If you have been injured on your motorcycle in a motor vehicle accident, contact me as soon as you are able. You will need to know what insurance is available to help with your medical bills, lost wages, and damages to your motorcycle and gear.
Once I take your case, you can stop worrying about dealing with the insurance companies and focus on recovering. I take care of all of the paperwork, phone calls, and negotiations, so you can get on with your life.
As an experienced Portland motorcycle accident attorney I can help by providing legal advice, negotiate with insurance companies, and represent you in and out of court. The sooner you contact me after a motorcycle accident the better that I can have accident experts investigate the cause of your accident and recover any evidence to help establish fault; further, I can help you understand the value of your insurance claim, and fight to recover fair compensation for your injuries, lost wages and damages.
Two years ago, as I was riding my motorcycle, on my year long journey from Chile to Canada, I got very badly injured. After over 35,000 miles, my journey was abruptly interrupted, as a distracted truck driver failed to yield and cut the road a few meters ahead of me. -->More
David Denis
Google Review
I recently used Mike and his team due to a motorcycle accident that I was injured in. I can't say enough about the professionalism and level of knowledge that Mike brought to the table. Without Mike at the helm of this incident there is no way I would have been fairly treated. He's very objective and clear with what the possible outcomes could be. I knew what to expect down to each and every detail. -->More
Kris Preble
Google Review
In Oregon, motorcyclists are not required to carry PIP (Personal Injury Insurance). However, you can add PIP coverage to your motorcycle insurance policy which is no-fault healthcare and wage loss coverage (no-fault meaning it covers you even when you are responsible for your accident or if you just crashed by yourself and were injured with no other vehicle operator involved).
If you do not have PIP as part of your motorcycle insurance policy, and do not have health insurance, than the other driver's auto insurance should pay your medical bills. If your Oregon personal injury protection coverage limits are reached, the other driver's personal injury protection may also cover you if you do not have healthcare insurance.
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, do not give a recorded statement to the other vehicle operator's insurance provider nor even your own. Contact an experience motorcycle accident attorney as soon as you are able to make sure that your rights are protected.
Even if you were not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of your accident, you can still file a claim against the at fault driver's insurance. While it is still the law in Oregon to wear a DOT approved motorcycle helmet, and it may factor into your settlement, talk to an experienced motorcycle accident attorney so that you understand all your rights and available options.
In Oregon you do need to report a motor vehicle accident within 72 hours to the DMV when: Damage to any vehicle is over $2,500 (even if your vehicle was the only one in the crash); Any vehicle is towed from the scene; Injury or death resulted from this accident; or Damages to anyone's property other than a vehicle involved in this accident is more than $2,500. If you do not file a report when required, Oregon law requires DMV to issue a suspension notice. 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.
An Oregon Police Traffic Accident Report filed with DMV does not exempt you from the requirement to complete and submit an Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report. Regardless of a police officer's reporting, you are required, as outlined in ORS 811.720 and 811.725, to complete and submit the Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report to DMV. The report must be completed using the form designated by DMV which is the Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report. Make sure to retain copies of the accident and insurance report for your records.
You do have the right to recover any police report submitted as a result of your motorcycle accident. Contact the police department that responded to your motorcycle accident. The procedure for recovering the police report will vary from one jurisdiction to the other. In Portland, you can get a copy of your accident report usually by contacting the Portland Police Bureau's Records Division at 503-823-0043 or the Police Report Request and Help Line at 503-823-0041. Another way is by filling out a request on the official website of the City of Portland. If your motorcycle accident happened outside of Portland, then call DMV Customer Assistance at 503-945-5000 and request DMV send (snail mail/fax/email) you the accident report. You can also pick up a paper form from a DMV field office or your local law enforcement department.
Hire An Attorney Who Rides
I have ridden thousands of miles on my street bike and know the dangers that motorcyclists face every time they get on a bike. In my experience, most motorcycle riders are very safe and cautious, as our life is on the line if we are not.
Motorcyclists often encounter negative attitudes about riding motorcycles and insurance companies use this to try and pressure motorcyclists into accepting unfair settlements.
I am a big believer in motorcycle rider training and track days for these reasons and more.
In the past I offered a free PSSR track day with every motorcycle case I handled and I even sponsored an invited motorcycle rider track day with PSSR at Portland International Raceway (until the motorcycle instructors at PSSR retired). I had personally ridden in many PSSR track days and greatly admired their knowledge and training skills.
Currently we do have track days offered by Moto Corsa which are scheduled at Portland International Raceway and at The Ridge Raceway not too far away in Washington; we also have another facility where Skip Track Days offers motorcycle track days. And more track day providers and riding schools and rider coaching offered by: Optimum Performance, MotoVixen, 2Fast, Pacific Track Time, MotoFit, and Ken Hill Coaching.
Motorcycle rider training at these types of track days offer experience with your motorcycle in a non traffic environment where you can push your skills to improve and really get to know your motorcycle. The help of other riders and coaches is also invaluable in helping you gain confidence and build new skills.
Consider these findings in the new Motorcycle Crash Causation Study (PDF) that rely on the motorcycle riders skill, experience on all motorcycles but also on the motorcycle being ridden in order to properly execute the evasive action to avoid an accident:
Validity of Evasive Action for the Situation
- Proper evasive action was taken twice as often as the improper action in multiplevehicle crashes (27 percent proper versus 11 percent improper), while improper
evasive action was taken twice as often as the proper action in single-vehicle
crashes (43 percent proper versus 22 percent improper).
- "Yes, Evasive Action Was the Proper Choice for the Situation" was unrepresented
in fatal crashes.
Competent Execution of Evasive Action
- Evasive action was neither taken nor properly executed in 80 percent of cases.
- Proper execution was underrepresented in single-vehicle and fatal crashes.
Not all Oregon personal injury attorneys are the same, especially when it comes to handling motorcycle accident injury cases.
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, please consult with an Oregon personal injury attorney as soon as possible, even before consulting with your own insurance company. An Oregon personal injury attorney will protect your rights, and make sure that you get the maximum personal injury settlement. I have a history of proven results fighting for seriously injured motorcycle riders. My consultations are always free and within a few minutes I can share my thoughts on your case so that you can decide what is best for you.