Filing your Auto Insurance Claim
If you or a loved one has been in an auto accident in Boring, the first steps to take are the following:
- Make sure everyone is OK, if possible, move vehicles safely to the side of the road out of the way of traffic
- Obtain the involved drivers’ license, license plate, insurance, vehicle damage (Photos work great)
- Take pictures of the scene, your vehicle, cross street, missing car parts
- Gather info from any possible witnesses
- If possible, safely get home or to a safe place
- Call your insurance company and report the accident
- Call your car accident lawyer
Most Common Causes of Car Accidents
- Following too closely behind
- Illegal lane changes
- Driving too fast for the current conditions
- Failing to yield
- Failing to avoid vehicle in front
- Distracted driving: texting, talking on phone, drinking
What Types of Damages Could I Be Eligible For?
In the state of Oregon, an injured victim can be eligible for two types of compensatory damages. Both of these damages are intended to compensate the victim for their losses. If you choose to hire a car accident attorney to handle your motor vehicle claim, they will fight on your behalf to acquire one or both of the following:
Economic Damages: compensate an injured victim 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 victim 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.
Filing Your Claim On Time Matters
When an auto accident occurs is when the timeline to file your civil suit begins. From that point forward, you have two years from the day of the accident and day of injuries sustained from that accident to file your claim. If you wait even one day after the deadline to file, the state of Oregon will recognize your claim as “time-barred” and you will lose your right to compensation. This is why it is vital to contact your experienced Boring car accident lawyer as soon as you can.
This process can be alarming and confusing, but with an attorney fighting for you, you can focus on what matters: the health of you and your loved ones.
One more important reason you should contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible is that insurance companies will act fast and with only one thing in mind: saving money. The insurance companies want to handle the claim, get you in and get you out as fast and as cheap as possible. Attorney Marc Johnston and his team will not be bullied or tricked by the insurance company and will fight to ensure you are treated fairly. The Johnston Law Firm will be right by your side to protect your interests and work with you to resolve the case and get you back what you lost.
Free Confidential Case Evaluation
Contact us today at
503-546-3167
to get a FREE, confidential case evaluation
We’re conveniently located in downtown Portland, and we offer flexible hours by appointment.