Professional Negligence

As a victim of professional negligence, you may have legal options.

When you seek out the services of someone who has specialized skills, you expect a professional. And in most cases, a professional is what you will get. But what happens when you pay someone to deliver a specialized service and they fail so spectacularly that their failure has measurable negative effects on your life?

It happens all the time across a variety of professional fields in Washington state. For victims, this can be the worst experience of their lives. But as a victim of professional negligence, you may have legal options.

Under Washington state law, you may be able to sue the professional whose negligence harmed you. And if your suit is successful, you will recover compensation that accounts for every way in which you were harmed. For help with your professional negligence claim, read on and reach out to the Washington professional negligence attorneys at Ryan, Montgomery & Armstrong, Inc., P.S.

Professionals Who Can Be Held Liable for Negligence

Not all workers can be sued when they fail to deliver on their professional promises. Even though you might want to, you wouldn’t be able to file a lawsuit against a server who got your order wrong at a restaurant. Waiting tables may be their profession, but they are not considered a “professional” under Washington state’s negligence laws.

So, who can you hold accountable for professional negligence in Washington? Typically, professional negligence lawsuits are reserved only for licensed professionals. The following are some examples of professionals who can be held legally accountable for their professional negligence:

• Doctors.
• Almost all other healthcare professionals.
• Attorneys.
• Accountants.
• Financial and investment advisors.
• Engineers.
• Architects.

Proving Professional Negligence

If you want to recover compensation from a professional whose negligence has harmed you, you will need to be able to prove a few things in court:

• The professional owed you a “duty of care,” meaning they should have taken care not to harm you.
• The professional was actually negligent.
• The professional’s negligence harmed you in some way (typically financially).

How do you prove this? By collecting evidence and building a case that demonstrates why you deserve compensation for what happened to you.

Recovering Compensation for Professional Negligence in Washington

Proving your side of the story is only half of the battle. Then, you have to understand the monetary value of each of your damages (ways in which you were harmed). Calculating the value of some damages is straightforward. For instance, if you gave your life savings to a securities professional who carelessly frittered your money away on unsuitable investments, you would be owed your life savings at the very least.

Other damages, however, can be more difficult to calculate. For instance, if a surgeon accidentally amputated the wrong limb on your body, how much compensation would you demand to account for the fact that you may never walk again?

This is an extreme example, but it is meant to prove a point: You need to carefully consider every way in which professional negligence has harmed you — even if that harm did not directly impact your wallet.

The following are some common damages for which you can receive compensation in a Washington state professional negligence lawsuit:

• The money you paid for the professional’s services.
• Property damage.
• Bodily injuries you suffered.
• Lost opportunities that resulted from the professional’s conduct.
• Pain and suffering.
• Emotional trauma.
• Reduced quality of life.

Why Work with an Attorney?

Perhaps you understand the basics of suing for professional negligence in Washington state. So why should you enlist the services of an attorney?

In most cases, professionals have means. They likely also have professional malpractice insurance. That means you will likely come up against the professional’s attorney and/or their malpractice insurance provider as you seek compensation.

Defense lawyers and insurers are trained to do one thing: protect their clients and themselves from financial liability. To do that, they will try to discredit your evidence and your story. And if they can successfully reduce their perceived blame for what happened, they can reduce the amount of compensation you receive — even destroy it entirely.

That is why it is so important to come to this fight armed with a powerful legal ally. A Washington state professional negligence lawyer can help you defend against dishonest tactics from the at-fault party and insurance companies and help you obtain the maximum available compensation.

Reach Out to Ryan, Montgomery & Armstrong, Inc., P.S.

To ensure that you have a strong case that will win the compensation you deserve, speak with a trusted professional negligence lawyer in Washington. The experienced attorneys at Ryan, Montgomery & Armstrong, Inc., P.S. are well-versed in Washington state’s negligence laws and know how to put together a bulletproof case for compensation.

To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys today, give us a call at 360-307-8860 or fill out the online contact form on our website’s contact page.