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How To Comply with Oregon Car Insurance Laws

Many states differ slightly when it comes to regulations regarding car insurance. So, if you’re an Oregon driver, understanding Oregon car insurance laws is essential to ensure you have appropriate coverage and avoid fines and penalties for non-compliance. Oregon car insurance laws include minimum coverage limits, mandatory policies related to personal injury protection, proof of insurance rules, and penalties for non-compliance.

These laws are in place to protect Oregon drivers and help pay for damages in the case of accidents. They also protect other people on the road and their property. Although you can’t control what other drivers do, you can make sure you are in compliance with Oregon car insurance laws by following the guide below.

Minimum Coverage Limits

Oregon car insurance laws require all drivers to carry liability insurance, which covers the costs of injuries and property damage to others (up to the given limits) if you are at fault in an accident.

At minimum, Oregon drivers must have:

  • Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person; $50,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $20,000 for damage to others’ property
  • Personal injury protection: $15,000 per person
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person; $50,000 per accident for bodily injury

Keep in mind that you could be personally responsible for additional costs if damages exceed the limits of your coverage, so it may be worthwhile to consider additional coverage.

Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection insurance is mandatory in Oregon. The policyholder can use this insurance coverage to pay for medical expenses, some lost wages, and other related costs for themselves and their passengers, no matter who was at fault in the accident.

Be sure to read through your policy to understand your benefits. Generally, medical expenses can include hospital stays, dental services, surgeries, and ambulance and prosthetic services, but they must be “reasonable and necessary” and must occur within two years of the accident to be eligible for compensation. Other benefits include paying up to 70 percent of lost wages (including salary, tips, wages, profits, commission, and professional fees) if the disability lasts more than 14 days; funeral expenses up to $5,000; and childcare if the injured person is the parent of a minor child and is hospitalized.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

What do you do if the person at fault doesn’t have insurance? Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage protects Oregon drivers from other drivers who either have no car insurance at all or do not have enough coverage. As the policyholder, you can also use this coverage if you are the victim of a hit-and-run and do not have information about the other driver involved. Your benefits generally help cover medical expenses and other costs if you are injured.

Proof of Insurance

Oregon car insurance laws require drivers to carry proof of insurance with them while driving, even if they don’t own the car. You should always be prepared to show proof of insurance to law enforcement officers if you are involved in a traffic stop or an accident. Valid formats include a physical or digital insurance identification card supplied by your insurance company, a copy of your insurance policy, or an official letter from your insurance company.

The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will also require proof of insurance when you renew your vehicle registration. If you don’t have insurance coverage, you may be prohibited from renewing your registration.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with Oregon’s car insurance laws can result in several negative consequences:

Fines

If you are pulled over by law enforcement for a traffic violation or if you are involved in an accident and cannot provide proof of insurance to the police officer or other driver, you can be cited for “failure to carry proof.” Driving without insurance will result in a fine of at least $130 but can be as much as $1,000, depending on the judge. Fines tend to increase if you are a repeat offender.

License Suspension

For a driver involved in an accident who cannot provide proof of insurance, the DMV will suspend their license and require them to buy insurance before they can get their license back. You will need to get an SR-22 Certificate from your insurance company (usually for an extra fee) to show that you have liability insurance and file it with the DMV. It’s important to note that this requirement stands even if you do not own a vehicle.

Financial Responsibility

When you are involved in an accident, insurance helps pay for some of the costs related to injuries and property damage. So, if you are at fault and don’t have insurance, you will most likely be held personally responsible financially for all damages. The injured party can file a lawsuit, and if a judgment rules against you, you must pay within 60 days. Failure to pay the judgment can result in the suspension of your license until you do pay. In some cases, the court could order that money be taken from your paychecks or a lien placed on your property.

Protect Yourself and Your Rights

Having at least the minimum required insurance coverage listed above, always carrying proof of insurance with you while driving, and staying current on your insurance premiums are the first steps in complying with Oregon car insurance laws to avoid fines and other penalties. You might also consider additional coverage, such as collision coverage or coverage for when you drive a rental car. If you have been injured in an accident (including as a pedestrian or bicyclist) and would like some help navigating insurance claims or potentially pursuing a personal injury claim in court, contact the personal injury team at Warren Allen LLP to get the legal help you need and discuss your options. We have years of experience in providing our clients with exceptional service and sound legal advice. Call us today.

Is Hiring a Personal Injury Law Firm Worth It?

Nobody expects to be injured, but when it happens, it changes everything. Your focus turns to healing and protecting yourself and your family. 

If someone else’s carelessness causes your injury, it can bring on many questions, including:

  • Will insurance cover this? 
  • My injury wasn’t that bad; should I hire a law firm?
  • Can I afford to hire a lawyer?

In the middle of handling all of the things you’re facing as a result of your accident, choosing to work with a law firm and finding the right one to represent you may seem overwhelming. Where should you begin? Read on to learn the benefits of hiring personal injury law firms in Portland, Oregon

Is It Worth Hiring a Personal Injury Law Firm?

Facing a personal injury from an accident or workplace can be life-changing. The more serious the injury, the more beneficial working with a personal injury law firm in Portland, Oregon, will be. No matter what you’re facing, your situation deserves to be handled with care.

If you’re skeptical about how much you can gain, your best action step is to speak with a lawyer, as the one you hire will have a vested interest in your outcome. 

Hiring a personal injury lawyer doesn’t cost you a thing unless you win, and they work hard to ensure a case has merit before moving forward. You’ll get an honest assessment of your situation, and understand what to expect before you move forward. 

6 Reasons You Should Hire a Personal Injury Law Firm

If you’re wondering if talking with a lawyer is in your best interest, ask yourself these questions. 

1. Did I Suffer Injuries in the Accident?

Today’s automobiles are safer than ever before. Still, thousands of people die each year in car accidents, and those numbers are climbing. 

If you’ve been injured in an accident, a personal injury law firm can help you get the compensation you deserve. You should seek legal representation if you:

  • Have a severe injury
  • Have pain and suffering
  • Are temporary or permanently disabled

If you’re suffering from an injury that resulted from someone else’s negligence, it’s time to put the concern back on your needs. A personal injury law firm fights for your rights for fair compensation. 

2. Do I Need Help Dealing With the Insurance Company?

Insurance adjusters have one goal: To save the insurance company as much money as possible. They review cases and handle claims daily. They know the law, and how to settle a case with as little payout as possible. 

That’s rarely in your best interest. Instead of dealing with never-ending phone calls and paperwork, you should focus on your injuries and getting help to receive the maximum compensation. An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how to handle the insurance company, even out the playing field, and negotiate your case to ensure you get a fair offer.

3. Is There a Question of Who Is Liable?

Not all accidents have clear outcomes. Sometimes it’s unclear who the negligent party is. If there is any question of who is liable, it’s in your best interest to seek legal representation. 

By hiring a personal injury law firm, they will work to prove your innocence. If you believe the other party was at fault, it’s up to you to confirm the responsible party’s negligence. A lawyer will look at the evidence, including:

  • Official accident reports
  • Medical records
  • Photos from the scene
  • Police records
  • Eyewitness testimony

They will build up enough evidence to prove you have a legitimate case. If you were partially or fully at fault, you should definitely seek out legal guidance. 

4. Will My Future Be Impacted By a Settlement?

If you’re facing temporary or permanent disability, your future may seem uncertain. Now more than ever, a settlement will help you and your family retain some sense of hope as you move forward. According to studies by the Insurance Research Council, those who filed claims with attorney representation received significantly higher settlements than those without.  

It’s easy to see why. When a law firm specializes in personal injury cases, they work with cases similar to yours daily. They understand the strategy, what to do, and how to approach it to reach an ideal resolution. 

It’s about letting an experienced firm handle what they are in business for. They won’t be overwhelmed because they’ve been through it before. 

5. Can I Manage My Own Case?

At first, it can seem straightforward. File paperwork, communicate clearly, and justice will prevail. However, there are a lot of little nuances that go into a case. Things you might not be aware of. Things that can be detrimental to your case. 

Sometimes people do well in handling their own cases. It might be easy to take on your own if it’s a minor fender-bender in a parking lot without much damage. If you’re a confident negotiator, you might be able to handle all communications with the insurance adjuster and receive a maximum settlement offer. 

When you add in injury and are dealing with the added stress that goes with extensive trauma, that’s where a personal injury lawyer can help. Their effective negotiation skills are the key to maximizing your settlement payout. 

6. What Should I Do Next? 

Personal injury isn’t something most of us expect to face. It happens suddenly and changes everything in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, you’re left with endless questions. 

Working with a personal injury law firm in Portland, Oregon, gives you the answers to the endless questions. They’re there to guide you through every step of the process and be your negotiator as well as your advocate. They answer questions and provide guidance every step of the way. 

When your world feels like it’s upside down, that can be a comforting feeling. 

Should You Hire a Personal Injury Law Firm? 

A personal injury lawyer can put your mind at ease, and they’ll work hard to get you the compensation you deserve. Because of their vast knowledge and experience working with the law, they are invaluable when you’re faced with the outcome of an accident. Hire one today, and let them go to work for you.

5 Tips for Hiring Personal Injury Lawyers in Portland Oregon

Having to deal with a personal injury is stressful at the very least. If you have a personal injury case, such as a slip and fall accident, medical malpractice, or a car accident, you’ll have much better peace of mind hiring a professional to handle it for you.

You might balk at hiring a personal injury lawyer if your car was totaled but you appeared to have suffered no injuries, and you might think that the insurance company will help you through the claims process. However, liability might be unclear in the accident or incident, in which case the task falls to you to prove your innocence. You’ll need to have evidence to support your claim, and you may have no idea how to do this.

A personal injury lawyer will handle that evidence, but also handle a myriad of other tasks, such as negotiating with the insurance company to perhaps get you a bigger compensation package and handling your court case if it goes to trial.

So hiring an attorney to handle your case is the most beneficial path to take. There are a lot of personal lawyers in Portland, Oregon, so how do you decide who to go with?

Here are five tips to keep in mind when hiring a personal injury lawyer:

1. Experience

The first thing you want to know about any lawyer you’re hiring is what kind of experience they have. Many lawyers will handle many different kinds of personal injury cases, but none of them will have handled every single kind. The umbrella of personal injury can be very wide. For example, medical malpractice cases can subdivide into traumatic brain injuries, misdiagnosis, and surgical errors. Make sure to ask whether they’ve handled cases like yours before, how many, and whether they won those cases.

When asking about experience in personal injury cases, also ask what kind of experience they have in a courtroom setting. Most civil cases don’t go to trial, so if your case is one that does, you want to be sure you have someone who knows their way around a courtroom.

2. Expectations

When asking about the procedure for personal injury cases, make sure you understand what is expected of you as well. Your lawyer may not want you to speak with other witnesses, and if you do, you could end up jeopardizing the work your lawyer and their team will be doing on your behalf. If your lawyer gives you homework, such as filling out forms, taking pictures, or otherwise documenting your injury, make sure you do it!

Some questions you can ask your lawyer include: what do you need from me in order to be sure my case is as strong as possible? Is there anything I should do or avoid in order to win my claim?

Asking about how long the process should take will also help manage your expectations. It’s probably known that your personal injury case won’t be solved overnight. In fact, the average personal injury claim can take from six months to two years. There are many variables that factor into the timeline, including how long your treatment takes.

3. Money

Be certain of any fees your lawyer is going to charge you and what you can expect as far as the outcome. You may not receive a precise answer here. Lawyers may hesitate to give you a specific number because they may not want to create unrealistic expectations. Even if they won’t know the outcome at the start of the process, they should still be able to tell you whether you have a chance of winning your case and maybe a rough prediction of your compensation.

When you’re interviewing lawyers, keep track of their answers to this question and see if they’re all in the same general ballpark. If one of them promises you a significantly higher amount, take it with a grain of salt, unless they have a particularly persuasive piece of evidence that pertains to your case.

4. Team Effort

Oftentimes, you may meet with one lawyer, but they may have a team they work with to handle their personal injury claims. This might include a junior partner, another attorney, or a paralegal (or some combination of these three). While you may prefer having one lawyer handle all aspects of your case, a setup like this is fairly common.

The other team members will help gather the basic information and then your lawyer will handle the parts that require their specialist training. The team will let you know who your point of contact will be if you have any other questions or if you need to turn in paperwork. Make sure you understand who is going to handle the settlement, compensation negotiations, or the court case, so you know who to ask which questions.

One other question you can ask here is how often you can expect updates, and how you will receive those updates (whether it’s an email, a phone call, or an in-person meeting).

5. Priorities

No matter where you live, the legal system is definitely overburdened, so you can expect any lawyer to handle more than one case at a time. You might worry that if your lawyer is handling more than one case, your case won’t get the attention to detail it deserves. There is something of a deadline for you – once you’ve suffered the accident, you have two years to file the suit.

As mentioned above, a personal injury lawyer will probably tell you that it’s best to take some time to heal or recover from the event. This is partially so that you know how much compensation to ask for when settling with the insurance company. So since you have a deadline, make sure to get someone who has the ability to work on more than one case at a time. Ask how many cases the lawyer is handling at a time, and ask how big their team is if that number is larger than you expected.

Finding representation with a personal injury lawyer shouldn’t be a convoluted process! The team at Warren Allen will help you find compensation for your personal injury with grace and the highest degree of professionalism. Contact us today.

Tips for Vetting Law Firms in Portland Oregon

Finding a lawyer during an already stressful time in your life can feel like an insurmountable task. Typically, people don’t have a relationship with a lawyer already in place when something happens to them that requires legal assistance. Usually, when someone requires legal guidance, it’s due to an unpleasant and stressful situation that has happened unexpectedly, such as a car accident, a bad fall or personal injury, or a family law issue like divorce or a child custody disagreement. No attorney will completely eliminate the stress of the situation, but the right attorney can help allay some of your concerns.

When you need legal advice, it’s best not to just accept the very first law firm you find in a random online search for help. You want to make sure you are finding quality legal representation that will represent you and your needs with care and expertise. If you are looking for law firms in Portland, Oregon, or wherever you may live, the litigation experts at Warren Allen LLP list below how to find a law firm that best suits your specific legal needs.

Make Sure You Find a Law Firm That Specializes in the Area of Law You Require Help With

It’s always important to find a law firm that has extensive experience in litigating within the specialty you need. For example, if you are looking for a divorce lawyer, it is not enough to find a lawyer with a website that says they practice family law. You want to ensure your law firm specializes in family law and has a history of representing clients within this field.

Look for blog posts or social media posts from the law firm. Do they talk about the area of law that you need? Are there signs of innovation in the field where you need representation? If the law firm demonstrates authority in that area of law, this is a great sign that they are current and active in that field of law and can be a potentially good fit for your legal needs.

Ensure You Can Afford the Law Firm’s Fee

When choosing the law firm that best fits your needs, one factor that is very important to consider is the cost of legal representation. It is important to ask up front what the costs of representation will be to ensure it is an affordable option for you before deciding on which law firm will be the best fit for you. While your instinct might be to opt for the best attorney money can buy, it’s not actually realistic. You also don’t want to just blindly choose the cheapest service either. The truth is that you need to look at law firms in Portland, Oregon, that meet both your needs and your budget.

Typically, law firms that specialize will cost more than a generalist firm that tends to deal more in volume of clients rather than focusing on each client in depth. Most law firms charge hourly, ranging in price from $300 to $1,000 per hour.

Ask About the Attorney’s and the Law Firm’s Experience

It’s crucial to ask prospective lawyers how many years they have practiced and, in particular, how many years in the field of law you need before deciding on which law firm is right for you. Training and specialization are important, but years of experience in practicing law means they have been through trials and have lost some, won some, and learned from each experience. Go ahead and ask if they’ve handled cases similar to yours and how those turned out.

Choosing local law firms, like Warren Allen in Portland, Oregon, can also be important to the outcome of your case. They’ll be familiar with how the court systems work in the area and have experience working with different judges and attorneys. They’ll also be up to date on all county and state laws, procedures, and policies, better ensuring you get the highest level of representation.

Check Online Reviews and Get Personal References

If you are unsure where to begin your search for a trusted lawyer in your area, start by asking around. If you know a friend, family member, neighbor, or professional who has been through your situation before, it could be helpful to ask if they have a referral to a lawyer who they trust. If you happen to have an existing relationship with a lawyer in another field of law, consider asking them for a recommendation to a lawyer in your area of need. You can even ask your doctor or other professional if they have a trusted lawyer they would recommend.

You should also read reviews online to see what people are saying about their experiences with various law firms in your area. It’s always a good idea to read reviews and ask around before signing a contract with a new law firm.

Consider Your Attorney’s Availability and Ease of Communication

When you first meet with your new attorney, this is your time to interview them as if you were hiring them for a new position at your company. This is a great time to ask about their availability when you have follow-up questions, as they will most definitely arise, and not all lawyers are available at the same rate. Some law firms have paralegals who can answer your questions more readily than the lawyers, who may frequently be in court and unavailable to field your various questions. It is always a good idea to make sure you can communicate with your lawyer or their staff when needed.

If you are looking for law firms in Portland, Oregon, consider hiring the legal experts at Warren Allen LLP. Our team specializes in personal injury, family law, and more. Reach out today.