Portland Auto Accident Attorney: What Is a Personal Injury Claim?
“Personal injury” in the context of a personal injury claim is a broad term which includes several types of injurious situations where the wrongful act of one harmed another. In general, the wrongful act occurs as the result of a person’s negligence and failure to uphold the law. Failure to exercise care and the lack of regard for safety and human life creates thousands of personal injury cases every day, and creates the need for an experienced Portland auto accident attorney.
No one expects that the negligence of another will change the course of his life, yet these things unfortunately happen every day. There is the potential for damage almost anywhere you go, especially during your commute. By filing a personal injury claim, you may be able to pay back the medical expenses, lost wages, and any property damage that was caused by the accident.
If You Have Sustained Injuries in an Accident, Speak to a Portland Auto Accident Attorney Immediately
Only a Portland auto accident attorney can fight to make sure you get the money you deserve. From the moment you are injured until the time you are paid for your injuries, you are involved a personal injury case. Insurance companies have their own experienced lawyers fighting for the insurance company every day. When you hire a Portland auto accident attorney, you even the playing field.
You will have updates about what is happening in your case, and have an advocate fighting against the insurance company for you. This process of litigating a case for personal injury from an auto accident is confusing, and most people have no experience working through the complex intricacies of personal injury litigation. In contrast, a Portland auto accident attorney like Richard Rizk works on these cases every day and has years of experience handling such cases over and over again.
Most people do not have the help of a Portland auto accident attorney the moment they get an injury. Below is a timeline of what to do from the day you are injured until the day you hire a lawyer.
The Accident
An auto accident often leads to injuries which become apparent immediately, or sometimes, months after the car crash. When someone, or something, injures you, you may be able to receive money for the economic and non-economic losses that you suffered. If you miss work, have bills from your injuries, suffer emotional or physical pain, or are disfigured, your attorney will fight to get you financial compensation.
Seek Medical Treatment
If you sustain injuries, or realize you have injuries later, it’s important that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible to make sure you have the best chance of recovering fully, and because it is important to document your injuries. Medical staff will document your physical and emotional injuries and the cost of treatment as well as your explanation of how you were injured. These documents, and potentially the testimony of these providers, will be essential for your Portland auto accident attorney to prove your case.
Initial Legal Consultation
Speak to a Portland auto accident attorney as soon as possible after the car accident. Only a lawyer experienced in Portland personal injury law can advise you on whether you have a case. At your initial consultation, you also need to assess the quality of your attorney:
- Ask how many times they have gone to trial, how many cases they have won, who will work on the case, and what percentage of the work that person will do.
- Be sure to discuss the fee agreement in the first meeting so you understand how much money you will get if your lawyer succeeds, including the percentage you will receive and who is responsible for costs.
- Tell your attorney if you use Medicare or Medicaid, as they may seek reimbursement for some of treatment, which could slow down your case if you do not have your lawyer notify them immediately.
Do not delay in hiring a Portland auto accident attorney. Oregon law only allows you to bring a suit for your injuries for two years; after that the statute of limitations expires and you can no longer file a lawsuit to get compensation for your injuries. Richard Rizk is an experienced Portland auto accident attorney who knows how to negotiate with, and fight against, big insurers.
Portland Auto Accident Attorney Richard Rizk Will Start Fighting for You From Day One
Investigation
From the first day you hire Richard Rizk, he will collect information about your auto accident by gathering police and accident reports, medical records and other evidence to prove the accident and your injuries. He will also work to create relationships with your loved ones, medical providers and anyone else we may need as a witness in the future.
Negotiation
Even before filing a lawsuit, he will begin negotiations to try to settle your case to get you money faster. Only a small percentage of cases go to trial, and most settle long before trial. Settlement is faster, less costly, and removes the uncertainty of trial. As an experienced Portland auto accident attorney, he knows when to settle, and when a final settlement offer just isn’t good enough and trial is necessary.
The Formal Lawsuit
It’s important to hire a Portland auto accident attorney early so that there is still time before the two-year statute of limitations to negotiate before you have to file a case. Depending on how settlement negotiations progress, sometime before the two years expire your lawyer may need to file a lawsuit in court to spur better negotiations and to move forward toward trial.
Discovery of Information
After you file your case, you and the opposing side are both responsible for sending and responding to requests for information and documents. You also may take depositions of the parties and important witnesses to get them to answer questions under oath, and the other side may also depose you. In addition, your Portland auto accident attorney could hire experts to prove who was at fault or how you sustained your injuries.
Motion Practice
Either side can file motions which seek to have the court rule on certain issues before trial. That’s why you must have a Portland auto accident attorney familiar with responding to and filing motions. He will make sure the court does not dismiss your case before you get to trial. Because once a case is dismissed, the case may be over forever.
Going to Trial
You need a Portland auto accident attorney to:
- pick a jury who will be sympathetic toward you,
- speak clearly and passionately to the jury, and
- question witnesses and introduce documents, video and auto to prove your case.
Appeal
Even after the jury gives a verdict, often, the long process of litigation keeps going forward. If you lose, you can appeal the jury’s verdict to a higher court. But when you win, the other side may also appeal saying that you should not have gotten any more, or should have gotten less. Given the long length of time that can pass during the appeals process, cases can often settle even after trial.
A Portland Auto Accident Attorney Will Get You What You Deserve
Contact Portland auto accident attorney Richard Rizk at 503-245-5677 to guide you through the long and winding process of getting money for your auto accident. He has the experience and dedication to protect you.