Bellingham Personal Injury Lawyer

Published November 14, 2026. Washington statutes and local facts were checked on that date.

Gammill Law Accident & Injury Lawyers represents injured people in Bellingham and across Whatcom County from an office at 114 W Magnolia Street, downtown. The lawyer who runs that office, Zack Muljat, is licensed in Washington. This page sets out the Washington rules that decide an injury claim, each linked to the statute so you can read it yourself.

• Deadline: three years to file most injury lawsuits in Washington (RCW 4.16.080(2)).
• Claims against a city, a county or the state: a tort claim form has to be presented first, and you cannot sue until 60 calendar days have passed (RCW 4.96.020, RCW 4.92.110).
• If you were partly at fault: your share reduces what you recover. It does not bar the claim (RCW 4.22.005).
• Fee: contingency. No fee unless there is a recovery, under a written fee agreement.
• First step: get medical care, make sure the collision is reported, and write down the other driver’s insurance details. Then call (360) 392-2808.

Your Bellingham Personal Injury Lawyers, and Who Is Licensed Where

Zack Muljat is the firm’s managing attorney in Bellingham. He is admitted to practice in Washington and California. The Washington State Bar Association directory lists him as an active lawyer, license number 58676, admitted in 2021. He has practiced since 2015, with a focus on wrongful death, catastrophic injury and civil rights cases. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, cum laude, at Western Washington University, and his law degree at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he was Chief Production Editor of the law review.

David Gammill is the firm’s founder and lead trial lawyer. He spent seven years as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County and has tried more than 100 cases to verdict, first as a prosecutor and since then for injured people.

David is licensed in California. He is not yet admitted in Washington and is seeking admission there. Until it is granted, he can appear in a Washington case only with that court’s permission for that particular case, working with Zack. The rule is Admission and Practice Rule 8(b). It requires the out-of-state lawyer to associate with an active member of the Washington bar, who is the lawyer of record, is responsible for the conduct of the case, and is present at proceedings unless the court excuses it. In a Washington case, that lawyer is Zack.

Bellingham Personal Injury Cases We Handle

Most injury claims in Whatcom County start on the road. The City of Bellingham’s 2026 Local Road Safety Plan, built on Washington State Department of Transportation data, counted 4,803 crashes on streets the City owns from 2020 through 2024. The highest year was 2024, with 1,052. The plan found crashes concentrated along Meridian Street, downtown streets, Sunset Drive, Northwest Avenue and Northwest Drive, Bakerview Road and Lakeway Drive.

Bellingham Car Accident Lawyer

Interstate 5 runs north to south through the city. Three state routes meet it here: SR 11 on the south side, SR 539 (Meridian Street, the Guide Meridian) and SR 542 (East Sunset Drive). In the City’s 2020 to 2024 data, angle crashes were the most common type at 1,205, followed by rear-end crashes at 1,161. A car accident claim turns on who was at fault, in what share, and which insurance policies apply.

Truck Accidents

SR 539 connects I-5 in Bellingham to the Canadian border crossing north of Lynden. A crash with a commercial truck can involve more than one responsible party, such as the driver and the company the driver works for. Washington makes a party answerable for the fault of its agent or servant (RCW 4.22.070(1)(a)), which is why the employment relationship is one of the first things to pin down.

Motorcycle Accidents

The fault rules are the same for riders as for drivers. The insurance rules are not. The statute that requires underinsured motorist coverage on auto policies does not apply while you are operating or occupying a motorcycle (RCW 48.22.030(2)). Check your own motorcycle policy for that coverage before you need it.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

The same City plan counted 239 crashes involving a pedestrian or a bicyclist from 2020 through 2024. Of those, 58, or 24 percent, ended in a serious injury or a death. The plan found the serious ones concentrated on Samish Way between Abbott Street and Bill McDonald Parkway, and along Lakeway Drive and Meridian Street. Washington drivers must stop and stay stopped for a pedestrian or bicycle in a marked or unmarked crosswalk (RCW 46.61.235).

Dog Bites

Washington holds a dog’s owner liable for a bite to a person who is in a public place or lawfully on private property, including the owner’s own property. It does not matter whether the dog had bitten before or whether the owner knew it was dangerous (RCW 16.08.040).

Wrongful Death

A wrongful death claim is brought by the personal representative of the person who died (RCW 4.20.010). It is for the benefit of the spouse or state registered domestic partner and the children, including stepchildren. If there are none, it may be brought for the parents or siblings (RCW 4.20.020). Separate survival statutes let the estate recover the person’s own economic losses and damages for the pain and suffering he or she went through (RCW 4.20.046, RCW 4.20.060). A parent may also bring a claim for the death of a child in the circumstances set out in RCW 4.24.010.

Serious Injuries

A brain injury, a spinal injury or an amputation is valued over a lifetime: future care, lost earning capacity, and what the injury takes from daily life. The area’s emergency department is the Haggen Family Emergency and Trauma Center at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, 2901 Squalicum Parkway. PeaceHealth describes it as a Level II trauma center, open 24 hours.

Washington Deadlines for a Whatcom County Injury Claim

You have three years to file most personal injury lawsuits in Washington. The statute covers an action for “any other injury to the person or rights of another” (RCW 4.16.080(2)). The Washington Supreme Court has said a wrongful death claim also carries a three-year limitation period, in Deggs v. Asbestos Corp. (2016). If the injured person was under 18 when the claim arose, the time before the 18th birthday generally does not count against the claim (RCW 4.16.190).

Claims against government are different in one way that catches people. Before you can sue the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County or another local government, you have to present a claim on the state’s standard tort claim form to the agent that government has appointed to receive claims. The form must be presented within the same limitation period. No lawsuit may be started until 60 calendar days after it is presented, and the limitation period is paused for those 60 days (RCW 4.96.020). The City Attorney’s Office is the City of Bellingham’s listed contact for claims against the City.

Claims against the State of Washington, which include claims about state employees and state agencies, go to the Office of Risk Management at the Department of Enterprise Services. The same 60-day wait applies (RCW 4.92.100, RCW 4.92.110).

Injury lawsuits in Whatcom County are filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham. Whatcom County District Court, in the same building, can hear an injury case when the claim is worth no more than $100,000 for each claimant (RCW 3.66.020).

How Fault Is Shared in Washington

Washington reduces your recovery by your share of fault and does not bar the claim, whatever that share is. In the statute’s words, a claimant’s fault “diminishes proportionately the amount awarded as compensatory damages” but “does not bar recovery” (RCW 4.22.005). If a jury finds $100,000 in damages and puts 20 percent of the fault on you, the award is $80,000.

The jury assigns a percentage to everyone who caused the harm, and the percentages add up to 100 (RCW 4.22.070). What happens next depends on you. If you were not at fault at all, the defendants a judgment is entered against are jointly liable for the sum of their shares, so all of it can be collected from any one of them. If you carry any share of the fault, each defendant generally owes only its own percentage. So a small share of fault on you changes who pays, not only how much.

Insurance Realities in Washington

• Minimum liability limits are low. Washington requires drivers to carry liability coverage of at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more people in one accident, and $10,000 for property damage (RCW 46.30.020, RCW 46.29.090).
• Underinsured motorist coverage comes with an auto policy unless it was rejected in writing. It must be in the same amount as the policy’s liability coverage, and it covers uninsured, underinsured, hit-and-run and phantom vehicles (RCW 48.22.030). A phantom vehicle claim needs evidence other than your own testimony and a report to law enforcement within 72 hours.
• Personal injury protection must be offered. The minimum package is $10,000 for medical and hospital bills, $2,000 for funeral expenses, $10,000 for lost income and $5,000 for loss of services (RCW 48.22.085, RCW 48.22.095). It can be rejected in writing, so check your declarations page.
• The collision has to be reported. A driver in a crash with an injury, a death, or property damage of $1,000 or more must file a written report within four days, unless a law enforcement officer makes the report (RCW 46.52.030, WAC 446-85-010).

Who takes the report depends on where the crash happened. Inside city limits it is the Bellingham Police Department. Outside the cities it is the Whatcom County Sheriff or the Washington State Patrol, whose troopers handle collision investigation on state and interstate highways. Copies of collision reports come from the State Patrol.

How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer in Bellingham

Ask any firm these four questions, including this one.

1. Who is licensed in Washington, and will that lawyer appear in my case? Look the lawyer up in the Washington State Bar Association legal directory. Here, Zack Muljat is licensed in Washington and is the lawyer of record. David Gammill is licensed in California and appears only with the court’s permission in a particular case.
2. What trial experience can I verify? David Gammill has tried more than 100 cases to verdict. The firm has recovered more than $100 million for California clients, and its results include a $21.1 million wrongful death jury verdict and a $16 million school sexual abuse jury verdict. Those are California results, not Washington ones. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
3. Is the fee in writing? This firm works on a contingency fee under a written fee agreement: no fee unless there is a recovery.
4. Who works the file? Zack is the managing attorney. He leads the firm’s cases through investigation, discovery, motions and trial preparation.

What Happens After You Call

1. We ask what happened. When, where, who was involved, what treatment you have had, and which insurers have contacted you.
2. We check the deadlines. The first question is whether a city, a county or the state is involved, because that brings in the claim form and the 60-day wait.
3. We tell you whether we think you have a case. If it is not one for this firm, we say so.
4. If we take the case, you get the fee agreement in writing and the name of the Washington lawyer responsible for it.

Our Bellingham Office

Gammill Law Accident & Injury Lawyers
114 W Magnolia St, Suite 441
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360) 392-2808

The office is in the Crown Plaza building in downtown Bellingham. The City lists the building as a local historic place under its original name, the Montague & McHugh Building, constructed in 1927.

Questions People in Whatcom County Ask

Is your lawyer licensed in Washington?

Yes. Zack Muljat, the managing attorney in Bellingham, is licensed in Washington and California. David Gammill is licensed in California and is not yet admitted in Washington. He takes part in a Washington case only with the court’s permission under Admission and Practice Rule 8(b), alongside Zack.

How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Washington?

Three years for most injury claims, under RCW 4.16.080(2). If a city, a county or the state is responsible, a tort claim form must be presented within that period and at least 60 calendar days before the lawsuit is filed.

What if I was partly at fault for the crash?

You can still recover. Under RCW 4.22.005 your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, and there is no cutoff percentage that ends the claim.

What does it cost to hire a Bellingham personal injury lawyer at this firm?

The firm works on a contingency fee. There is no fee unless there is a recovery, and the terms are set out in a written fee agreement that you see before you sign.

The other driver had no insurance. What now?

Look at your own auto policy. Underinsured motorist coverage, which also covers uninsured and hit-and-run drivers, is part of a Washington auto policy unless you or your spouse rejected it in writing. Personal injury protection, if you kept it, pays medical bills up to its limit.

Do I have to report the collision myself?

Only if no officer did. If police investigated, the officer files the report. If not, and someone was hurt or damage to any one person’s property is $1,000 or more, you have four days to file a written report.

Where would a Whatcom County injury case be heard?

Usually in Whatcom County Superior Court at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham. District Court, in the same building, can hear injury cases worth up to $100,000 for each claimant.

Sources

1. RCW 4.16.080, actions limited to three years; RCW 4.16.190, tolling for minors.
2. RCW 4.22.005, effect of contributory fault; RCW 4.22.070, percentage of fault and several liability.
3. RCW 4.96.010 and RCW 4.96.020, claims against local governments.
4. RCW 4.92.100 and RCW 4.92.110, claims against the state; Department of Enterprise Services, File a Tort Claim.
5. RCW 4.20.010, RCW 4.20.020, RCW 4.20.046, RCW 4.20.060 and RCW 4.24.010, wrongful death and survival actions.
6. Deggs v. Asbestos Corp., Washington Supreme Court No. 91969-1 (2016).
7. RCW 46.30.020 and RCW 46.29.090, required liability insurance and minimum limits.
8. RCW 48.22.030, underinsured motorist coverage; RCW 48.22.085 and RCW 48.22.095, personal injury protection.
9. RCW 46.52.030 and WAC 446-85-010, collision reports and the $1,000 threshold.
10. RCW 46.61.235, crosswalks; RCW 16.08.040, dog bites.
11. RCW 3.66.020, district court civil jurisdiction; Washington Courts, Whatcom County court directory.
12. Washington Supreme Court, Admission and Practice Rule 8.
13. Washington State Bar Association, legal directory profile for license number 58676.
14. City of Bellingham, Local Road Safety Plan (January 2026), crash data for 2020 through 2024.
15. City of Bellingham, File or Request a Traffic Collision Report; City Attorney Services; Montague & McHugh (114 W. Magnolia).
16. Washington State Patrol, Bureaus (Field Operations Bureau).
17. PeaceHealth, Haggen Family Emergency and Trauma Center.

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Talk to a Bellingham Personal Injury Lawyer

If you were hurt in Bellingham or elsewhere in Whatcom County, call the Bellingham office at (360) 392-2808 or send us the details. The firm works on a contingency fee: no fee unless there is a recovery, under a written fee agreement.

This page is attorney advertising and general information about Washington law, not legal advice for any specific situation. Deadlines and outcomes depend on the facts; consult a lawyer licensed in Washington about your own circumstances. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.