SHERIDAN car
ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Auto Accident Lawyer
Representing Injury Victims
in Sheridan, OR

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns that can be difficult to deal with. Car accidents are unfortunately a common twist many people can go through. The best we can do is refer to an experienced and dedicated team of professionals that will help you during this difficult time. The Johnston Law Firm will be this for you. We will work tirelessly for you and will treat you like you are a part of our family. Give us a call today at 503-546-3167.

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Beginning your Car
Accident Cases in Sheridan

If you or a loved one have been injured or have passed away due to those injuries in a car accident, you and family may have a right to pursue compensation. If you are unfortunate enough to be in a car accident, the first step would be to make sure you and your loved ones are safe. The following steps should also be included in the process:

• Obtain pictures of vehicle damages, both of you and the other driver’s vehicles
• Pictures of license plates and street names
• Pictures of the other driver’s license and insurance coverage
• Call your insurance company and report the accident. DO NOT give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with a car accident attorney
• File an official accident report with DMV within 72 hours of the accident
• Call us at the Johnston Law Firm so we can offer our best and most honest advice about what your best next step should be.

Common Injuries 
in Sheridan Car Accidents

Car accidents can be very difficult to predict, and their results can be even more unpredictable. What is known is that there tends to be a few common injuries from car accidents, whether they are major accidents or even minor.

• Head trauma
• Lower body trauma 
• Herniated discs
• Bulging discs
• Whiplash

Don’t miss out on these common personal injury mistakes.

Get the legal counsel you need to guide you through the process of filing an injury claim.

Damages Eligible for 
Compensation in Sheridan

When car accidents occur, there are many factors that go into dictating how a possible case will move forward. In any case, two types of damages can be eligible for compensation for a victim, both of which are designed to compensate the victim.

• Economic Damages: compensate an injured plaintiff for direct financial losses, such as medication costs, hospitalization stays, surgery bills and lost wages. Economic damages are defined by Oregon law as “objectively verifiable monetary losses including but not limited to reasonable charges necessarily incurred for medical, hospital, nursing and rehabilitative services and other health care services, burial and memorial expenses, loss of income and past and future impairment of earning capacity”.
• Noneconomic Damages: compensate an injured plaintiff for more subjective losses such as emotional trauma or distress. Oregon law defines these as “subjective, non-monetary losses, including but not limited to pain, mental suffering, emotional distress, humiliation”. These damages are more difficult to quantify, as emotional pain can be traumatic and long-lasting, as well as difficult to recover from.

Determining Liability in Sheridan Car Accident Cases

As many factors as there are in car accident cases, determining liability is of the utmost importance and in many ways, dictates how the case will move forward. When an accident happens, insurance companies and other concerned parties will investigate the following:

• What kind of accident was it: rear-end, side swipe, head-on, highway collision?
• What the property damage looks like for all involved parties
• Types of injuries reported
• Past driving records
• Witness information (if there are any witnesses)
• Any other physical evidence

The investigation of these factors will make each interested entity (insurance, attorney’s office) decide on who was liable for this accident. The insurance company will conduct their own investigation on these circumstances, but when you hire an experienced Sheridan car accident lawyer, they will conduct a separate investigation into the facts of the incident. Sometimes in simple cases, such as a rear-end accident, full liability will be claimed by the at-fault driver’s insurance that same day. In other cases, where the details are a little more complex, liability may be tricky to be decided upon. Regardless of the complexity, we at the Johnston Law Firm will find the truth in what happened and will fight for what you deserve.

Filing your Sheridan 
Car Accident Claim on Time

At times, it seems like deadlines rule our daily lives. Well, in the world of car accident cases, there is one very important deadline that is vital to you and your loved one’s ability to receive compensation for your injuries. This deadline is two years after the date of the accident and injuries. You have two years from the day of the accident to file a claim.

You may think two years is quite a while, but trust us at the Johnston Law Firm that these two years can fly by and the longer you wait to contact a car accident attorney, the more risky the process can become. The sooner you at least reach out to us, the sooner you can get what you need in terms of advice on your next step and beginning the process of restoring your life back to normal. Give us a call today at 503-546-3167 to get our free advice.

Frequently
Asked Questions