Corvallis Personal Injury Attorney

Personal injuries can happen almost anywhere in Corvallis, from motor vehicle collisions to slips and falls in restaurants or retail stores, or while seeking care from a health care provider. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there are around 55.4 million nonfatal injuries that occur in the U.S. each year. When a personal injury does happen, it is important to seek advice from a Corvallis personal injury lawyer who can evaluate your case and help you to determine your eligibility for filing a claim. An advocate at the Johnston Law Firm can speak with you today.

It is important to take certain steps after any type of injury case in Corvallis or elsewhere in Oregon to preserve your ability to obtain a reasonable settlement or a damages award to compensate you for your losses. The specific steps you should take after an injury caused by another party will depend on the particular kind of injury case, as well as how and where it occurred. In general, however, you should take the following steps after most kinds of injuries to ensure that you have the evidence you will need to file a successful insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit:

• Document the scene where the injury occurred as best as you can, using your smartphone to take photographs and to show both the area of the accident and any close-up images that depict injuries or damage;
• Identify possible witnesses to your injury and obtain their names and contact information;
• Go to a doctor as soon as possible since many serious injuries, including injuries like internal bleeding or spinal injuries, do not always immediately produce symptoms;
• If your injury occurred in a motor vehicle collision, inform your auto insurer of the accident as soon as possible; and
• Begin working with a personal injury lawyer to determine whether you should file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, and get started on your case.

There are various issues that will come up in a personal injury lawsuit in Corvallis, from determining eligibility to file a personal injury lawsuit to potential forms of alternative dispute resolution to damages and settlement offers. The following are some of the key issues you should expect in a Corvallis personal injury case, recognizing that the specifics will vary from case to case:

• Insurance claim, which may occur before you consider a personal injury lawsuit in cases involving a motor vehicle collision or a premises liability injury like a slip and fall; 
• Personal injury lawsuit, which is a civil lawsuit that you will file against one or more defendants after you work with an attorney to determine who may be liable for your injuries and responsible for paying damages;
• Alternative dispute resolution or ADR, which may involve mediation where a neutral third party facilitates dialogue between the disputing parties so that they can resolve the issue or arbitration where the parties present their case before an arbitrator who renders a binding decision;
• Settlement, which can refer to a settlement offer from the insurance company that an injured person receives after filing an insurance claim or a settlement offer made by a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit at any point prior to a judgment or jury verdict; 
• Damages award, which usually includes compensatory damages (both economic damages for direct financial losses and non-economic damages for subjective losses like pain and suffering), and in some cases punitive damages may be awarded to punish the defendant for actions that caused an unreasonable risk of harm and showed a conscious indifferent to others’ safety and welfare; and
• Judgment or jury verdict, which refers to the decision made by a judge or jury in a personal injury case and can result in damages being awarded to the plaintiff.