Being injured in a car accident can be terrifying and life-changing.  Even though technology is making driving, cycling, and walking, safer, and injuries are occurring less frequently, car accidents are still one of the leading causes of injuries and accidental death in this country.  Every year tens of thousands of people in Oregon are injured and hundreds are killed as a result of car accidents.

 

If you are injured, or your loved one was killed, in a car accident in Oregon here is what you need to know:

 

1.  Talk to an attorney:  Any reputable Oregon car accident attorney will provide you a free consultation about your rights and your next steps.  Do not hesitate to call an attorney.  If an attorney will not talk to you, or tries to charge you a fee or a retainer for a consultation, call another attorney.  Do not pay for a consultation!

 

2.  The insurance companies are not your friends:  Insurance companies have one job: make money.  The way they make money is by denying claims, delaying payment on claims, and fighting like hell to keep their money.  They treasure their money more than their insureds’ credit ratings (they get their insureds sued to keep their money), more than their customers’ loyalty (they don’t care if their insured has been with them for decades, they just want to keep their money), and more than the suffering of car accident victims (they really want to keep their money from them).  They are not caring, feeling people.  They are mega-money corporate machines. 

 

3.  Investigation is key:  Often the police will either fail to investigate a crash or will take the path of least resistance and complete a bare bones report with zero conclusions.  An investigation needs to be started as soon as possible to identify and locate witnesses and get their statements locked down because memories fade and phone numbers change.  Most reputable Oregon car accident attorneys use a professional private investigator to gather statements. 

 

4.  Medical bills need to get paid:  Usually, when a car accident victim is admitted to the hospital due to their injuries, their health insurance is the only insurance information available.  The hospital bills then get denied because in Oregon, a car accident victim’s automobile insurance is the primary insurer for their injuries.  These hospital bills will frequently wind up in collections.  An Oregon car accident attorney can help get these bills paid.

 

5.  You need to hire a car accident attorney:  I have been representing car accident victims for years.  I can count on one hand the number of people I have talked to who have successfully represented themselves and recovered a fair amount of money for their injuries.  It always makes sense to hire an attorney.  If you think your claim isn’t “big enough”, it is.  It may not be big enough for the grizzled veterans but Oregon has a lot of very good car accident attorneys who take cases of all sizes.  The best way to find a good one who will take your case is to call a good one and if they can’t take your case they will know someone who can.