Michael Colbach, Oregon personal injury attorney will protect your rights.
Protect your rights
When you have been injured in an accident or collision, you are worried about who is going to pay your medical bills, lost
wages, and other damages. The last thing you want is to be taken advantage of by an insurance company. If you don’t
protect your rights, you may not be able to make a claim.
Insurance companies have attorneys and adjusters whose goal is to pay you as little as they can. You need an Oregon
personal injury lawyer to fight for you. I am dedicated to helping your recover as much money as possible under the
law.
Why should you hire attorney Mike Colbach?
You need an attorney who will work hard to protect your rights, maximize your insurance settlement and minimize the hassles
of dealing with the insurance companies. You need an experienced and aggressive Oregon trial lawyer with PROVEN
RESULTS who will fight for you. Having an experienced Oregon personal injury lawyer
can make the difference between getting what you deserve and getting nothing.
Trial Attorney with proven results handling Oregon personal injury law cases.
Without the threat of a lawyer who is willing to go to trial and seek a big jury verdict, why would an insurance company pay
you what your claim is really worth? Lawsuits can be expensive, and many people do not have the money to pursue their claim.
In every case, I advance all costs associated with pursuing your case and I do not ask you for a penny until we recover from
the other side.
Trial attorney with experience can make the difference.
I am an experienced aggressive trial lawyer who has tried over 100 cases. I am not afraid to take your case to trial if that
is what it takes to maximize the amount of money your recover for your personal injury. I offer one-on-one service, and I wil
not hand your case off to an inexperienced lawyer or a paralegal.
Reduce the stress of making a claim.
Personal injury accidents can turn your life upside down. Making a personal injury claim can be difficult and time consuming.
Once I take your case, you can stop worrying about dealing with the insurance companies and focus on recovering from your
injuries. I take care of all of the paperwork, phone calls, and negotiations, so you can get on with your life.
I handle Oregon personal
injury cases on a contingency fee basis.
This means:
YOU DON’T OWE ME A LEGAL FEE
UNLESS I RECOVER MONEY FOR YOU.
Oregon Personal Injury Attorney
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q: What type of personal injury claims do you handle?
A:
I handle all types of personal injury claims, auto injury accidents, motorcycle
injury accidents, bicycle injury accidents, dog bite injuries, ATV injury accidents,
boating injury accidents, and any other case where someone else causes you personal
injury.
Q: How soon after personal injury accident should I call you?
A:
Call me immediately. Do not give the other person’s insurance
company a statement
until you have consulted with a lawyer. I make a point of returning all calls and
e-mails promptly. If you have suffered a personal injury, you need to know right away
what insurance coverage is in place to cover your medical expenses and lost wages.
Q: Will I get to talk to a lawyer if I call?
A:
Yes. Everyone who calls for a free consultation gets to talk to a lawyer. I do not
have my staff screen cases. Usually you will get to talk to a lawyer right away or
later the same day.
Q: Should I call you even if I want to handle my claim myself?
A:
Yes. In a few minutes over the phone I can usually give you an estimate of what
your claim is worth so you don't get ripped off by the insurance company. If they
give you an offer and you later hire me, I will not charge you a fee unless I can
increase the amount that goes into your pocket.
Q: What is my claim worth?
A:
The value of your car accident injury claim depends on the severity and permanency
of your injuries. Contact me now for a free consultation so I can assess your claim
and tell you what I think it is worth.
Q: Should I accept the offer that the insurance company has given me?
A:
Oftentimes I can get insurance companies to substantially increase the amount of
their settlement offer. If you have already received an offer for your injuries,
contact me and I will let you know if I think it is a fair offer. I will not charge
you for this consultation. If I do not beat their original offer to you, I will not
charge you an attorney fee.
Q: Can I recover if the other driver had no insurance?
A:
Yes. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, you can recover money for your
medical bills and pain and suffering even if the other driver had no insurance.
Q: Does my auto insurance cover accidents when I am on my bike?
A:Many auto policies will cover you if you are injured in a
bicycle accident or
while on foot.
Q: How do I know if I have a good auto accident or personal injury case?
A: You need to contact me and we can discuss your case. My
consultation on a personal
injury case is always free.
Q: How long does it take to settle most personal injury cases?
A:
It depends on the nature of your personal injury claim. I have settled smaller
personal injury claims for the full amount my client wanted within 10 days and I have
settled policy limits cases in as little as a few months. Larger personal injury
cases typically take longer to settle. Oregon law has a provision that can require
insurance companies to pay my attorney fees for personal injury cases under $5,500,
so oftentimes these personal injury cases can be resolved quickly, as the insurance
companies don’t want to get a big attorney fee bill from me.
Q: Will pursuing my personal injury case take up a lot of my time?
A:
No. Oftentimes I only meet with clients for the initial interview and then we can
just talk over the phone. If we do have to go to court, it will take more time. I
realize your time is important, so I don’t waste it.
Q: Will I have to go to trial?
A:
The vast majority of personal injury cases don’t go to trial. However, I treat
each case as if it is going to be a trial, as you have to be willing to go to trial
to maximize your settlement.
Q: Why is it so important to hire an Oregon attorney who goes to trial?
A:
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but you want to maximize your
settlement. If you hire an Oregon personal injury attorney who has little trial
experience, oftentimes they will be afraid to go to trial. Insurance companies know
who these lawyers are, and they oftentimes offer them less than the case is worth. I
have 10 years of courtroom experience and I have tried well over 100 cases. A good
example of why you sometimes have to go to trial are the recent results I have had. I
recently tried three separate cases where the offers totaled approximately $51,500.
The juries awarded a total of over $850,000. If my clients had hired a lawyer who
does not try cases, they would have lost a combined total of around $800,000.
Verdicts like these do not come easy and it took me years of trying cases and over
100 jury trials before I had the skills to get big verdicts for my clients. I know a
number of Oregon personal injury attorneys who do not try cases. I believe that these
attorneys do a great disservice to their clients and cost their clients millions of
dollars by settling cases that should go to trial. Before you hire a lawyer, make
sure that they are actively trying cases and have had a number of six figure
verdicts.
Q: Do I need an Oregon injury lawyer?
A:
In order to settle your personal injury and auto accident cases you will have to
deal with insurance companies. Their goal is to pay you as little as you will take.
It is tough for someone who is not familiar with personal injury cases to know what a
fair settlement amount is. An experienced Oregon personal injury attorney can help
you to determine that amount and reach a fair settlement.
Q: How do I pay your legal fees?
A:
I handle auto accident, dog bites and all of my other personal injury cases on a
contingency fee basis. This means YOU DO NOT OWE ME A LEGAL
FEE UNLESS I RECOVER
MONEY FOR YOU. I do not ask for any attorney fees upfront. If there is no recovery
there is no fee.
Q: What do you charge for recovering my medical expenses?
A:
I do not charge my clients a fee recovering their past medical expenses. Many
lawyers charge a percentage of the total recovery, including your medical expenses. I
base my fee on what is recovered in addition to your medical expenses. If your lawyer
charges you for recovering your medical expenses it can significantly reduce how much
goes in your pocket. For example, if you had $50,000 in medical expenses and a
$100,000 settlement, your lawyer would get $33,000, $50,000 would go to repay your
medical expenses, and you would be left with around $17,000. In a case like that, I
would base my fee off of the $50,000, putting $33,000 in your pocket instead of
approximately $17,000. The only time I charge a fee for recovering your past medical
expenses is when someone other than the client, usually my client's insurance company
or healthcare provider, pays me to recover the medical expenses.
Q: Are there any hidden fees?
A:
No. I do not charge you fees for consultations, opening your file,
copies, long distance, etc. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure you
find out what they will be charging you, as these hidden fees can add
up.
Q: Lawsuits can be expensive, will it cost me any money up front for filing fees,
court costs, expert witness fees, and any other costs?
A:
Filing a lawsuit, paying court costs and expert witness fees can be< very expensive. Every year I spend
thousands of dollars in litigation costs. I know that most people cannot afford these costs up front, so I forward these
costs up front in every case I take. Spending a few thousand dollars on a good expert witness can make the difference between
getting thousands of dollars and getting nothing for your personal injury claim. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure that
they are willing to forward the money to adequately pursue your personal injury case. Otherwise, you may be forced into
taking a minimal settlement if you cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars to pursue your personal injury claim.
Q: What types of Oregon accident cases do you handle?
A:
I handle all types of Oregon personal injury, wrongful death and products
liability cases, including: auto accidents, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents,
ATV accidents, boating accidents, dog bites and all other types of injury cases.
Q: What if the person who hit me does not have any insurance?
A: When my clients are hit by someone who does not have insurance, I can
usually get
them more money that if they were hit by someone with insurance. The reason for this
is that the lawsuit will be you versus your insurance company, and juries tend to
award more money in these cases, so insurance companies tend to pay more in these
cases. When you sue the other driver’s insurance company, the insurance company’s
name is not on the lawsuit and the jurors are not told that the other driver has
insurance. Although the other driver never has to pay out of their pocket, the jurors
don’t know this and sometimes award less money than if they knew insurance would be
paying the judgment.
Q: Who pays my medical bills?
A: Most Oregon auto insurance policies have Personal Injury Protection, or PIP,
no-fault healthcare coverage that covers your accident related medical expenses for
up to one year or $15,000. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not like to pay
these bills and will often times send you to an “independent” medical exam, where you
are evaluated by a doctor who works for companies that mainly do exams for insurance
companies. These doctors almost always say what the insurance companies want them to
say, regardless of what your treating doctor says. If your treating doctor believes
the treatment is related to the accident, I can almost always get the insurance
company to pay the medical expenses, and I do not charge my clients for helping get
their medical bills paid.
Q: What if my medical bills are more than my Personal Injury Protection coverage
limit?
A: If your medical bills are more than $15,000 or your treatment goes on for
more
than a year, your personal injury protection insurance will no longer pay your bills.
You are then personally responsible for any bills in excess of your personal injury
protection coverage. If you have healthcare coverage, oftentimes they will pay for
any treatment in excess of your personal injury protection coverage, but they usually
will want to be paid back out of any settlement or judgment you get.
Q: The doctors are coming after me for unpaid bills, can you help?
A: I routinely work with doctor and healthcare providers to keep them from sending my
clients to collections for unpaid bills. Often, I can keep them from sending bills to
collections if we agree in writing that we will pay them first once we get paid on a
settlement or judgment. When there is not enough insurance coverage to pay all of the
bills, I can usually get healthcare providers to reduce their bills low enough that
there is still money leftover for my clients.
Q: I am out of work as a result of my injuries. Can you help me?
A: Yes. Your personal injury protection insurance provides wage loss for up to
52
weeks after your accident. My staff and I work with your doctors and your insurance
company to make sure you are promptly paid the maximum amount of your wage loss
benefits. If your injuries are permanent and you are forced to find a new line of
work, the other party should have to pay for any future lost wages and retraining
costs. I can hire a vocational rehabilitation expert to determine how much your
future lost wages and retraining expenses will be, so we can make these costs part of
any settlement or judgment.
Q: Do you handle on the job injuries?
A: I handle third-party on the job injuries. What this means is when your
injuries
are caused by someone other than your employer, such as another driver, faulty
equipment, subcontractor, etc. I do not handle first-party workers compensation
claims, where you are hurt on the job, but it is not a third-party’s fault. If you
have a first-party workers compensation claim, I can refer you to a lawyer who
specializes in these claims, as they are an entirely different kind of law than
personal injury claims.
Q: I don’t want to bankrupt somebody. What happens to the person I sue?
A: Although the lawsuit will have the other driver’s name on it, we are actually going after the insurance company’s money. In virtually every case, the person we sue does not have to pay a penny, as their insurance company pays the settlement or verdict amount, as well as all of the legal fees. In the three cases where I have received verdicts bigger than the policy limits, the insurance companies still paid, as it was there fault for not settling for the policy limits.
Q: What parts of Oregon do you handle cases in?
A: Although I am located in Portland, Oregon, I will handle take cases
throughout the
state of Oregon including the following counties and cities:
Counties:
Multnomah County, Washington County, Clackamas County, Marion County, Polk County,
Columbia County, Hood River County, Yamhill County, Clatsop County, Wasco County,
Linn County, Benton County, Lane County, Clatsop County, Tillamook County, Sherman
County, Jefferson County, Linn County, Benton County.
Cities:
Portland, Salem, Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie,
McMinnville, West Linn, Tualatin, Troutdale, Sherwood, Molalla, Aloha, Albany,
Corvallis, Cascade Locks, Astoria, Wilsonville,Woodburn, The Dalles, Fairview, Oregon
City, Silverton, Sandy, Rainier, Monmouth, Newberg, Keizer, Gladstone, Forest Grove,
Estacada, Canby, Philomath, Newberg, Parkdale, Seaside.
Oregon State Bar
Attorney Referral Tools
Free Oregon State Bar Attorney Referral Services and Oregon State Bar Member Research tool can help you find and retain a qualified and ethical Oregon attorney for any type of Oregon Law matter.
Before you retain an Oregon attorney research the attorney for Oregon State Bar disciplinary history. An attorney may have been previously disciplined or supspended for ripping off a client or other ethical issues you should know about before you retain an Oregon attorney.
The Oregon State Bar Member research tool:
- To research an attorney you are considering hiring all you need is the attorney's name.
- Using the free online Member Research Tool, once you've located the attorney by name, then click: "Show Disciplinary History" (underneeth Bar Member's Information) which will show the particular attorney's disciplinary history with Oregon State Bar disciplinary actions.
If you have questions, contact the Oregon State Bar disciplineonweb@osbar.org
503.431.6394, toll-free in Oregon 800.452.8260 x 394.
Oregon DUI Criminal Defense Attorney Referral
If
you have been charged with an Oregon
DUI or other Oregon criminal charge, I recommend
you contact David
Lesh through his web site. Mr. Lesh is an experienced
Oregon lawyer.
Experienced USA Personal Injury Attorney Referalls
If you are looking for an experienced attorney in any other state, please email me as I may be able to refer you to an experienced attorney at no charge to you.
I also have provided some links to experienced USA
personal injury attorneys (left column).
USA Bicycle Attorney Referalls
If
you are looking for an experienced bicycle attorney, please
see my bicycle
site or the above linked USA
bicycle attorneys section for a list of experienced
bicyclist injury attorneys in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado,
Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania,
Arizona, and Nevada.
Oregon Bicycling ::Links::
I
support Oregon Bicycle Racing Assocation (OBRA) www.obra.org.
I support the local Portland bicycle team of www.prestovelo.com.
The Presto Velo Cycling Team
Portland Chiropractic ::Link::
Portland, Oregon Chiropractic:
I
reccomend Dr. Bassinger and Dr. May at Clearwater
Chiropractic.
Dr. Bassinger is a personal friend
and an excellent doctor.
Portland Massage Therapy ::Link::
Portland, Oregon Massage Therapy:
I recommend Brent
King, Oregon LMT & Washington LMP |
