What is a car accident claim worth in Washington?
Every rule below is quoted from Washington law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
The short answer
Nobody can price your claim from a web page, and any site that gives you one number is guessing. What we can show you is real: the amount insurers actually paid per claim in Washington, and the Washington rules that raise or lower what you collect. $27,584 was the average injury claim paid in Washington in 2022.
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Averages come from NAIC 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report. State rules are quoted from Washington law on this site, each with a link.
What claims paid in Washington
Injury claims in Washington averaged $27,584 each in 2022.
Car and property damage claims averaged $6,588.
| Injury claim paid by the at fault driver's insurance | $27,584 |
|---|---|
| Car and property damage | $6,588 |
| Personal injury protection, paid by your own policy | $6,675 |
| Medical payments coverage, paid by your own policy | $6,409 |
| Collision coverage, paid by your own policy | $7,294 |
These are averages of every claim insurers closed, from the largest to the smallest. A claim with a hospital stay sits far above the average, and a fender bender sits far below it.
What changes the number in Washington
If you were partly at fault
Washington uses pure comparative negligence. Your own share of fault reduces your damages by that percentage, but it never blocks your right to recover, even if you were mostly at fault.
“any contributory fault chargeable to the claimant diminishes proportionately the amount awarded as compensatory damages for an injury attributable to the claimant's contributory fault, but does not bar recovery”
The other driver's policy limit is the ceiling
The minimum liability limits are $25,000 for one injured person, $50,000 for two or more people injured or killed in one crash, and $10,000 for property damage.
“not less than twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, to a limit of not less than fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident... not less than ten thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident”
If the other driver has no insurance
Insurers must offer underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage on every new or renewed auto policy. A driver or their spouse can reject it in writing, and the rejection carries over to future renewals unless they ask for the coverage again in writing.
“No new policy or renewal of an existing policy insuring against loss resulting from liability imposed by law for bodily injury, death, or property damage...shall be issued...unless coverage is provided therein or supplemental thereto for the protection of persons insured thereunder who are legally entitled to recover damages from owners or operators of underinsured motor vehicles”
The deadline that ends the claim
You have three years from the crash to sue for your injuries.
“An action for taking, detaining, or injuring personal property, including an action for the specific recovery thereof, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another”
What a lawyer takes if you hire one
Washington has no cap on personal injury contingency fee percentages, but the fee must be reasonable, and the agreement must be in writing, signed by the client, and state how the fee is calculated and what expenses the client pays.
“A contingent fee agreement shall be in a writing signed by the client... A contingent fee agreement shall state the method by which the fee is to be determined, including the percentage or percentages that shall accrue to the lawyer in the event of settlement, trial or appeal”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.