Oregon Accident Attorney - Personal Injury:
Damages You Are Entitled To

You are entitled to money for the following types of damages or injuries:

1. Your current medical bills. For the first year, these are paid by your insurance carrier. Between the first year and when your case settles, there are several ways to pay for your medical care. First, if you can afford it, you can pay the bill when it becomes due and seek reimbursement when your case settles. Alternatively, you can request your personal health insurance carrier to pay for your medical care with the written promise that you will reimburse them from any settlement. Or, your attorney can negotiate with your medical provider to pay for your medical expenses when the case settles.
2. Your future medical bills. You are entitled to receive money to cover the reasonably anticipated costs of your future medical care. Unfortunately, that can only be determined by the best judgment of your physician and, despite their best efforts, they are often wrong in predicting the cost of future medical care. When you settle, you should receive a sum estimated by your physician to cover the cost of your future medical bills.
3. Your general pain and suffering. This is compensation for the pain you've gone through because of the injuries you suffered. Headaches, back aches, broken bones, bulging discs, and "whiplash" are all examples of the types of injuries that cause pain. You will receive money because you suffered those injuries and the pain that accompanies the injuries. That's the good news. The bad news is that some people say there is no sum of money that can adequately compensate them for the pain they've endured. As a former educational psychologist, Mr. Bradley is uniquely qualified to understand emotional issues and how they relate to your claim for damages.
4. Interference with your enjoyment of life and loss of your normal activities. These are related and are clear. If you exercised by walking two miles a day but couldn't walk for six months following your accident, you are entitled to receive money for having the activity of walking taken away from you. The same is true if you painted, crocheted, gardened, or did any other regular activity.
5. Lost Wages and Lost Economic Opportunities. If you were employed when you were injured, you are entitled to 100% of your lost wages. Doctors often release patients from work and if that happens, or if you simply are not able to work, you are entitled to your lost wages. If you did not have employment when you were injured, and you had reasonably expected future employment, you are entitled to recover your lost economic opportunity. Thus, if you were un-employed when injured but had a job lined up to start a week from the day you were injured, and you could not start that job for three weeks, you would be entitled to the wages you would have earned had you started work when planned.
6. Damage to Your Vehicle. As stated above, you are entitled to have your car repaired at a reputable dealership if the costs of the repair are less than the value of your car. If the cost to repair your car is greater than what your car is worth, then you are entitled to the value of an equivalent vehicle (same type of car, similar condition, and similar miles).
7. Injuries to Others. Anyone with you in your car at the time of the collision is also entitled to the same type of damages if they are injured. In some situations, your spouse may be eligible to receive damages based upon injuries to you. These would include situations where you weren't able to do normal work around the house or where there was a loss of affection between the two of you because of your injuries.