Common Myths About Car Accident Lawsuits

After a car accident with injuries, you may turn to the Internet to find out what to do about a claim or lawsuit. However, use caution about what you read online. You may come across many myths or information that does not apply to your specific Oregon auto accident. Learn about common car accident lawsuit myths below, then speak to a car accident attorney in Portland for follow-up questions.

First of all, you may think that because Oregon is a no-fault state, you cannot file a car accident lawsuit. Not true! All drivers must indeed have personal injury protection insurance, which is used to pay for the first few thousand dollars of your damages. This is the no-fault portion of the Oregon car accident law. However, if you have serious injuries that affect your ability to take care of yourself or have maimed you in a major way, you may be able to file a car accident lawsuit.

For example, if you lose an arm in an accident when the other car crushes it in a T bone accident, this is an injury that affects you for life. Your car accident attorney in Portland may be able to file a car accident lawsuit against the other driver for additional compensation.

Next, you may think that you can wait to go to the doctor after you are in an accident. After all, if you are not hurt, why do you need to bother with a doctor's visit? You must have a doctor look at you after the crash! You may have serious injuries that the stress and excitement of the moment make you miss. You might not feel that you have a back or neck injury, for example, that could be a severe injury. If you wait a week to go to the doctor, the other driver’s insurance company will notice. They will contest your claim and say that you don’t have serious injuries.

Last, you may think about not hiring a car accident lawyer in Portland to represent you. Some injured parties think they can figure out their own claim and settle without paying an attorney. This is rarely a good idea when you have any type of injury. Your attorney can almost always obtain more money for you than you can by yourself. Plus, your attorney only is paid at the end of the case from your settlement, so there is no risk in hiring a personal injury lawyer.