Bend Oregon Car Accident Attorney
An automobile accident can happen to anyone. You could be a safe driver with an impeccable driving record, but you have no control over another vehicle that might recklessly rear-end you, causing injuries to you or other occupants.
However, what you can control is the decisions you choose to make after a car crash.
These decisions will have an impact on your recovery – physical, emotional, and financial. Choosing the right car accident attorney is one of the most crucial decisions you may have to make.
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What is my Car Accident Insurance Settlement Worth?
- Gathering Evidence Following a Car Accident
- Ten Lies Insurance Companies Tell You After a Car Accident
- Biggest Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident
- Obstacles to Settling an Oregon Car Accident Injury Case
- Car Collision Injuries and Types of Financial Compensation
- Your Rights in a Car Accident Claim
- Common Car Accident Injuries And What You Need To Do If You Are Injured
- What To Do When The Adjuster Won’t Return Your Calls After An Accident
- Delayed Symptoms After A Car Accident
Have You Been Injured in a Car Accident?
At Dwyer Williams Cherkoss law office in Bend, Oregon, our stellar and dedicated car accident attorneys will work to secure the maximum possible compensation on your behalf. Our strength lies in meticulous preparation, skilled negotiation, aggressive client advocacy, and accomplished legal representation.
Common Types of Car Accidents
Car accidents in Bend may most commonly occur due the negligence of a driver. Typical causes include:
In 2015, drunk driving in Oregon resulted in 155 deaths, according to the NHTSA figures. An impaired driver can cause devastating injuries to other drivers, passengers, pedestrians or bicycle riders.
The incidence of distracted driving in Bend has risen in recent years with a growing number of drivers using their mobile devices while driving to send or receive text messages, making phone calls, or using social media.
Chatting with a passenger, eating or drinking, or adjusting the music system are other common distractions that can cause an accident.
Speeding
Speeding could take place either when a driver is exceeding the legal speed limit, or driving too fast in hazardous road or weather conditions. A crash with a vehicle at high speed increases the impact and often leads to severe injuries such as spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury.
Defective Vehicle
A defect in the vehicle design or a part, or negligence in maintenance such as a poor braking system or broken headlight increases the risk of an accident.
Flawed Road Design or Poor Maintenance
Extremely sharp curves, busy intersections with insufficient light or confusing signals, broken pavements, and damaged or missing guardrails are some of the typical faults of road design or maintenance that could contribute to a serious car accident.
Steps to Take if You are Involved in a Car Accident in Bend
Medical Assistance
If you have been injured in a car accident, and find yourself immobile due to injury, do not force yourself to move. Ask for help or call 911 for assistance. If you are relatively unhurt, provide assistance to others who may be injured.
Exchanging Information
Remain at the scene of accident to exchange your name, address, car registration, and insurance details with the other parties involved in the crash. If the vehicle is owned by another person, provide their name and address as well.
Police Report
In Bend, the police would usually arrive, unless no injury has taken place or the damages are insignificant. If the police prepare a report, you should make sure to obtain a copy of this police report for your records.
Witness Details
If there are witnesses near the accident site, use your initiative to seek their contact details and note down their testimony of what they saw or how the accident took place.
Take Pictures
If possible, use your cell phone to take pictures of physical injuries, vehicle or property damage, and the overall scene of accident. Take photos of any road hazards such as potholes, fallen trees, road debris, damaged road signs, or out of order traffic lights.
Make Personal Notes
While the police report and report to the Bend DMV will cover the details of the accident, some memories of the situation may surface later on at home. Make notes of any pertinent details that you may recall later. These could be useful in support of your claim.
Medical Record Copies
You should visit the hospital even if you are feeling fine after the accident. In case of injuries, make sure to keep a copy of all your medical records of your visits to the doctor or hospital.
Reporting a Car Accident to the Bend DMV
A driver involved in an accident in Bend, OR is required to report about it in some situations within 72 hours to the DMV. They must fill an Accident and Insurance Report Form for mandatory reporting to the DMV, if any of the following conditions apply:
- Damage to the car is more than $1,500
- Damage to another vehicle is more than $1,500 and the vehicle has been towed from the scene of accident
- The accident has resulted in bodily injury or death
- Property damage (excluding the vehicle) to at least one individual’s property is more than $1,500
Your report must include information about your insurance coverage. Failure to have liability insurance at the time of the accident will result in suspension of driving privileges for one year.
Failure to report the accident to the Oregon DMV could also lead to license suspension.
Even if the other party involved in the accident offers to pay the damages and wants you to avoid reporting the accident, you are still required to report the accident under the situations described above.
You should keep a copy of the accident and insurance form for future records, while you can submit the original to your local Bend DMV office.
Bend Car Insurance Laws
Drivers in Bend must have a car insurance policy with the following minimum coverage requirements:
- $25,000 death or bodily injury to one individual in an accident
- $50,000 death or bodily injury to two or more individuals in an accident
- $20,000 bodily injury or property destruction of others in an accident
If the driver fails to obtain an insurance policy that complies with these minimum requirements, they may be subject to criminal charges and fine.
Car Accident Settlement Process in Bend
To achieve your rightful compensation in a car accident that involves injury, the ideal way would be to seek legal assistance from an experienced Bend car accident attorney. The attorney can help you file a claim for damages with the insurance company of the responsible party.
The insurer will review your claim and may seek additional information or evidence to verify your claim and determine the damages.
The insurance company could make an offer of a settlement, but your attorney can provide strong arguments and evidence to support your claim for a larger amount.
Following hard negotiation between the insurer and your attorney (and multiple rounds of offers and counteroffers), you could achieve a fair compensation. If this happens, you will receive the settlement after you sign a form that releases the insurer from any further liability.
If the insurance company’s counter offer is not up to your satisfaction, your attorney may advise you to pursue the claim in a civil court.
The settlement amount you may expect to recover would depend on the extent of injury and damages sustained, the insurance coverage amount, and most importantly, the circumstances that led to the accident.
Statute of Limitations Applicable in Bend
If you have suffered a personal injury in a car accident in Bend, the law allows you to file a lawsuit within two years from the date of the accident.
Even though you may have spent a long time in negotiating with the insurance company, if you fail to file a lawsuit within two years, you could lose your right to sue. Clearly, this would leave very little motivation for an insurance company to settle your claim.
New Oregon Law about Providing Insurance Information
The law in Oregon has made it mandatory from January 1st, 2018 to provide your insurance information to the other party or parties involved in a car accident. According to the new law, if you fail to provide this information and leave the accident site, you could be charged with felony hit and run or misdemeanor.
If you leave a note after a fender bender, you are required to provide your insurance information here as well.
The other requirements to provide the driver’s name, address, vehicle registration number, and the names and addresses of any other occupants of the car remain unchanged.
If you are involved in a car accident in Bend, OR, make sure to stop and provide all this information accurately, or you are risking the possibility of a felony hit and run charge.
Speak with a Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Car Accident Attorney in Bend Today!
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Oregon, the team of proven and salient car accident attorneys at the Dwyer Williams Cherkoss law firm in Bend can provide you with a clear evaluation of your legal claim, and protect your legal right to the best possible compensation.
For a professional consultation with one of our lawyers, call 1-800-285-8678 today.
Car Accident Attorney Bend OR
As one of the fastest growing cities in Oregon, Bend has its fair share of automobile accidents. If you've been involved in a car crash, you need representation that can help you get fair compensation for medical and other expenses. The injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC are here to help. There are hundreds of millions of privately owned vehicles currently registered and on the road in the United States today. More than 250 million people take to the streets in their personal vehicles on a daily basis. Relative to the total number of cars and trucks on the road, the number of accidents – and the number of serious injuries and fatalities resulting – is really quite small; automobile travel remains one of the safest ways to get from A to B. The sheer number of cars on the road, however, means that the possibility of an accident, including one resulting in serious injury, is never entirely removed. There are roughly 5.5 million car accidents per year, amounting to a mathematical average of fifteen thousand car accidents per day. Considering that the total number of cars on the road each day is close to 300 million, it's almost too easy to become complacent... which is quite possibly the reason why so many people speed, drive erratically, choose to drive while under the influence, and ignore basic traffic safety laws. These play significantly into the 30,000 accidents per year which result in at least one fatality per accident (with the total number of fatalities being closer to 34,000).
- Alcohol is a common risk factor in car accidents. According to multiple studies, drivers with an unsafe blood alcohol content are responsible for approximately 1 in 3 fatal car accidents. This works out to about 30 deaths per day, or one death every 48 minutes.
- Distracted drivers can be just as dangerous as those who are driving under the influence, since it amounts to the same thing: somebody who isn't paying attention to the road. This is a relatively recent concern at its present magnitude, due to the modern prevalence of potential distractions (such as cellphones, texting, and on-board video and GPS displays). Still, some estimates say that as many as 12 accidental traffic-related deaths are caused each day in the US by driver distraction. This is roughly 1 out of 8 traffic-related deaths... the same proportion attributed to semi-truck and other large vehicle accidents.
- Speeding may in fact be the primary cause of as few as 5% of the total volume of accidents in the United States today, but speeding (and aggressive driving behaviors in general) cause a disproportionate amount of the serious injuries and fatalities. Speeding and other aggressive behaviors provide an exponential increase to the forces that are involved when an accident does occur. Up to 1/3 of driving-related deaths involve speeding – the same amount as can be attributed to driving under the influence, although there is some significant overlap.
These are just a few of the types of accidents where the fault often lies with one particular driver. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident where the other driver was speeding, driving under the influence, or driving while distracted, you are most likely owed damages to compensate you for your medical expenses and for pain and suffering. Call our Bend, OR offices today, and set up an appointment to have your case looked at. You deserve to be back on your feet and functioning as quickly as possible.