What Is the Average Uninsured Motorist Settlement in Washington?

You were driving through eastern Washington when another driver hit you, and now you’ve learned that driver had no insurance or nowhere near enough to cover the damage. What you want is a straight answer about what a claim like yours is worth, and there’s no reliable average uninsured motorist settlement in Washington to point to. The numbers that get thrown around are national “averages” that have nothing to do with your crash, your injuries, or the coverage you actually carry.

Getting that number wrong can cost you. Accepting a fast, low offer can hand back money you’ll need once the medical bills keep coming, and leaning on a national figure can push you to undervalue a claim you had every right to build from your own facts. A filing deadline can also pass while you wait, and that can end the case entirely.

McPartland Law Offices handles uninsured and underinsured motorist claims for injured people across eastern Washington, with offices in Moses Lake and Spokane serving the communities around them. These claims work differently from a normal injury case because the recovery often comes from your own auto policy rather than the driver who hit you. Our uninsured and underinsured motorist team helps eastern Washington drivers work through what their coverage actually allows, and the first consultation is free, with no fee unless we recover for you.

Why There’s No Reliable Average for an Uninsured Motorist Claim in Washington

There is no reliable average uninsured motorist settlement in Washington. The state keeps no public database of private injury settlements, and what a claim is worth depends on the facts of each case.

The “average uninsured motorist settlement” figures that show up online are mostly national marketing numbers, pulled from other states and other facts. Insurance companies may use internal formulas or methods when reviewing pain and suffering, but Washington law does not assign non-economic damages a fixed multiplier.

Why Published Settlement Numbers Can Be Misleading

A published number reflects one person’s injuries, one insurance policy, and one set of facts that may look nothing like yours. Two rear-end crashes on I-90 can settle years apart for very different amounts, and the difference usually reflects the medical treatment, the lost income, and the coverage available. The same caution applies to the average settlement figures cited for car accident back and neck injuries, which vary widely once the specific facts come into view.

What Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Actually Covers

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage sits on your auto policy, and it exists for exactly this situation. It applies when the driver who caused the crash cannot cover what it cost. How you handle a crash with an uninsured driver in the first days can shape the claim, and the two parts of this coverage work a little differently when it is time to use them.

Uninsured vs. Underinsured Motorist Claims

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage applies when the at-fault driver has no insurance at all. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage may help cover the gap when the at-fault driver carries too little to pay for your losses, if that coverage applies and you purchased it or did not reject it. Both come from your insurer, which changes who you are dealing with and how the claim moves.

When the At-Fault Driver Has Too Little Coverage

Washington’s minimum liability requirements may leave an injured person with losses that exceed the at-fault driver’s available coverage. In those situations, other coverage, including underinsured motorist coverage if available, may become important.

Once the at-fault driver’s insurer tenders its policy limits, underinsured motorist coverage may help make up the difference if that coverage applies and you purchased it or did not reject it. In some cases, going after more than the at-fault driver’s policy limits is worth a close look.

What Affects the Value of an Uninsured Motorist Claim in Washington

The value of an uninsured motorist claim comes from the specific facts of your case, not from a chart or a formula. A few factors tend to drive it more than the rest:

• Injuries and prognosis: How severe the harm is and how fully you are expected to recover
• Medical treatment and future care: The cost of care already provided and the care still ahead
• Lost income and earning capacity: Wages you have missed and any lasting hit to your ability to work
• Available coverage: The limits on your own UM or UIM policy and any other coverage that applies

Each of these depends on evidence, so building the record early can change the outcome.

Medical Treatment and Future Care

The cost of your recent medical treatment and the care you will still need sit at the center of most claims. A back injury that needs surgery and months of therapy carries a different value than a sprain that heals in weeks. Records, imaging, and a treating provider’s opinion on future care all help put a real number on that harm.

Lost Income and Earning Capacity

Lost income is more than the paychecks you have already missed. If an injury keeps you from the physical work you have always done, the claim can account for reduced earning capacity over time. For someone whose household runs on a single income and a trade that depends on a healthy back or hands, that piece can be the largest part of the claim.

How Fault Affects Your Recovery

Washington follows a pure comparative fault system under RCW 4.22.005. If you are found partially responsible for the crash, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover damages unless you are 100% at fault. In plain terms, being blamed for part of the crash lowers what you collect, yet it does not shut the door on a claim.

Fault is not always obvious, and a crash where the uninsured driver was not at fault raises its own questions about which coverage applies. Sorting that out early keeps the claim from stalling.

Filing a Claim Against Your Own Insurance Company

A UM or UIM claim is a first-party claim, which means you file it against your insurance company rather than the driver who hit you. That distinction is to your advantage. Because your insurer owes you a duty of good faith, it has to treat your claim fairly, unlike the at-fault driver’s insurer, which owes you no such duty on the average third-party claim.

Most injury claims in Washington must be filed within three years under RCW 4.16.080, the deadline tied to the crash itself. A claim against your insurer can run on a different timeline that often depends on your policy. Confirming the deadlines that apply to your situation early beats assuming the three-year window covers everything.

Your insurer may still push back on value, delay, or make an early offer that does not reflect the full cost of your injuries. Washington’s Insurance Fair Conduct Act, found at RCW 48.30.015, gives policyholders a way to hold an insurer accountable when it handles a first-party claim unreasonably. If an offer comes in low, it helps to understand what happens when you reject an insurance settlement offer before you sign anything.

Why Eastern Washington Drivers Work With McPartland Law Offices

We have recovered more than $100 million for injured people across eastern Washington, and a good share of that work has meant standing up to insurance companies over what a claim is worth. On an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim, that experience means we know how carriers value these cases and where they tend to come up short. We are ready to try a case when the offer is unfair and ready to settle when the number is right, and we do not treat one as a substitute for the other.

Our offices in Moses Lake and Spokane keep us close to the eastern Washington communities where these crashes happen, and more than 350 five-star reviews reflect how we treat the people we represent. McPartland Law Offices handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not pay legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Client Testimonials

“If you are looking for a genuine, attorney that has your best interest, you want to hire McPartland Law Offices PLLC. My son was involved in a car accident that was not his fault, and the opposing insurance company did everything in their power to try and wiggle their way out of even paying for the damages to his car let alone the medical. Brady & Bryce never backed down. They were always upfront and honest with my son, keeping him in the loop of the lack of progress or progress that was made. Although, the other driver and his insurance company refused to accept responsibility, McPartland Law office was able to get my son the settlement he deserved.” — Darla

“I was so nervous, because I had never been involved in a car accident and personal injury case before. From the first day that I came into the office, I was immediately put at ease and was comfortable handing everything over to you. You handled everything, and I could focus on running my business.” — Mary

Frequently Asked Questions About Uninsured Motorist Claims in Washington

Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Apply to a Hit-and-Run in Washington?

Often, yes. If you carry uninsured motorist coverage, Washington generally treats a hit-and-run or a phantom vehicle that forced your crash as an uninsured driver. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner advises reporting the crash to police within 72 hours, which helps protect that claim.

Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required in Washington?

No. Washington does not require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, but your insurer must offer it, and you can only decline it in writing. That is why many drivers carry more of this coverage than they realize. Checking your policy is the first step in any uninsured motorist claim.

Will Filing an Uninsured Motorist Claim Raise My Rates in Washington?

Usually not. Washington law bars an insurer from raising your rates, canceling, or refusing to renew your policy based on a claim unless you were found at fault (RCW 46.52.130). Because a UM or UIM claim follows a crash someone else caused, using the coverage you paid for should not count against you at renewal.

Get Your Uninsured Motorist Claim Reviewed in Eastern Washington

You may already have an offer on the table or an adjuster asking for a recorded statement. We handle uninsured and underinsured motorist claims across eastern Washington, and we can go through your own policy limits and any offer the adjuster has made before you agree to anything. The first consultation is free, and there is no up-front cost and no fee unless we recover for you.

Call us at 509-495-1247 or fill out our contact form. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover for you.