

When a driver speeds, runs a red light, drives impaired, or texts behind the wheel, negligence is established directly by the conduct itself. Traffic citations and criminal convictions create a documented record of the behavior, which strengthens your position when pursuing compensation for your injuries and losses.

Vehicle Manufacturers

A defective vehicle component can cause or contribute to a crash even when a driver does nothing wrong. Faulty brakes, failing airbags, and tire defects are among the most common product liability issues seen in car accident cases, and manufacturers can be held responsible when a defect they knew about, or should have known about, caused your injuries.

Government Entities

Potholes, missing signage, and malfunctioning traffic signals can all create liability for the government agency responsible for that infrastructure. Cases against government entities carry shorter deadlines and require a pre-suit notice before a lawsuit can proceed, so getting an attorney involved early is important.

Employers

When a driver causes a crash while performing job duties, their employer can be held liable under respondeat superior. Commercial policies carried by employers often have significantly higher coverage limits than a personal auto policy, which can affect the compensation available to you.

Pursuing Compensation After A Car Accident In Washington

After a car accident in Washington, victims have two primary avenues to seek compensation: through insurance claims or by filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Insurance Claims

After a crash in Washington, you can file a claim with your own insurance company, the at fault driver's insurer, or both. Insurance adjusters work for the insurer, and their job is to limit what the company pays out. Our Tacoma car accident attorneys can counter that by building the documented case for the full value of your injuries and losses.

Filing A Lawsuit

When an insurance claim doesn't produce adequate compensation or fault is genuinely disputed, a personal injury lawsuit is the next step. A lawsuit opens the door to a fuller range of damages than an insurance settlement typically covers, including long-term medical costs, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering. Our lawyers can advise you on whether the facts of your case warrant taking that step.

Damages You May Recover After a Tacoma Car Accident

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In car accident cases "damages" refers to the financial compensation you can pursue for the losses your injuries have caused. Washington law recognizes several categories, and the value of your case depends on how thoroughly each one is documented and presented.

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses are typically the largest component of a car accident case and cover everything from emergency transport and hospitalization to surgery, medication, and long-term rehabilitation. Future medical costs can also be recovered when your injuries require ongoing treatment, which makes early documentation of your prognosis and care plan critical to maximizing what you recover.

Lost Wages And Earning Capacity

Compensation for lost wages covers the income you missed while recovering from your injuries. If your injuries permanently limit your ability to return to your previous job or work in the same capacity, you can also pursue damages for the loss of future earning capacity, which is calculated based on your age, occupation, and the extent of your limitations.

Pain And Suffering

Pain and suffering compensation covers the physical pain and emotional distress your injuries have caused. Unlike medical bills or lost wages, pain and suffering damages are not tied to a specific dollar amount and are instead assessed based on the severity of your injuries, the length of your recovery, and how your injuries have affected your daily life.

Property Damage

Property damage covers the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other personal property damaged in the crash. If your vehicle is totaled, compensation is based on its fair market value immediately before the accident.

Statute Of Limitations In Car Accident Lawsuits

The Three-Year Filing Deadline

RCW 4.16.080 is a Washington law that sets a three-year deadline for bringing various types of legal actions, including those related to car accidents. Missing the deadline almost always means losing the right to recover compensation permanently, even when the other driver's fault is clear. Insurance negotiations don't pause the deadline, and adjusters know exactly when your window closes, which is one reason having an attorney in the mix from the beginning protects your case.

Wrongful Death Cases

RCW 4.20.010 addresses wrongful death car accident lawsuits. According to this law, if someone’s death is caused by the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another, the deceased person’s personal representative can file a lawsuit against the responsible party. Beneficiaries may recover both economic and non-economic damages sustained as a result of the decedent's death.

Freeman Law Firm, Inc. Tacoma Car Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident in Tacoma, having the right attorney handling your case can determine how much compensation you recover and how well your rights are protected throughout the process. Freeman Law Firm, Inc. helps car accident victims deal with their post-accident challenges. Our highly experienced and compassionate car accident attorneys understand how complex these cases can be and are committed to representing your interests with the utmost care and professionalism. Contact us at (253) 383-4500 or reach out to via our contact form for a comprehensive evaluation of your case. Learn more about personal injury cases in Washington.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Viewing or using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship with Freeman Law Firm, Inc. Case results depend on specific facts and cannot be guaranteed. For legal guidance for your individual situation, contact our office for a consultation.

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