Have You Been Injured in a Truck or Car Collision in Oregon or Washington? Check Out Our Free Information Before Signing Documents or Giving a Recorded Statement.
Adjuster Tactics Are Designed to Keep You in The Dark
Here are a couple of tactics insurance adjusters use to keep you away from an attorney who can help you with your case:
The Adjuster Tactic: The False Deadline
The adjuster writes a letter with an offer of settlement, claiming that the file will be closed within a strict timeline if the settlement is not accepted.
The Truth:
Each state sets its own time limits to have an auto injury claim settled or filed in court. Lawyers call this the "statute of limitations." These time limits allow you to find out how badly your injured, including any long term impairments or medical needs. Insurance adjusters do not set time limits, state law does.
The Adjuster Tactic: "The Lawyer Will Take All Your Money"
The adjuster tells you that an attorney will only take all the money from a settlement, and that you are better off accepting the settlement without talking with an attorney.
The Truth:
We evaluate your case to see whether you need legal help at all. There are cases where you may be better off resolving the case without an attorney. We consult with people all the time to let them know if they even need legal help.
We work on a “contingency-fee” basis, which means that our fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. We do not resolve cases without conferring with our client and exploring options.
Much of the time, the adjuster you are working with without legal help has "limited authority." This means that the adjuster can only resolve the claim for a minimal amount. These adjusters know that their job is to resolve the case for as little as possible. The offer they make you may be a fraction of what the insurer will pay to resolve your case.
Legal Help Evens the Playing Field
When you have an attorney helping you with your auto injury claim, the insurer knows it must deal with someone who knows the law and knows your case. This levels the playing field.
An experienced attorney can sort out the truth from the noise and focus on what’s important to your claim, and to you.
Having an attorney help you with a serious auto injury claim is more than just getting a “good settlement.” Life changing injury claims often involve significant income loss, future medical expenses, and health insurance issues. Having an attorney helps you plan for what happens after the settlement.
How Our Fee Agreement Works
If you have researched other attorney websites, you will often see the phrase “no recovery, no fee.” This refers to the contingency fee agreement. A contingent fee agreement means that the attorney only earns a fee upon recovery of compensation for your serious injury claim.
That fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. Many attorneys will advertise lower percentage fees, but you must know what the attorney fee agreement means when it talks about the “amount recovered.”
Under our fee agreement, the “amount recovered” is what we recovered on your behalf. In some cases, auto or health insurance will cover medical expense regardless of the case’s outcome. That is not something that we “recovered” on your behalf. In other cases, whether health or auto insurance covers your medical expenses may be an issue. We apply our fee agreement to what we actually recovered in your case.
In most cases, we advance case expenses. A typical case expenses include the cost of obtaining medical records, investigation, court filing fees, and expert witness fees. In most cases, we do not ask our clients to pay expenses up front. Instead, we wait until the case is resolved before seeking expense reimbursement, which comes out of your settlement.
We don’t resolve the case unless we have met with you, discussed any settlement offers, and explain in detail how the settlement will be distributed.
We only handle injury and disability cases. We know the law in Oregon and Washington, and this focus keeps us efficient and effective.
If you have suffered serious injury in an auto or truck collision, we will meet with you to consult on the case. We outline your options, and if you decide you need our help, you pay no fee until the case is resolved in your favor.
Knowing Where You Stand: Information You Can Use
This web site is not about us, it’s about you. So, if you are curious about the basics of an auto injury claim in Oregon or Washington, here are some free resources you can access right now:
Our free “Oregon Personal Injury Guide” covers not only auto injury claims but claims involving premises liability (slip and fall), and Oregon Workers’ Compensation Third Party Claims.
Our web site features a collection of articles, frequently asked questions, and blog posts covering many of the issues people face with a serious injury claim.
Contact Us. You can contact us directly through our web site, call our main office at 503-325-8600. We can meet in person or on the phone, whichever you prefer.
We are based in Astoria, Oregon, but have additional office space to meet with you in Hillsboro, Oregon. In some cases, we can meet at another satellite office location throughout Oregon or Washington.
Do you live in Oregon or Washington, but your case is elsewhere? We are licensed in Oregon and Washington, but if you have a case out of state, we can work with a local attorney when the court allows it at no additional cost to you.
What We Do, And How We Do It
Each Case Is Different
How we approach your case depends on your case. Sometimes, we may provide the insurer with information to resolve the case early, but often, this is a waste of time, and the only way to get the case moving forward is to file suit. Negotiation is still an option, but we want to be ready if it is not.
We Want to Know Your Story
Everyone has a story. We want to know the story of your case. Getting your medical records, bills, and proof of your lost income is important, but we want to know the real-life impact of how your injury changed your life. You are not just another file.
Keeping in Touch
We keep in touch, making sure we are aware of your medical treatment, and how your recovery is going.
If we file your case in court, we review the case, and help you prepare for deposition or court appearances.
We offer in person or telephone conferences so you can know where your case is every step of the way.
Common Questions
We have talked to a lot of people facing the same issues that brought you to this web site. Here are some of the most common questions we face:
Should I speak with the insurance adjuster?
The other insurance company wants me to sign a release to get my medical records. Should I?
How do my bills get paid now?
What about my car?
What if the other driver does not have enough insurance to pay my medical expenses?
I am disabled because of the auto collision. How to I get lost income covered?
More Questions, Call Our Office at 503-325-8600, or contact us now. We can answer your questions so you know where you stand.
