What is a Personal Injury?
“Personal injury” law, also known as “tort” law, covers a wide range of negligence claims causing damages to one’s body, mind, or emotions.
This includes an injury or death caused by a car or truck accident or a physician or lawyer’s negligence. There is a subpart of personal injury law called “premises liability law” which occurs when a person gets hurt on somebody else’s property due to an unsafe condition resulting in injury.
In any viable case, the victim must prove liability, which is often much easier to do with the help of an experienced Portland personal injury attorney. To prove liability, you must establish negligence which is more fully described below.
At the Law Offices of Jon Friedman, our Portland personal injury lawyers represent clients in the following practice areas:
If you would like more information on filing a claim, please contact our Portland personal injury lawyers directly or review our FAQs to get quick answers to your most pressing questions.
Do You Have a Claim?
To determine this, you will need to establish three things:
- Negligence
You must prove that the person or entity responsible for your injury was negligent. Negligence is defined as someone doing something no reasonable person would do or failing to do what a reasonable person would do. This includes simple negligence but also carelessness and recklessness.
- Causation
You must prove that this negligent/careless/reckless act caused your injury. You are only entitled to damages if you can prove negligence and causation. Causation includes any new injury caused by the event or aggravation of a pre-existing condition. Both are compensable under Oregon law.
- Damages
In the State of Oregon, a plaintiff may legally pursue Economic and Non-economic Damages.
Economic damages consist of past, present, and future medical bills, lost wages, and other tangible expenses that can be calculated.
Non-economic damages refer to past, present, and future pain and suffering as well as any interference with your ability to lead a normal day to day life including, but not limited to, the loss of abilities you had before the accident or the impact that the incident has had on your ability to lead your normal life.
This could include the inability to participate in your favorite sports, failing to work at the same pace or position you did before the incident, or even simple activities like bending over to pick up the newspaper.
In short, non-economic damages represent every way an accident adversely impacted your quality of life.
When we are first hired, we send letters of representation to the insurance companies to direct any dialogue to us, so you will no longer need to speak to them yourself.
Next, and depending on the case, our Portland personal injury lawyers will partner with professional experts, including your medical team, investigators, and accident reconstruction specialists who can help build your case for success to pursue a timely and fair resolution for your personal injury claim.
Helping You Recover
At The Law Offices of Jon Friedman, our Portland personal injury attorneys offer free legal advice and initial consultations to discuss the details of your personal injury claim.
We have built a strong reputation in the state of Oregon and have helped thousands of clients obtain fair resolutions for their claims. We welcome the opportunity to put our experience to work for you and your family.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, contact our Portland personal injury lawyers for a free, no-obligation consultation via phone, email, or in-person. If your injuries keep you from coming to us, we can come to you.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation Today
If you believe you have a claim and have questions or concerns about it, please contact our Multnomah County personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Jon Friedman today by calling 503-242-1440 for a free confidential assessment of your claim.
