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Traffic Accident Attorneys in Beaverton, Oregon

For over 40 years combined, we have specialized in representing people injured in Portland, Oregon and the surrounding areas in the following types of traffic accident cases:

  • Car accidents

  • Drunk driver accidents

  • Truck accidents

  • Motorcycle accidents

  • Bike accidents

  • Bicycle accidents

  • Bus accidents

  • Pedestrian accidents

  • No Insurance accidents

  • Uninsured driver accidents

  • Under-insured driver accidents

  • Train accidents

  • Property damage claims

Our experience, along with our past results, allows us to enter into a contract that guarantees that you won't pay us a penny unless we are successful in prosecuting your case. In the last ten years alone, we have recovered over 25 million dollars on behalf of our clients.

How are you different than most Oregon lawyers?

What type of Oregon personal injury cases do you handle?

Traffic accident cases involve three questions:

1. Who is responsible?

2. What harms, losses and injuries did you sustain in the accident?

3. How much money compensation is it going to take to make you whole?

In every one of our traffic accident cases in Portland, Oregon and beyond, there is a disagreement as to the amount of monetary compensation that it is going to take to make our client whole. If you have been injured as a result of somebody else's wrongdoing, then you are entitled to compensation for your medical expenses incurred to date, your future medical expenses incurred throughout your lifetime, your wage loss to date, your loss of earning capacity, your emotional trauma, your pain and suffering and for the limitations that your injuries have placed on your lifestyle.

In some cases, the responsibility for the accident is disputed or the cause of our client's injuries are blamed on something else. We have also developed a working relationship with a long list of experts who can help us establish responsibility for your accident including reconstructionists, investigators, life care planners, vocational rehabilitationists and medical professionals who can establish all of the harms and losses caused by your accident. We advance the cost of these experts and we are only reimbursed for these expenses if we are successful in prosecuting your case.

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TYPICAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENT LEGAL QUESTIONS

What is the most important thing you do for your clients?

Our first priority is to get your medical bills paid, start your disability payments and help you take care of your property damage so that you can take as much time as you need to get better before you try to settle your case. One of the most important things that we do for our clients is to figure out what problems they are going to have in the future as a result of their accident. After we are certain about your future, we can obtain fair compensation for everything you have gone through and everything that the accident will cost you in the future.

Why is it important to hire an Oregon attorney who specializes in traffic collision cases?

Your case will settle when the insurance company--or whomever you are making a claim against--fears that you will take them to court and force them to fairly compensate you for your injuries. A demand to the insurance company is simple: "Be fair with me or else I will take you to court and have a jury force you to be fair." Without an attorney, you pose no risk to the insurance company. Our past results in court benefit you because insurance companies in Oregon know that if they are unfair, then the Law Offices of Clayton H. Morrison will take your case to court. This is why we are able to fully settle most of our cases as quickly as possible.

Why do you need a lawyer for your Oregon traffic collision claim?

Can I talk to an Oregon attorney for free, even if I plan on handling my own case?

Yes. The Law Office of Clayton H Morrison's very best clients are the ones who have tried to settle their own cases. These clients are truly grateful when they end up with two to three times the amount of money that they were offered in their cases without an attorney representing them. In a few moments over the phone, we can give you an estimate of what your claim is worth.

Do you need an Oregon lawyer when the other person is admitting they are at fault?

Besides running the risk of settling your case before you are certain about your future, you also run the risk of settling a claim for less than its fair value. In most cases, the party who caused your injury is represented by an insurance company and its experienced adjuster. Their goal is to pay the least amount of money as possible and they have developed effective strategies to achieve this goal. It is to your advantage to have an attorney handling your claim who is knowledgeable and who can protect your rights. Without an attorney, you run the risk of making serious and costly mistakes.

When you settle your case, you will settle for everything that you have gone through to date and for everything that you are going to suffer in the future. The biggest mistake you can make is settling your case before you are certain about how your injury is going to affect you in the future. One of the most important things that we do for our clients is to figure out what problems they are going to have in the future as a result of their accident.

Should you give a statement to the insurance company?

The insurance company for the other driver only needs basic information to begin your claim such as your name, address, and phone number. If you give a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster, you are probably outgunned. You are just a regular person trying to give an honest statement, but you can rest assured that whoever is taking the statement is a complete pro in taking statements. Whoever is taking your statement will have two goals: 1) to find out what your story is, and 2) to see if he/she can twist your words around to make you look bad. Our fist suggestion is that you call us for some free advice before deciding whether or not to give a statement.

Recorded statements given to the other driver's insurance company are generally used to lessen the amount of money that you receive. For example, most doctors agree that it is common for someone to begin experiencing pain two to three days after an accident. Imagine if the insurance company contacts you within 24 hours of the accident, which they usually do, they ask if you are in pain, and you tell them that you are not in pain. Fast forward a year or two when you have accumulated thousands in medical bills for injuries that became apparent a few days after you gave the recorded statement, and you are in the middle of a trial. It is extremely damaging to your case when the recorded statement is played and the judge or jury hears your voice telling the insurance company that you are neither hurt nor in pain after the accident. Keep this in mind when you are considering whether to give a statement.

In Portland, Oregon and beyond, you have a duty to cooperate with your own insurance company, including giving them a statement, before they will pay your Personal Injury Protection benefits. Just relax and tell the truth. You can always call us for some free advice before giving a statement to your own insurance company.

Should you sign a medical authorization for the insurance company?

In Oregon, you are not required to give a medical authorization to the insurance company of the driver who caused your accident. You have a duty to give a medical authorization to your own insurance company before they will pay your Personal Injury Protection benefits.

Never sign a medical authorization for the insurance company of the person who hurt you. Most medical authorizations allow the insurance company to talk to your doctors without you being present and they will ask your doctor questions in a way that will damage your case.

What are the important statutes of limitations in Oregon?

In general, Oregon traffic accident cases must be filed with the court within two years of the date of the accident. There are, however, several important exceptions and you should call our office and get free legal advice on your case even if more than two years have passed since your accident. If you were injured by a drunk driver, special time limits apply. You may have a case against the bar or social host that served the drunk driver alcohol. This is only possible in certain circumstances but in order to maintain even the possibility of such a suit,

FEATURED TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CASE RESULTS

$800,000 Award and Settlement

EB was injured in a T-bone collision when the at-fault driver suddenly and without warning pulled from a stop sign into his lane of travel. Initially, EB thought that he suffered soft tissue injuries and a minor concussion. About a month after the accident he started to notice memory and coordination problems on his left side. The insurance company for the other driver refused to acknowledge EB's traumatic brain injury and accused him of faking the injury. A lawsuit was filed and a month before trial the insurance company's paid their $300,000 policy limits. Thereafter, the client proceeded to binding arbitration for his underinsured motorist benefits. The resulting arbitration, workers' compensation claim and the above settlement resulted in a benefit to the client of over $800,000.

$550,000 Award

MB was a passenger in a pickup truck that was stopped at a road construction site when he was in was rear-ended. As a result of the collision, MB suffered a lumbar disk herniation that required two surgeries. The at-fault driver's insurance company offered their policy limit of $100,000 but also maintained that the paving company was responsible because they failed to provide proper warnings of the roadwork ahead. We filed a complaint naming the driver and the paving company alleging negligence and were awarded $550,000.

$419,000 Settlement

TS was making a left-hand turn at an intersection when another driver ran a red light striking him on the driver's side of his car. He suffered rib fractures, an elbow fracture and a spleen laceration that was surgically repaired. The driver at fault for the collision settled the case for his insurance policy limits of $100,000. We prosecuted an under-insured motorist claim against Safeco Insurance. Initially, Safeco refused to acknowledge that because TS missed a significant amount of work, he lost retirement benefits. Just before trial, we were able to reach a settlement of $319,000 that compensated TS for all of his losses including his retirement benefits.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT RESOURCES

Oregon DMV: Steps to take after an accident. http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/pages/driverid/acci...

Oregon DMV: Traffic Accident Insurance Report Form PDF http://www.odot.state.or.us/forms/dmv/32.pdf

Oregon Revised Statutes https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/Pages/ORS.aspx

Oregon State Bar http://www.osbar.org/index.html

Oregon Insurance Division: Complaint Form http://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/insurance/gethelp/Pages...

ODOT: Traffic, Bike, Motorcycle & Pedestrian Safety Manuals http://www.odot.state.or.us/forms/dmv/32.pdf

OLCC's Digest of Violations by Bars & Restaurants http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Pages/casedigest_finalo...