Pedestrian and Bicylce Claims

Cases arising out of automobile accidents are by far the most common type of personal injury case in our court system today. This is not surprising, given that every 10 seconds, someone in the United States is involved in a car accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Generally, people who operate automobiles must exercise "reasonable care under the circumstances." A failure to use reasonable care is considered negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle may be required to pay for any damages, either to a person or property, caused by his or her negligence. The injured party, known as the plaintiff, is required to prove that the defendant was negligent, that the negligence caused the accident, and that the accident caused the plaintiff's injuries.

Oregon (mandatory) and Washington (optional) have some form of no-fault law that requires drivers to carry insurance that will pay for their medical bills and lost wages -- up to certain dollar amounts -- regardless of who was at fault in an accident. The advantage of no-fault insurance is prompt payment of medical bills and lost wages without any arguments about who caused the accident. But most no-fault insurance -- which is often referred to in policies as Personal Injury Protection (PIP) -- provides extremely limited coverage. Anything beyond PIP coverage must be obtained from the liable party at the conclusion of the claim. Thus, it is extremely beneficial to have health insurance to cover non PIP medical costs.

NOTICE: The information provided in this web site is provided as a service to you, but in no way does it constitute legal advice. Visiting this site nor contacting our office to disccuss your case does not constitute the hiring of this office. Hiring this office is effective only upon completing and executing an Attorney-Client Fee Agreement with Randall J. Wolfe, PC. Randall l J. Wolfe, PC tries to provide reliable information, but we make no claims or promises about the completeness or adequacy of the information. Nothing herein should be used as a substitute for the advice of a competent attorney for your particular situation. Further, in all injury claims, it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, investigate the incident question, protect applicable statutes of limitation and have physicians or other expert witnesses thoroughly evaluate any injuries. Because an attorney can best help you accomplish all of these things, if you have been injured, it is strongly recommended that you contact The Law Office of Randall J. Wolfe or another qualified attorney to evaluate your case as soon as possible.