Portland Pedestrian Injury Attorney
Pedestrians are very vulnerable when they encounter cars and trucks. When a person gets hit by a car, the injuries that occur can be fatal or life-altering. Statistically, children and the elderly are often injured in pedestrian accidents. Oregon is a dangerous state for pedestrians. In 2017, 70 pedestrians were killed by vehicles in Oregon and another 860 were injured. In the city of Portland alone, there were 20 fatalities in 2017 and 328 non-fatal pedestrian injuries.
Common causes of Oregon pedestrian accidents
We have represented many Oregon and Portland pedestrian accident cases. We often see the same facts over and over again. Some of the more common causes include:
Portland is particularly dangerous for pedestrians
Our traffic laws are designed to prevent crashes and keep both drivers and pedestrians safe. Unfortunately, both drivers and pedestrians too often fail to obey those laws and the results can be catastrophic. When a pedestrian is badly injured, their story is often not told to the police because they are being taken to the hospital. The driver will be the one that is telling the story of what happened and may start misleading investigators and altering the course of the traffic investigation. A good Portland pedestrian accident attorney will help get to the truth of what really happened.
2018-20 Portland pedestrian fatality map
updated as of 10/20/2020
Help from an experienced Portland pedestrian accident attorney
You want to have some guidance from an experienced Portland pedestrian injury attorney. We have handled many different types of pedestrian injury cases and collected millions of dollars in damages for pedestrians. The sooner a pedestrian accident attorney can get involved, the better your odds are of gathering helpful evidence before it is destroyed. Witnesses may forget helpful information over time too. It is best to get all the information possible early before memories fade.
We know how to win
When looking for a Portland pedestrian injury attorney, you should get someone with experience handling cases like yours. We recently resolved a Washington County pedestrian injury case for $1.19 million. Our success, in that case, was the result of doing a thorough investigation so that liability was established and then understanding the seriousness of the injury and being prepared to present it to a jury.
Insurance companies are interested only in their bottom line. How much are they going to have to pay? Insurance companies determine their settlement offers by looking at the facts of the case, the injuries, and what would likely happen if the case went to trial. If you have a lawyer without winning trial experience, the insurance company will think their risk is lower and therefore offer less money. If they know your lawyer has experience getting good verdicts, they have increased uncertainty and will likely offer more money. We have tried cases and won verdicts that exceed final offers by more than three times. We prepare every case for trial and only stop preparing when the offer reaches a number that is fair to our client.
Pedestrian injury representation
A good lawyer has to look at every case for its strengths, weaknesses, and ultimately, its value. We look long and hard at our cases. First, we evaluate the liability facts so that we can prove who was at fault. Then, we evaluate the medical file and history to make sure we can prove all the injuries that are related to the incident. We do our best to estimate the likely trial outcome. Once we have made our determination about the value of your case, we will discuss strategy with you and start working to reach the full value of your case. If the defense never offers the total value of your case, then we will recommend a trial and be prepared to argue your case to a jury.
Contact a Portland pedestrian accident lawyer who can help
We aren’t interested in seeing how many cases we can clear each year. We are only interested in seeing how many of our clients are fully compensated and fully satisfied with our representation. If you or a loved one have been injured, Chad Stavley will work hard to make sure the insurance company does not get out of their responsibility to fully pay for your losses. Call us for a free and confidential consultation.