This can either be a good thing or a bad thing; it really just depends on the individual case and its circumstances. If the defendant doesn’t show up, then they are not able to give their side of the story and it is likely that all the jury will hear is your first-hand account of the accident. However, this does not mean that you can embellish or falsify your story in any way; you need to be as non-biased as possible when you are giving your account of the accident.
The only potential downfall of the defendant not showing up is that your Seattle personal injury attorney will not be able to speculate on the defense’s evidence and testimony. But this won’t cause many problems, and, if the defense doesn’t show up, it will not do anything to hurt your case.