L&I is not
the whole story.
Washington workers' comp is supposed to make you whole. It rarely does. We pursue the parties L&I cannot — equipment manufacturers, subcontractors, property owners — to recover what L&I leaves on the table.
- $18.7M+Recovered in third-party workplace claims
- 3 yrsStatute of limitations on third-party suits
- 0%Up-front cost — contingency fee
- 100%Coordinated with your existing L&I claim
The Two-Track Strategy
L&I gives you a floor.
Third-party gives you the rest.
Most injured workers don't realize a third-party claim exists. Our job is to identify every potentially responsible party beyond your direct employer.
L&I Workers' Comp
- —Medical-only or time-loss benefits
- —Capped wage replacement
- —No pain & suffering recovery
- —No recovery against your employer directly
Third-Party Liability
- →Full economic damages
- →Pain & suffering recoverable
- →Recovery against subs, manufacturers, GCs
- →Stacks on top of your L&I claim
Cases We Handle
From the jobsite to the assembly line.
Construction site falls
Scaffolding collapses, unguarded openings, defective equipment, and stacked-trade negligence.
Equipment failures
Defective tools, missing guards, improper lockout/tagout — third-party manufacturer claims.
Struck-by and crush injuries
Falling materials, swing-radius incidents, and forklift collisions on multi-employer worksites.
Repetitive trauma & exposure
Long-tail occupational injuries L&I underpays — back, shoulder, respiratory.
Case Spotlight
Construction-site fall — third-party liability against the GC and equipment vendor.
Carpenter fell two stories through an unguarded floor opening on a downtown Seattle high-rise. L&I covered the surgery and time-loss benefits — capped at a fraction of his pre-injury earnings. We pursued the general contractor for safety violations and the scaffold subcontractor for failing to install required toe-boards. Settled before trial.
Anatomy of a jobsite
Four parties — only one is your employer.
L&I bars suit against your direct employer. The other three remain fair game — and they usually carry the larger insurance policies.
General Contractor
Site safety, multi-employer coordination, OSHA compliance for the entire jobsite.
Subcontractor
Crew supervision, trade-specific safety, lockout/tagout, fall protection for their workers.
Equipment Manufacturer
Defect-free design, working safety guards, adequate warnings — strict liability applies.
Property Owner
Safe premises, disclosure of known hazards, building-code compliance.
Statutory Deadlines
Four windows — miss one and the option closes.
Workplace cases are deadline-driven. We track every filing window from the first phone call.
Report the injury to your employer in writing. Texts and emails count.
File the L&I claim (Self-Insured employers: 2 yrs). Missing this forfeits benefits.
Appeal an adverse L&I decision to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.
File the third-party lawsuit. Some defendants have shorter notice deadlines.
Interactive · 60 seconds
Estimate your third-party case.
For workers already on L&I — see what a parallel third-party claim could add.
Workplace Injury Estimator
Brackets reflect typical Washington third-party recoveries on top of L&I benefits.
Step 1 of 3
How serious were the injuries?
How We Work
A parallel-track strategy.
Coordinate with L&I
We protect your benefits while building the third-party case in parallel.
Identify all parties
Subs, GC, equipment manufacturer, property owner — anyone whose negligence contributed.
Preserve the scene
Site photographs, equipment chain-of-custody, OSHA records, and witness statements within days.
Negotiate or try
We resolve when the offer is fair and try when it isn't. L&I lien is negotiated separately.
Common Questions
What injured workers ask first.
I'm already on L&I — can I still hire you?
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Yes. L&I covers limited benefits but bars suing your employer. A third-party claim against another contractor, equipment maker, or property owner is separate and stacks on top of L&I.
Will my employer retaliate if I file?
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Washington protects workers against retaliation for pursuing legal claims. We will document any retaliatory conduct and address it directly.
How long do I have to file?
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Most third-party injury claims must be filed within three years. L&I claims have separate, shorter deadlines. Call as soon as possible.
Who pays the L&I lien?
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L&I has a statutory lien on third-party recoveries. We negotiate the lien down as part of the resolution so more of the recovery reaches you.
L&I + Third Party