More than 8,000 miles of highways and interstates course through the state of Oregon, including I-5 and I-84. The potential for serious accidents in the state is high. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, there were 48,415 total crashes in the state in 2024, including 3,048 serious injury accidents and 489 fatal collisions.
Vehicle accidents aren’t the only cause of serious injuries. Many Oregonians also suffer injuries because of slips and falls at stores and or on poorly maintained sidewalks, dog attacks at local parks, and injuries around construction sites. When you’ve been hurt in a major accident, the Oregon personal injury lawyers at Walton Injury Law can help.
Our law firm is available to help at any time of the day. We take calls 24/7, offer free case reviews, and our attorneys charge clients nothing unless we win. When you work with Walton Injury Law, you’re getting a law firm that understands the needs of Oregonians who are going through a difficult time. For a free consultation, contact our law firm today.
What Is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
A personal injury lawsuit is a civil claim that allows a person injured in an accident to seek compensation from the person or party who was reckless or negligent.
Common examples of personal injury claims include:
- A drunk driver T-boning someone in an intersection in a DUII crash
- A distracted driver failing to check their blind spot and sideswiping a bicyclist
- A slip and fall at a New Seasons Market due to an employee who failed to clear up a wet floor
- A dog owner at a public park allowed their pet to run loose without a leash, resulting in an injury to a child
Key Aspects of a Personal Injury Claim
Many accident claims involve establishing negligence. For a personal injury lawsuit to succeed, the following elements must be present:
- Duty of Care: The at-fault party had a responsibility to act reasonably. For example, a driver is expected to follow the speed limit, or a business owner is expected to mark wet floors.
- Breach of Duty: The responsibility to act reasonably was violated. Examples include texting while behind the wheel and failing to fix a known hazard on a property.
- Causation: The breach of duty directly caused the injury. For example, a driver missed a stop sign because they were intoxicated, or the presence of a wet floor resulted in a major slip and fall at a store.
- Damages: The injury caused some form of measurable harm. This damage may include the cost of medical care, lost income while recuperating from an injury, changes in quality of life, and other financial losses.
At Walton Injury Law, our Oregon personal injury lawyers thoroughly investigate every case to establish these core elements. Our goal is simple: present a clear, compelling record that maximizes your recovery.
Statute of Limitations for Oregon Personal Injury Claims
In Oregon, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims can vary depending on whether the incident resulted in fatalities.
- For personal injury cases, there is a two-year statute of limitations to file a lawsuit.
- For wrongful death cases, there is a three-year statute of limitations to file a lawsuit.
Once these respective statutes of limitations have expired, you lose your right to recover damages.
There are exceptions to these time limits for personal injury and wrongful death claims. For claims against government agencies, the Oregon Tort Claims Act requires written notice within 180 days (one year for wrongful death), and the wrongful death lawsuit deadline itself is shortened to two years when a public body is involved.
Why You Should Speak with an Oregon Personal Injury Lawyer ASAP
Even if you have some time to file a lawsuit, it’s best to speak with an Oregon personal injury attorney as soon as possible. By speaking with a legal professional promptly, your lawyer can secure surveillance footage before it’s erased or taped over, record witness testimony before memories fade, and review the accident site and any physical evidence before it disappears or degrades.
Compensation in Oregon Personal Injury Cases
In a personal injury case, compensation is intended to restore victims to the position they were in before the injury occurred. This compensation, also known as “damages,” covers both economic and non-economic losses suffered as a result of an accident.
The amount of compensation you can recover in a personal injury claim will be specific to the details of your case. Walton Injury Law pursues every category of compensation available under Oregon law, including:
- Medical Expenses: This includes any hospitalization, stabilizing surgeries and follow-up procedures, mental health counseling, medications, and physical rehabilitation.
- Future Medical Care: This includes ongoing healthcare needs to treat chronic injuries, long-term or permanent disability, and other health conditions related to your injuries.
- Lost Income: This includes any wages that were not paid because of time off from work, as well as future earning potential if an injury affects career trajectory.
- Property Damage: This includes the repair or replacement of vehicles in a collision, electronic devices damaged during an incident, and other items that were impacted by the crash.
- Pain and Suffering: This refers to any lingering physical pain and emotional anguish caused by the accident, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: This refers to instances when your injuries limit your ability to enjoy activities you once loved.
Our lawyers collaborate with medical specialists and financial experts to ensure all aspects of your losses are accurately calculated.
Partial Fault and Oregon’s Modified Comparative Negligence Law
Oregon follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means that you can still recover compensation if you are 50% or less to blame in an accident. The amount you recover is reduced by your percentage of liability.
For example, say that you were hit by a reckless driver while out for a long ride on your bike. You receive $100,000, but a jury finds you 20% at fault for the collision. Because of modified comparative negligence, you will still recover $80,000.
How Insurance Companies Use Partial Fault Against You
Many insurance providers try to shift blame onto accident victims in order to minimize their payouts and settlement offers. At Walton Injury Law, our team can counter these tactics by presenting medical records, evidence, and other documentation that establishes who was primarily to blame for the incident.
Walton Injury Law advocates for people all over Oregon so they aren’t taken advantage of during a vulnerable time. Our personal injury lawyers can handle communication with insurers, ensuring that you’re not pressured into settling for less.
Types of Personal Injury Cases Our Firm Can Handle
Walton Injury Law represents accident survivors in all types of personal injury claims across Oregon. Below are the different kinds of cases our attorneys handle.
Car Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents can happen on I-5, busy roads like Northeast Marine Drive, or even quiet residential streets or remote highways. Many of these collisions are caused by speeding, reckless behavior behind the wheel, aggressive driving, and a lack of attention. Our personal injury attorneys can hold negligent drivers accountable for their actions.
Semi-Truck Accidents
Tractor-trailer crashes need to be taken seriously, especially if they happen on I-5 or I-205. Big rig collisions can span several lanes and affect multiple vehicles, causing catastrophic injuries. Our personal injury lawyers can review driver logs, federal safety regulations, maintenance records, and other evidence to ensure that truckers, trucking companies, or other parties are held responsible for the crash.
Motorcycle Accidents
Many motorcyclists get blamed for accidents even if they were not responsible for what happened. Many times, drivers fail to check their blind spots for motorcyclists, resulting in serious crashes. Our attorneys can protect motorcyclists from negative stereotypes. Walton Injury Law will work to prove negligence so you can receive compensation for your medical bills, vehicle repairs, and lost income.
Rideshare Accidents
Accidents that involve Uber or Lyft tend to involve complex insurance coverage based on the driver’s app status. Our lawyers can review multiple data sources and all available evidence to pinpoint when the rideshare crash occurred. By noting if the driver was logged into the app or transporting a passenger at the time of the crash, we can figure out how to best maximize your compensation.
Bicycle Accidents
Oregon’s strong cycling culture has resulted in numerous bike-friendly measures in major cities throughout the state. However, serious accidents can happen even in a bike-friendly state. When drivers fail to share the road with cyclists, the accidents can result in catastrophic injuries. Our personal injury attorneys can advocate for Oregon cyclists and their families after major accidents.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents in Oregon can be tragic, particularly on busy, multi-lane streets. Even if a pedestrian is crossing the road at designated sidewalks, there is a risk of catastrophic injury when drivers are inattentive or there’s poor lighting in the area. Walton Injury Law can review all evidence in the accident to establish negligence and pursue full compensation for your injuries.
Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents
Slips, trips, and falls can happen anywhere in Oregon: the local Safeway, a Target, a hotel lobby, or even on a poorly maintained sidewalk. Our personal injury lawyers can review maintenance logs, cleaning schedules, and surveillance footage to establish liability. We can then seek damages for your injuries and their lasting impact on your life.
Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
Survivors of dog attacks often have to live with physical scars and lasting emotional trauma. This is especially true if the victim of the attack is a child. Our personal injury attorneys can help dog bite and attack survivors document their injuries, identify insurance coverage, and pursue claims for medical treatment, reconstructive surgery, and counseling for any emotional distress.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Many people suffer traumatic brain injuries after a collision or a serious fall. While the immediate effects of the injury may not seem severe, without treatment, they can worsen over time and make a person more prone to future brain injuries. Our lawyers collaborate with neurologists and neuropsychologists to assess long-term cognitive and emotional effects of an injury to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)
Spinal cord injuries can cause partial or total paralysis, drastically changing your life and financial future. Walton Injury Law works with healthcare providers, medical experts, and life-care planners to calculate the lifelong costs associated with paraplegia and quadriplegia (tetraplegia).
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
If an elderly family member is mistreated in a nursing home or senior community, Walton Injury Law can help. Our law firm will investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, or other forms of mistreatment at assisted-living facilities. We will help get your loved one to safety, gather records, interview witnesses, and pursue accountability from both staff and owners of the harmful nursing home.
Wrongful Death
If you’ve lost a loved one in a fatal accident, you have our sincerest condolences. When you are prepared to speak with an attorney, the team at Walton Injury Law can help you file a wrongful death lawsuit. These legal actions help secure compensation for families that have been changed by preventable tragedies.
Why You Need a Lawyer from Walton Injury Law in Oregon
Walton Injury Law is prepared to fight for Oregonians in their time of legal need. We have a law office in Portland as well as law offices in Washington State. We can assist locals who’ve been involved in all kinds of accidents here in Oregon or just across the state line in the Vancouver area. We provide compassionate advocacy and are prepared to protect you and your best interests as we seek compensation.
Available 24/7
Accidents don’t stick to business hours. Walton Injury Law is available to help at all times of the day, whether you got hurt on I-5 during a late-night drive or slipped and fell at a convenience store just before dawn. We take calls day and night because we know that immediate legal guidance can make all the difference.
Free Case Reviews
Accident survivors shouldn’t have to pay another bill just to speak with an attorney. Walton Injury Law offers free, no-obligation consultations where you can discuss your situation directly with an experienced lawyer. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and help you understand your rights under Oregon law.
Representation on a Contingency Fee Basis
We believe everyone deserves access to justice, no matter their financial circumstances. That’s why we represent all personal injury clients on a contingency fee basis. That means clients pay nothing up front and no legal fees at all unless we secure a settlement or win damages in court.
Areas We Serve in the State of Oregon
In addition to serving the greater Portland area, our law firm proudly serves cities throughout the Beaver State, including:
- Bend
- Corvallis
- Eugene
- Hillsboro
- Medford
- Salem
Contact Our Oregon Personal Injury Attorneys Today
If your life has been altered by a major accident in Oregon, you need strong personal injury representation from attorneys who will fight for restitution. Walton Injury Law is on your side. We know the roads throughout the state and can call out tactics used by insurance companies to undervalue your claim.
Our team is available 24/7, and you pay nothing unless we win. Contact Walton Injury Law today to set up your free case evaluation.