Our client was riding into downtown Portland, Oregon with a friend to get some lunch. They were driving through an intersection when a car ran the red light, t-boning the passenger side of the car our client was in. 
He was seriously injured and had to be transported to the hospital in an ambulance. After examination and x-rays, the doctors determined that he had a protruding disc that required surgery.
When he tried to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company for the medical attention his accident-related injuries required, they offered only a paltry amount to settle. The company cited a pre-existing condition where the client had similar back pain with numbness in his leg about a year before the accident. Our client felt this wasn’t right, because even with knowledge of the pre-existing condition, the treating physician attributed the need for surgery to the car accident, not the pre-existing condition. He decided to contact an experienced auto accident attorney for help in getting a better settlement.
The only way I could even get the insurance company to talk about its position on our client’s claim was to file a lawsuit. I did this, confident that we could litigate it successfully if we needed to. However, filing the lawsuit got the insurance company’s attention, and they had their attorney review the case. He advised them to settle, given the facts. Even so, at first the insurance company only offered half of policy limits. I negotiated with them aggressively until they offered full policy limits, giving our client the resources he needed to get the proper medical care.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident and can’t get the insurance company to cooperate because of unrelated pre-existing conditions, we can help. One of our expert Personal Injury Attorneys will be happy to discuss your Oregon Personal Injury case with you. Call us now: 541-617-0555