Legal Question in Personal Injury in Oregon

So very sorry to hear about your mom. The most important thing to do is make sure your mother is being treated by the appropriate medical personal, which it sounds like she is. The next step is to contact an attorney to protect your mother's rights. Unfortunately, often times insurance companies will try to settle a case like this before the true extent of the injuries are known and directly with the injured person in an effort to not pay the injured the full value of their injuries. don't fall for this type of behavior. An attorney will take this pressure away from you, managing the insurance company, while you help your mother recover.

I agree with everything Mr. Adams has said in his response to you. I would add one more important piece of advice: Until you hire a lawyer who handles this kind of work -- and you probably ought to hire one who handles only injury cases -- until then, don't talk to any insurance adjusters or investigators from the trucking company or it's insurer. Tell your mom the same thing.

What you DO want to do is find out who they are, and get their name, phone number and claim number to your lawyer. Other than requesting that info, don't tell them ANYTHING about your mom or her condition or location. Let the lawyer handle all that. And virtually any lawyer who handles this type of work will not require you to pay anything up front. Typically, the lawyer works, as we do, on a contingency fee basis, or a percentage of the outcome. That way, your attorney's interests and your mom's are the same, and you don't have to worry about attorney fees racking up every time you or your mom talks to the lawyer.

Best wishes to your mom for a speedy recovery, and let us know if we can help.

Sincerely,

Sam Hochberg

All of the above advice is good. I do not handle such cases, but the Kafoury McDougal Law Firm in Portland does. They can be reached at 503-224-2647 or [email protected].

So far the lawguru attorneys have given you good advice. With a significant accident, as in this case, the full extent of injury and recovery won't be known for a long time, often over a year. It is quite possible your mother willl never fully recover from this inury and may continue to experience symptoms long term. As Mr. Adams indicated, do not be in a hurry to settle this case. I advise my clients to wait until they are medically stationary so that they know the full extent of their recover and can then been in the best possible position to recover the maximum settlement to compensate them. However, do not wait to hire an attorney. A good attorney will manage your case, make sure time limitations are not missed and deal with the insurance company while your mother focuses on recovery. Then when your mother is medically stationary a good attorney will negotiate with the insurance company to get the maximum recovery for your mother. I have handled many auto accident, some more serious than your mothers and others less serious. I would be happy to meet with you and your mother for a free initial consultation to see if we are good fit. I would recommend you meet with 2 or 3 different lawyers before you retain one to determine which one is best for your mother. I can be reached at 503-799-8411 or [email protected]. Good luck.