I am a lawyer in CT and practice in this area of the law.  if you are referring to a personal injury claim, most state statutes, including WA have a 3 year statute of limitations for file claims.  the statue of limitations begins to run on auto accidents from the date of the accident.  for other claims such as medical malpractice, the statute begins to run on the date that the plaintiff knew or should have known about the injury.  i suggest going to see a lawyer about your claim.  most lawyers will give you a free initial consultation.

Yes - for auto accidents, generally three years is the cut-off.