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Oregon Personal Injury Overview
Personal injury law involves civil claims in which an individual is injured through the negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct of another person, a company, or property owner. A personal injury lawsuit may arise from physical or emotional injuries. Personal injury law compensates individuals injured as a result of another’s negligence or intentional misconduct. Personal injury laws vary from state to state. If you believe you have a personal injury claim, you should contact a personal injury lawyer in Oregon to evaluate your claim.
Oregon follows a system using the modified comparative negligence – 51% rule. In states following a modified comparative fault – 51% rule, an injured party can only recover if it is determined that his or her fault in causing the injury does not reach 51%. If the injured party was 50% or less at fault, he or she may still recover damages. However, if a plaintiff’s fault reaches 51%, he or she recovers nothing. In other words, a plaintiff may have caused half of the accident and still recover damages from the court, but if it is found that the plaintiff’s fault was responsible for more than half of the accident, that plaintiff is barred from receiving any damages determined by the court. Here, as in a pure comparative negligence state, a plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by the degree of his or her fault. For example, if Debbie sued Dave for damages she suffered in a car accident involving their vehicles, and Debbie was 51% at fault, Debbie would not recover anything from Dave. If, however, Debbie was 40% at fault, she could recover damages, but the damage award would be reduced by her portion of the fault in causing the injury. Therefore, a finding that Debbie suffered $10,000 in damages would result in Debbie receiving an award reduced by 40%, or a final award of $6,000.
Click here to read about contributory vs. comparative negligence.
A statute of limitations is a type of law that restricts the period of time that a person may initiate legal proceedings. Time limits can vary depending on the type of case and the state where the particular cause of action occurred. To learn more about statutes of limitations, read our Statute of Limitations page. To see a state by state comparison chart for the personal injury statute of limitations for each state, read our Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Actions page.
Oregon Statutes of Limitations
In Oregon, the courts follow a modified joint and several liability approach in entering judgment against multiple defendants. For the most part, defendants are subject to several liability only, where the amount for which each defendant is financially liable is proportionate to his or her share of the fault. If, within a year from the date of judgment, the court determines that the plaintiff is unable to collect from one of the defendants, then that defendant’s portion of the judgment will be reapportioned among the plaintiff and remaining defendants according to their share of the fault. Cases involving hazardous materials and pollution still fall under the joint and several liability framework.
Click here for more about Joint and Several Liability.
One of the best ways to research personal injury lawyers in Oregon is to contact courts in OR and ask them for information about the personal injury attorneys who utilize their legal facilities when they bring personal injury cases to court. We have compiled a list below of some courts in Oregon to get you started:
Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Oregon
1163 State Street
Salem, OR 97301-2563
503-986-5555
Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
1163 State Street
Salem, OR 97301-2563
503-986-5555
Circuit Courts
Baker County Courts
Baker County Courthouse
1995 Third Street, Suite #220
Baker City, OR 97814
541-523-6305
Benton County Courts
Benton County Courthouse
120 NW Fourth,
P.O. Box 1870
Corvallis, OR 97339
541-766-6859
Clackamas County Courts
Clackamas County Courthouse
807 Main Street, Room #310
Oregon City, OR 97045
503-655-8447
Clatsop County Courts
Clatsop County Courthouse
P.O. Box 835
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-8583
Columbia County Courts
Columbia County Courthouse
230 Strand Street
St. Helens, OR 97051-2041
503-397-2327, ext 0
Coos County Courts
Coos County Courthouse
250 N. Baxter
Coquille, OR 97423
541-396-3121, ext 0
Crook County Courts
Crook County Courthouse
300 NE Third Street
Prineville, OR 97754
541-247-4511
Curry County Courts
Curry County Courthouse
P.O. Box 810
Gold Beach, OR 97444
541-247-4511
Deschutes County Courts
Deschutes County Courthouse
1164 NW Bond
Bend, OR 97701
541-388-5300
Douglas County Courts
Justice Building, Room 201
1036 SE Douglas
Roseburg, OR 97470
541-957-2471
Gilliam County Courts
Gilliam County Courthouse
221 S. Oregon
Condon, OR 97823
541-384-3572
Grant County Courts
Grant County Courthouse
201 S. Humbolt Street
P.O. Box 159
Canyon City, OR 97820
541-575-1438
Harney County Courts
Harney County Courthouse
450 N. Buena Vista
Burns, OR 97720
541-573-5207
Hood River County Courts
Hood River County Courthouse
309 State Street
Hood River, OR 97031
541-386-3535
Jackson County Courts
Justice Building
100 S. Oakdale
Medford, OR 97501
541-776-7171, ext 120
Jefferson County Courts
Jefferson County Courthouse
75 SE “C” Street
Madras, OR 97741-1794
541-475-3317
Josephine County Courts
Josephine County Courthouse
500 NW 6th, Room 252
Grants Pass, OR 97526
541-476-2309
Klamath County Courts
Klamath County Courthouse
316 Main Street
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
541-883-5503 ext 0
Lake County Courts
Lake County Courthouse
513 Center Street
Lakeview, OR 97630
541-947-6051
Lane County Courts
Lane County Courthouse
125 East Eighth
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4020
Lincoln County Courts
Lincoln County Courthouse
225 W. Olive
P.O. Box 100
Newport, OR 97365
541-265-4236, ext 0
Linn County Courts
Linn County Courthouse
P.O. Box 1749
Albany, OR 97321
541-967-3802
Malheur County Courts
Malheur County Courthouse
251 “B” Street W., Box 670
Vale, OR 97918-1375
541-473-5178
Marion County Courts
Marion County Courthouse
100 High Street NE
P.O. Box 12869
Salem, OR 97309-0869
503-588-5105
Morrow County Courts
Morrow County Courthouse
P.O. Box 609
Heppner, OR 97836
541-676-5264
Multnoham County Courts
Multnomah County Courthouse
1021 SW Fourth
Portland, OR 97204
503-988-3957
Polk County Courts
Polk County Courthouse
850 Main Street
Dallas, OR 97338
503-623-3154
Sherman County Courts
Sherman County Courthouse
P.O. Box 402
Moro, OR 97039
541-565-3650
Tax Court
4th Floor
1241 State Street
Salem, OR 97310
503-986-5645
Tillamook County Courts
Tillamook County Courthouse
201 Laurel Avenue
Tillamook, OR 97141
503-842-2596, ext 0
Umatilla County Courts
Umatilla County Courthouse
P.O. Box 1307
Pendleton, OR 97801
541-278-0341, ext 220
Union County Courts
Union County Courthouse
1008 K Avenue,
La Grande, OR 97850
541-962-9500, ext 0
Wallowa County Courts
Wallowa County Courthouse
101 S. River Street, Room 204
Enterprise, OR 97828
541-426-4991
Wasco County Courts
Wasco County Courthouse
Fifth and Washington,
P.O. Box 1400
The Dalles, OR 97058-1400
541-506-2700 xt 10
Washington County Courts
Washington County Courthouse
150 N. First
Hillsboro, OR 97124
503-846-8888
Wheeler County Courts
Wheeler County Courthouse
P.O. Box 308
Fossil, OR 97830
541-763-2541
Yamhill County Courts
Yamhill County Courthouse
535 NE Fifth Street
McMinnville, OR 97128
503-434-7530
