Keizer Personal Injury Lawyer

We Handle Personal Injury Cases
in Keizer and Throughout Oregon

Keizer continues to grow as one of the Willamette Valley’s most vibrant communities, bringing increased traffic, new development, and more visitors to the area each year. Whether you’re traveling along River Road North, driving on Cherry Avenue, visiting Keizer Station, or attending an event at Volcanoes Stadium, accidents can happen unexpectedly. As the city grows, so does the risk of car crashes, slip and falls, workplace accidents, and other injuries caused by negligence.

Although Johnston Law Firm is based in Portland, attorney Marc A. Johnston proudly represents injury victims throughout Keizer, providing experienced legal guidance and dedicated advocacy when it matters most.

Have you or a loved one been injured in Keizer? Reach out to Johnston Law Firm today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Keizer personal injury lawyer. We are ready to answer your questions, explain your legal options, and help you pursue the compensation you deserve. Call 503-546-3167 or contact us online to get started.

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How Johnston Law Firm Can Help
With Your Keizer Personal Injury Claim

After an accident, many people wonder whether they really need a lawyer or if they can negotiate with the insurance company on their own. While every case is different, having experienced legal representation often makes a significant difference, especially when injuries are serious or liability is disputed. Attorney Marc A. Johnston and the team at Johnston Law Firm help clients throughout Keizer by:

• Investigating the accident and gathering evidence to establish how it happened.
• Identifying all liable parties and available insurance coverage.
• Calculating the full value of your medical expenses, lost income, and other damages.
• Negotiating with insurance companies that make low settlement offers or deny valid claims.
• Preparing your case for litigation if a fair settlement cannot be reached.

Do not hesitate to reach out even if you think you cannot afford a lawyer. Johnston Law Firm handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no upfront attorney’s fees and owe nothing unless we successfully recover compensation for you.

Cases We Handle in Keizer, OR

Although accidents are unintentional, someone may still be at fault. This means their lack of care resulted in the accident which hurt you. Our firm has helped people injured in many types of personal injury accidents, including:

• Motor vehicle crashes which injure motorists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, or bicyclists.
• Slip and falls caused by a hazard on the floor or ground, such as ice, snow, worn carpeting, trash, or condensation.
• Products liability cases, when defective products fail to work as expected and injure consumers or bystanders.
• Premises liability accidents, where a visitor is injured by a defect or hazard on public or private property.
• Medical malpractice, when medical professionals fail to follow the correct standard of care and compromise patient health.
• Wrongful death, where accidents have fatal consequences.

Understanding Negligence

Most personal injury cases are brought for negligence. Legally, this is the failure to use reasonable care under the circumstances. It is very fact specific. What is negligent behavior in one situation might not qualify as negligence in others.

A lawyer can analyze the facts and determine whether the defendant’s conduct rises to this level. For example, a motorist who breaks a traffic safety law is almost always negligent. But a motorist who is driving under the speed limit could still fail to use reasonable care.

Oregon also recognizes comparative fault. Under this law, a victim can seek compensation provided their fault was “not greater” than the fault of the defendants. Put simply, you can be up to 50% responsible but not over. If you were 51% at fault, you wouldn’t be able to sue.

The Personal 
Injury Process

Accident victims need compensation. Typically, you can sue the person whose negligence injured you, and request compensation to cover damages, like medical bills or lost income.

The personal injury process has several stages:

• Investigation into what happened. This investigation is necessary to uncover fault. An attorney can review the police report and possibly interview witnesses.
• Insurance claim. The defendant might have insurance, such as a driver carrying required liability insurance. An insurance claim might require months of back-and-forth negotiation.
• Mediation. All parties involved in an accident can meet with a mediator to discuss the case. If successful, parties can draft a settlement agreement.
• Trial. When cases can’t settle, each side will head into court to present their case to a jury.

Every case is different, and some cases settle faster than others. Helpfully, most cases settle without any need for a trial.

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.

Personal
Injury Deadlines

Oregon has deadlines that set the maximum amount of time an accident victim has to sue. These deadlines are found in various statutes of limitations. The deadline depends on the type of claim you bring:

• Negligence action for personal injuries—Two years from the day of the injury
• Medical malpractice—Two years from the day you were injured or the date your injuries were reasonably discovered
• Wrongful death—Three years from the date of the injury which leads to death

Ideally, accident victims will quickly meet with an attorney to review their case. It is possible to lose the ability to sue if you wait too long—even a day over the deadline. An attorney can quickly get a lawsuit filed if necessary in an appropriate court.

Compensation Available for Your Injuries

Compensation for personal injury cases is designed to make up for out-of-pocket and other losses. A victim can seek money for:

• Medical care
• Rehabilitation
• Prescription medication
• Future medical services
• Lost income
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage

The amount you receive can be reduced by several factors, one of which is your comparative fault. If you are 33% to blame, you will get only 67% of what you otherwise might receive. As mentioned above, if you are 51% to blame or more, you will receive nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Keizer Personal Injury Claims

Accident victims often don’t know where to turn or who they can trust. Helpfully, we answer some of the more common questions below.