Eugene, OR, Personal Injury Lawyers

Why Choose Strong Law’s Personal Injury Lawyers?

The experienced team of Eugene personal injury lawyers at Strong Law has a 98 percent winning record. In addition, we have experience dealing with insurance companies and trial personal injury lawyers on hand should the case go to court.

You want someone who will fight so you receive the compensation you deserve. We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients in Oregon, Washington, and Utah, including million-dollar car accident cases.

Attorney Jed Strong

Jed Strong is the founder of Strong Law. He knows that accident injuries can devastate individuals and families, so he does everything he can to ensure his clients recover every bit of compensation they deserve. Before representing accident victims, Jed worked for GEICO insurance company as one of its in-house attorneys. After learning the inner workings of insurance companies, he quit and began representing accident victims. Jed Strong uses his past experiences with insurance companies to advocate for his clients.

Since opening its doors in 2016, the firm has had a 98 percent success rate. Part of that success is their willingness to take a case to court if that is what it takes to get justice for their client.

What to Expect When Strong Law Represents You

When you contact our Eugene personal injury lawyers, your initial case evaluation is free. You do not pay attorneys’ fees unless we win your case.

We will deal with the insurance company for you and negotiate for a proper payout. If the insurance company returns with a fair and reasonable offer the first time, the case could be over in a month or less.

Our job is to negotiate with the insurance company if possible. If it does not come back with a fair and reasonable offer, we can work with you to continue negotiations or recommend ending them to litigate your case by taking it to court.

The Process When a Eugene Personal Injury Case Goes to Court

The goal is to stay out of court when possible. You can count on our personal injury attorneys in Eugene to be strategic negotiators on your behalf to get the compensation you deserve in a settlement with the insurance company.

You can also depend on us to tell you when the settlement is too low. We will give you our best legal guidance, so you know your options. It will be your choice whether or not to litigate your case. Should you go forward, know that a Eugene personal injury lawyer at Strong Law will be your best advocate and fight aggressively for you in court.

Once you decide to take your case to court, our Eugene personal injury attorneys will ensure they have all the information required to proceed and deal with court paperwork and proceedings. We might have to investigate your case further and need additional medical records from your doctors, especially if you believe your injuries will cause long-term or permanent disabilities.

We will meet with you regularly throughout the process, so you know what to expect as far as recoverable damages.

Recoverable Damages in a Personal Injury Case

Generally speaking, Oregon allows for three types of damages you can get compensation for after an accident:

• Economic
• Non-economic
• Punitive.

The goal is to make you whole again by compensating you after the accident.

Economic Damages

Special damages, sometimes called economic damages, have a monetary value, and include:

• Medical expenses you incurred in the accident and before a trial award or a settlement.
• Future medical expenses for those you expect to incur after a settlement or trial award.
• Past lost wages for when you were out of work due to injury until a settlement or trial award.
• Future lost wages after a settlement or a trial award because of injuries you sustained. You may be able to recover partial future lost wages if you are able to work but will make less money. Still, your disabilities and injuries preclude you from making the same salary or hourly rate you did before the accident.
• Replacement or repair of destroyed or damaged personal property, including a vehicle and items in the vehicle or on your person, such as a cell phone or laptop computer.
• Funeral, burial, and cremation expenses if you lost a loved one in an accident.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages cannot be measured in dollars, such as:

• If you lose a loved one in an accident, you feel pain and suffering, including emotional distress.
• Loss of quality of life if you have extensive lifestyle changes caused by taking medications or using ambulatory aids for accident-induced injuries that lead to long-term or permanent disabilities.
• Loss of companionship if you cannot enjoy family activities and events, such as playing ball with your kids or taking vacations with your family.
• Loss of consortium if you can no longer have a physical relationship with your spouse.
• Loss of use of a body part, such as your arm or a foot.
• Loss of bodily function, such as bladder control or eyesight.
• To enlist the help of someone else for tasks that you typically handle on your own, such as cleaning the house, maintaining the lawn, shopping for groceries, and taking care of home maintenance and repairs.
• Compensation for amputation, whether you suffered the amputation in the accident, just after the accident, or if a doctor must amputate later because of infection.
• Excessive scarring and disfigurement, such as from burns or a back injury.

Punitive Damages

The court orders punitive damages in a personal injury case if it finds that the defendant’s actions were grossly negligent or intentional (Or. Rev. Stat. § 31.730). The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the defendant for the damages that you have suffered due to their negligence.

Punitive damages are not automatic and awarded in every case. The process is complicated and requires skilled personal injury lawyers. Strong Law has a team of personal injury lawyers in Eugene that can help. If you feel you deserve compensation for an accident, call the office at (206) 741-1053 and make an appointment to speak to one of them.

It is better not to wait. The sooner you call, the better the investigation will go. The Eugene personal injury lawyer will need to talk to you while you still remember the details, visit the scene and interview potential witnesses.

Does Your Accident Qualify for a Personal Injury Claim?

The only one who can tell you that is a personal injury lawyer. However, if you suffered injuries or damage due to someone else’s negligence, you may be due compensation.

Some common accidents that fall into this category include:

• Damage due to a product
• Motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycles
• Bike accidents
• Damage that occurs on a business or another person’s property
• Work Injuries
• Dog bites.

The lawyers at Strong Law have successfully handled many personal injury claims. If you have any questions, it is better to call the office at (206) 741-1053 and talk to one of our Eugene personal injury attorneys.

Injuries Suffered in Bicycle Accidents

In 2020, 938 people died in bicycle accidents. Because a bicyclist does not have protection other than personal protective equipment, including helmets and gloves, those involved in bike accidents with a car or truck can suffer catastrophic injuries or even fatalities.

We investigate the case to determine who was at fault – there could be more than one person sharing in the responsibility for your injuries or the death of a loved one.

Those that might share fault for a bicycle accident include:

• Other drivers
• The cyclist
• The municipality that maintains roads
• The bicycle manufacturer
• The person who assembled the bicycle.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Many brain injuries are considered traumatic, including concussions. If you hit your head in an accident, you should always seek medical attention to ensure you do not have a concussion.

Even a mild concussion can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy later in life, especially if this is not your first concussion. While the pain from a concussion might go away after a few hours, you could still have some damage to your brain.

Injuries Caused by Car Accidents in Eugene

A driver could drive while distracted or under the influence of drugs or alcohol or have a medical emergency. Other causes of car accidents include:

• Another driver hits a vehicle, causing the second vehicle to hit you.
• Reckless driving.
• Excessive speeding.
• Defective parts.
• A vehicle that came from the manufacturer with design defects.
• A tired driver.
• Debris in the road.

Car accident damages could range from minor cuts and bruises to catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Because of the potential severity of injuries in an accident, you should always contact a Eugene personal injury lawyer to help you get the full compensation you deserve.

Dog Bite Injuries

A dog bite or attack could result in fatalities depending on several factors, including the person’s size, the dog’s size, and how aggressive the dog is. A smaller dog rarely causes an adult’s death but can cause a child’s demise.

A medium-sized dog can do considerable damage to an adult and even kill an adult. All states, including Oregon, have leash laws. Pet owners can be held responsible if their pets get loose or attack someone else. If bitten by a dog, you should immediately contact a dog bite lawyer at Strong Law.

Motorcycle Accidents that Lead to Injuries

Motorcycle accidents have a significantly higher risk of causing catastrophic injuries or death. With no protection other than your helmet and clothing, a crash usually causes several types of injuries.

The severity of your injuries depends on your speed and the speed of the vehicle that hit you, the size of the other vehicle, whether you have a full-face helmet, and whether you are wearing leather or street clothes.

In addition to minor injuries such as strains, sprains, cuts, and bruises, you could suffer simple and compound fractures, traumatic brain injuries, internal injuries, road rash, burns, face and eye injuries, and spinal cord injuries.

Many of these injuries could cause long-term or permanent disabilities, excessive scarring, and disfigurement. And motorcycle accidents have a significantly higher risk of being fatal.

Pedestrian Accidents

As with bicycle and motorcycle accidents, pedestrian mishaps have a significantly higher risk of being fatal or causing catastrophic injuries. Pedestrians have no protection when a car hits them. The weight of the vehicle could crush a person to death.

Injuries could range from scrapes to traumatic brain injuries caused when the car knocks you over, and you hit your head on the pavement. It could also cause spinal cord injuries and head, neck, and shoulder injuries that could lead to or include spinal cord injuries.

As with any accident, if you can move without causing additional damage, obtain the driver’s contact information, insurance information, and registration information. If possible, take pictures of the vehicle that hit you, especially any damage to the vehicle where it hit you.

Always seek medical attention after a pedestrian accident, regardless of how minor you believe your injuries are. Adrenaline could cause more severe injuries to be unnoticeable for a few hours. Additionally, some injuries might not manifest for hours or even days. As soon as possible after the accident, you should contact our Eugene personal injury lawyers so we can discuss the options available to you to pursue compensation for your injuries.

What About Wrongful Death?

When an accident takes the life of a loved one, you are entitled to recover damages. Although the money does not bring your loved one back, it does reduce the financial stress their death causes.

Damages in economic and non-economic damages can pay for the funeral, burial, and cremation expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

A wrongful death needs to be investigated, just like any other personal injury claim in Eugene. While we understand you are grieving for your loved one, it is better that you contact our Eugene personal injury lawyers as soon as possible so that we can investigate the case while the evidence is still viable. Weather and individuals could destroy evidence that could help in your case. In most cases, people destroy evidence without realizing that they are doing it.

Eugene Personal Injury Lawyer FAQs

Here are some answers to frequent questions from our personal injury clients. Feel free to call our office if you do not see your question here.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Cases in Oregon?

The statute of limitations for a personal injury case in Oregon is two years or three if it is a wrongful death lawsuit. That means you must file your claim within two or three years of the accident. Earlier is better, though. The sooner you contact us, the more information we can gather about your case.

What Should I Tell the Insurance Company After the Accident?

Give them the basic information, including your name and the name of anyone else involved. You should not provide too much detail about what happened or admit any guilt. Keep the information on point and let your personal injury lawyers handle the rest. Your next call should be to our office.

How Long Will It Take to Settle My Personal Injury Case?

There is no way to put a timeline on it. Every case is different. Not all cases go to court, as well. However, you can expect a case settlement with the insurance company without intense negotiation to be over in a few weeks or a couple of months.

Cases that go to court will take much longer. Once we have all information, we need to start litigation, it takes a few weeks to research and draft the complaint. Then, when we file the case with the court, we must serve it on the defendants. That could take days or a week, or more. Then, after the defendants receive the complaint, they have a specific amount of time to file responsive pleadings.

The defendants could file an answer and counterclaim, in which case, the discovery process starts. If one or more defendants file motions, the court has to hear and rule on them. If the court grants a defendant’s motion to dismiss, you – via your attorney at Strong Law – have a certain number of days to edit the complaint and re-file it.

The defendant could answer your complaint and set another motion to delay the process further. If the defendant continues delaying the case, the court could rule in your favor. When the court rules in your favor, the defendant must submit an answer and counterclaim in the time prescribed by the judge. As a result, court cases could take years.

How Do I Pay My Medical Bills Until My Settlement or Trial Award Comes Through?

If you have auto or health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, let them pay the bills for now. It will take time before your portion comes due. However, be prepared to pay them back should you settle.

Also, you may have to negotiate with the hospital for reduced rates if you can pay or a payment plan if you cannot. That is money you will recoup when the settlement comes through.

Should I See a Doctor After an Accident Even If I Feel That My Injuries Are Minor?

You should always see a doctor after an accident. The shock of the trauma can make you feel like you are okay. You also do not know how you will feel in the coming days. It is essential that you get examined and have that record.

What Can I Post on social media About My Injuries or Accident?

If you want to post about your accident on social media, stick with the facts. Do not embellish the cause or discuss fault. Remember, anything you post on social media can be used in court.

It is also okay to post pictures, but with the same stipulations. Do not admit fault or blame anyone.

Is It Worth Suing for Punitive Damages in a Personal Injury Case?

Your team of Eugene personal injury attorneys can help you make that decision. Certainly, if you suffered severe injuries or lost a loved one due to gross negligence or recklessness, suing for punitive damages would make sense.

Client Testimonial

”The team is awesome! Katrina was so helpful and there for me during the whole process. They never left me in the dark and were always open and honest about the process and likely outcome. I was so stressed going into this my whole life had changed because of what happened and I really appreciate strong law being there with me through the stress and getting an amazing win. :)” – Moe Poe (Google Review)