HILLSBORO CAR
ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Experienced Car Accident Attorney
Representing Injured Victims in Hillsboro, OR.

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Residents of Portland and visitors to Oregon often travel to Hillsboro, Oregon to enjoy the wide variety of family farms, as well as the local wineries along the Hillsboro Wine Trail. It’s a popular place for tourists and Oregon residents alike, yet serious car accidents can happen here. From high-speed crashes on US-26 to collisions in Hillsboro itself, motor vehicle accidents can be devastating. From truck accidents to a car wreck, dedicated Hillsboro car accident lawyers can help with your case. Our law office is committed to helping Hillsboro personal injury victims with car crash claims and all other personal injury matters.

Common Causes of
Hillsboro Car Accidents

Car Accident cases can happen in Hillsboro, Oregon for many different reasons. A Business Insider article lists the following as some of the most frequent causes of motor vehicle collisions in the country, including in Oregon:

• Distracted driving, which involves many different types of distracted behaviors, from texting on a smartphone to thinking about another issue that takes the driver’s mind off the task of driving;
• Intoxicated or drunk driving, including drugged driving;
• Speeding;
• Running a red light or driving through a stop sign;
• Reckless driving, which may include excessive speeding, changing lanes without signaling, following too closely, running red lights; and even road rage behaviors;

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 in Car Crashes 
in Hillsboro, OR

In general, car accident plaintiffs typically will be eligible to receive two different types of compensatory damages, both of which are designed to compensate the car accident victim for losses:

• Economic damages: These compensate an injured plaintiff for direct financial losses like surgery bills, hospital costs, medication costs, and lost wages. Oregon law defines them as “objectively verifiable monetary losses include 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,” and so forth.
• Noneconomic damages: These compensate an injured plaintiff for subjective losses that can be more difficult to quantify, such as emotional injury or distress. Oregon law defines noneconomic damages as “subjective, non monetary losses, including but not limited to pain, mental suffering, emotional distress, humiliation” and so forth.

While Oregon law does have a cap on noneconomic damages of $500,000, the appellate courts have largely declared this cap to be an unconstitutional violation of the Remedy Clause.

• Economic damages: These compensate an injured plaintiff for direct financial losses like surgery bills, hospital costs, medication costs, and lost wages. Oregon law defines them as “objectively verifiable monetary losses include 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,” and so forth. This will help cover the cost of you catastrophic injuries.
• Noneconomic damages: These compensate an injured plaintiff for subjective losses that can be more difficult to quantify, such as emotional injury or distress. Oregon law defines noneconomic damages as “subjective, non monetary losses, including but not limited to pain, mental suffering, emotional distress, humiliation” and so forth.

While Oregon law does have a cap on noneconomic damages of $500,000, the appellate courts have largely declared this cap to be an unconstitutional violation of the Remedy Clause. As such, plaintiffs should plan to seek non-economic damages in their claims and should not worry too much about the statutory cap. If you have questions about any of these things, give us a call! Our experienced car accident lawyer is ready to answer any question that you have!

Personal Injury Protection
(PIP) Benefits in Hillsboro, Oregon

All motorists in Hillsboro are required to purchase and carry a minimum amount of auto insurance in case they’re involved in Oregon car accidents. Among the different types required, personal injury protection (PIP) is one type of coverage. The PIP benefits you purchase allow you to recover some or all of your medical expenses, a portion of your lost income, and more. The total amount of PIP benefits available after an accident includes:

• Up to $15,000 in reasonable medical expenses related to the crash over a two-year period
• 70 percent of your lost income, which includes up to $3,000 a month for a period of 52 weeks
• Up to $30 a day in the cost of essential services for a period of 52 weeks
• Up to $25 a day, but not exceeding $750, for childcare expenses if the accident victim is hospitalized
• Up to $5,000 in funeral expenses within the first year

To be eligible for PIP benefits, you must report the accident to your insurer shortly after the crash. If you fail to do so, your insurer may reject your claim because you did not follow the requirements of your policy.

File Your Hillsboro Car
Accident Lawsuit On Time

If you are going to file a car accident lawsuit, you need to make certain that it is filed on time. Under Oregon’s personal injury statute of limitations, most car accident lawsuits will need to be filed within two years from the date of the initial injury, which should also be the date the accident occurred. If you do not file your lawsuit within this time window, Oregon law will say that you have what is known as a “time-barred” claim. Once a potential plaintiff has a time-barred claim, she or he becomes ineligible to recover damages through a civil lawsuit.

Although you might think two years is a long time and that you can afford to wait to reach out to one of our Hillsboro car accident attorneys, you should know that valuable evidence can be lost in your case if you let too much time pass. The sooner you get in touch with one of our personal injury attorneys at our firm, the sooner we can take the steps that are necessary for you to get the financial compensation you need and deserve. This also includes wrongful death claims due to a major car accident.