Representing Injured Drivers and Passengers in Puyallup

South Hill’s growth has outpaced the road network that serves it. The SR-512 and SR-161 corridors carry heavy commuter volume through intersections that were designed for a smaller Puyallup.

A collision is over in seconds. The consequences are not. Medical bills arrive before you are back at work, and the at-fault driver’s insurer often calls within 48 hours — before you have seen a specialist and before anyone knows what the injury will actually cost.

Sterbick & Associates has practiced law in Washington for more than 29 years. Attorney John Sterbick is a member of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA #17805) and the Washington State Association for Justice, and appears in both state and federal court.

Local Collision Context

WSDOT has designated a Collision Analysis Corridor on SR-161 near milepost 25.5, in the 35th Ave SE / South Hill area, as a documented high fatal and serious-injury location. The SR-512 corridor between Lakewood and Puyallup carried roughly 110,000 average daily vehicle trips as of 2019 WSDOT data.

Corridor safety data, prior collision history at a specific intersection, and signal or roadway design records are discoverable, and they can bear directly on who is responsible — including whether a municipality shares fault.

Where a Puyallup Claim Is Filed

Civil personal injury suits arising in Puyallup are filed in Pierce County Superior Court, 930 Tacoma Ave S, Room 334, Tacoma, WA 98402. Puyallup has no separate superior court; Pierce County civil suits are filed in Tacoma.

Washington Rules That Affect Your Claim

Three years to file. Most injury claims must be brought within three years of the collision under RCW 4.16.080(2). If a government entity is involved — a city vehicle, a transit bus, a road design claim — you must first present a tort claim form and wait 60 days before filing suit under RCW 4.96.020 or RCW 4.92.110.

Partial fault does not bar recovery. Washington applies pure comparative negligence under RCW 4.22.005. Found 30% at fault, you recover 70%. This is exactly why the early insurer phone call exists — every point of blame assigned to you comes off the check.

No cap on pain and suffering. In Sofie v. Fibreboard Corp., 112 Wn.2d 636 (1989), the Washington Supreme Court held that statutory caps on noneconomic damages violate the constitutional right to a jury trial.

Check your own policy. Underinsured motorist coverage under RCW 48.22.030 covers hit-and-run drivers and at-fault drivers carrying minimum limits. PIP under RCW 48.22.085 pays medical costs and income continuation regardless of fault, unless you rejected it in writing. Many injured people never learn they had either.

What Happens After the Settlement

Sterbick & Associates is also a tax and bankruptcy practice, so the issues that surface after a recovery are handled in the same office:

  • Hospital liens under RCW 60.44.010 are capped by statute at 25% of the total recovery and carry strict filing requirements. We audit each one before payment.
  • Settlement taxability under IRC § 104(a)(2) — compensation for physical injury is generally excluded from income, but punitive damages and interest are not. Allocation belongs in the negotiation, not next April.
  • Debt from time out of work. If bankruptcy becomes the right answer, Washington’s unlimited bankruptcy exemption for injury proceeds under RCW 6.15.010(1)(d)(viii) can protect your recovery — when it is claimed correctly.

Related: Personal Injury practice · Puyallup office page