A car accident along the Oregon 99E south caused serious injuries to a 19-year old driver. Initial investigation showed that the injured driver was in a white Ford Focus when a gold Cadillac struck the driver’s side door. The impact of the crash caused serious damage to the victim’s vehicle.
Due to the severity of his injuries, it was necessary for the teenaged driver to be flown and transferred to Willamette Falls Medical Center for immediate treatment.
Investigation into the circumstances of the car accident is ongoing.
Claiming Compensation for Car Accident
Considering that the point of impact of the car crash was at the driver’s side, the injured driver could have suffered from traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, fractures, and other internal injuries that require extensive and costly medical treatment and care.
If the injured driver is employed, he may also suffer from lost income and an impairment of his future earning capacity. Needless to say, the accident can significantly transform the life of the injured driver forever.
Just like the injured teenager, if you or a loved one is involved in a car accident resulting in serious injuries, you may be entitled to compensation under Oregon state law.
What you can claim in a car accident
Oregon revised statutes allow an injured party to recover economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages refer to objectively verifiable expenses such as
- Hospital
- Medical
- Nursing
- Rehabilitation
- Other costs of health care services
- Lost income
- Impairment of future earning capacity
- Damage to reputation
- Cost of substitute domestic services, and
- Repair or replacement costs of the damaged car
Noneconomic damages are intended to compensate for non-monetary losses such as pain, mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, loss of care, companionship, consortium, and disruption of the normal and usual activities that are not related to gainful employment.
An additional monetary award considered as ‘punitive damages’ is also recoverable if the other driver is found to have been drunk driving. Punitive damages are intended to punish the negligent driver for his recklessness that caused the accident.
When to File a Compensation Claim
Oregon laws generally prescribe a period of two years from the time of the injury within which to file a claim for compensation, beyond which, the claim may be barred. In some cases, the compensation claim can expire in a period shorter than 2 years. Other types of claims require that formal notice of claim be given within a very short time period – usually 180 days. These claims include those involving any state, county or local governmental agency or a bar over-serving its patrons. Thus, it is important to seek the advice of a personal injury attorney immediately in order to preserve your claim.
In Portland, Oregon, the accident injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss have over 100 years of combined car accident experience. We have helped clients recover compensation in over 600 cases in the last three years alone.
Call us today at (541) 617-0555 for a free initial consultation.