Personal Injury In Portland Oregon (2022)

Personal Injury In Portland Oregon

One of the most important things to know is that personal injury matters are civil cases. As such, they go through the civil court system. Criminal matters are different in many ways. Fortunately, Oregon's Judicial Department provides great information about civil cases.

If you need answers now, feel free to call us for a free consultation. Personal injury matters are stressful to deal with.

Portland Oregon Special Court Rules and Procedures

First, you should know that some courts/judges have specific procedures they follow. More and more of this information is online. It can be useful to look up your specific judge on this page. Additionally, these pages can have vital contact information for court staff.

Civil Case Arbitration - Portland, OR

Secondly, you should know that if your civil case is seeking damages under $50,000 it is subject to mandatory arbitration. Arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism. Ideally, it provides quick and cost-effective resolutions to cases.

In arbitration, you do not go before a judge during a trial. Instead, cases are decided by an arbitrator. There is no jury.

The arbitrator makes an award based on the evidence and testimony presented at a hearing. This award can then be turned into a formal judgment by the court. However, either party may appeal the decision to the court and request a trial.

Portland Car Accident Report

Thirdly, you should know if you were involved in a car accident you may have a legal obligation to report the accident.

The city of Portland actually has its own ordinance covering accident reporting. Drivers are required by Portland City Code 16.40 to report a crash within 24 hours. Visit this page to learn more.

These are four situations when you MUST report the accident to Oregon's DMV:

1. Damage to any vehicle is over $2,500 (even if your vehicle was the only one in the crash);
2. Damages to any vehicle is over $2,500 and any vehicle is towed from the scene;
3. Injury or death resulted from this accident; or
4. Damages to anyone’s property other than a vehicle involved in this accident is more than $2,500.

It is important that you file a report when required. The DMV can suspend your license otherwise. Do not skip this vital step. Additionally, please know that a report submitted by the police to the DMV does not negate this requirement.

There are also times when you may want to report your accident to the DMV even if not required. If you were in an accident and the damages were less than $2,500, you can report to DMV if the other party doesn't have insurance. Be sure to clearly note on the accident report that it doesn't meet mandatory reporting criteria.

If you were involved in a traffic crash you may obtain the first page of the Oregon Traffic Crash report free of charge. This is done by completing a Public Records Request Form. This report is useful for insurance companies and attorneys involved in your case.

Multnomah County Circuit Court

Finally, it is vital to know the Multnomah County Circuit Court handles personal injury cases in Portland Oregon. Fortunately, Oregon has a website holding information for each of its courts.

Multnomah County Court Info

This is the current information for the Washington County Court as of August 2022. Please check the Multnomah county circuit court website for the most up-to-date information and more importantly check for important notices.