Don’t Let Immigration Views Stand In the Way of Safer Roads

A artist rendering of the Oregon driver’s license on display at the North Salem Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. / TIMOTHY J. GONZALEZ / Statesman Journal file

So glad the “Driver’s Card” Bill passed. The bill creates a “driver’s card” that is like a driver’s license except that it can be used for driving

ONLY. It cannot be used, for example, to board airplanes, or gain entrance to federal buildings.

I support this bill on public safety grounds, and regardless of your views on immigration, you should too. The reason that we require all drivers to have mandatory insurance coverage is to protect the innocent people that they may hit when driving. It’s not to protect the bad driver who caused the crash; it’s to protect the good driver who gets rear-ended, or the pedestrian who gets run over. Well, the same argument supports the creation of a driver’s card.

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Warmer Portland Weather Means More Motorcycles on Roadways

As warmer weather prevails, more and more motorcycles will be sharing our roadways, which means extra care should be taken by both motorists and motorcycle riders to avoid accidents. The Portland motorcycle accident attorneys at Shulman DuBois LLC want to take this opportunity to remind the Portland community to be on the lookout for motorcycles, many of which may be driven by inexperienced first-time motorcycle owners who aren�t your average youthful riders.� In fact, according to some reports, the average age of motorcyclists has been increasing right along with the increase in our aging population.

Consequently, we are seeing a growing number of motorcycle fatalities and severe injuries in older riders as the likelihood of difficulty in recovery from injuries of any type obviously diminish as our bodies age.� In fact, a recent Brown University study found that motorcycle riders between the ages of 40 and 59, suffer serious bodily injury in the wake of a motorcycle accident 66 percent more often than younger riders and are two and a half times more likely to require emergency treatment after such an accident.

Therefore, while all motorcyclists should take proper precautions to stay safe while riding, older riders should take extra care, taking into consideration that as we age our reflexes slow, our visual acuity diminishes, and our muscle mass and bone strength are less likely to be able to endure the results of an accident of any kind, especially one that involves a motorcycle.

Safety Precautions All Motorcyclists Should Take

Safety precautions that all motorcycle riders should adhere to (and older riders should adhere to in particular) to avoid the need of the services of Portland motorcycle accident attorneys include: (more…)

Portland Injury Attorneys See Many Accident Victims Who Need Legal Assistance

Injury claims arise from a number of events, incidents and circumstances in which you of a loved one sustains serious injury as the result of an accident. Common injury claims that the Portland injury attorneys see in their personal injury practice are the result of car accidents, truck accidents, boat accidents, motorcycle accidents, bike accidents, construction accidents, slip and falls, dangerous premises accidents, sporting accidents and dog bites � just to name a few.

Never planned and rarely foreseeable, accidents that result in injury due to the recklessness or negligence of another can easily strain budgets and leave victims with life-long challenges.

For instance, take the head-on crash that KATU News reported Saturday afternoon. Occurring at approximately 4 PM on April 13, 2013, the head-on crash took place in the 9000 block of North Denver Avenue when the driver of a BMW lost control of his speeding car, crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, and hit a pick-up truck. The driver of the BMW was taken to the hospital with what police reported as being life-threatening injuries, while the driver and passenger in the pick-up truck were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Expected to survive, the BMW driver could possibly be held responsible for the property damage and medical expenses of the pick-up occupants.

Portland Injury Laws Allow Accident Victims to Recover Damages from Certain Types of Injury

Anytime, you suffer an injury from any sort of accident, you have the potential of experiencing lasting effects beyond just the physical injury you have suffered. A serious personal injury can affect not only your quality of life temporarily, but has the potential to affect your well-being, both financially and physically, for the rest of your life. Consequently, you should consult with Portland injury attorneys anytime you are injured in an accident for which you are not to blame to see if you qualify under Oregon law to sue the at-fault party for compensation. (more…)

After an Accident, Speak to a Lawyer BEFORE the Insurance Company

It�s one thing when you are a NASCAR favorite and announce on national television that you believe another NASCAR driver was at-fault in an accident as Denny Hamlin did this week. After all, he does have great video to back up his accusation. But, when you are a regular Oregon citizen, driving on regular Oregon roadways and are in a car accident, it�s probably wise to say as little as possible about the accident until you�ve had an opportunity to consult with a lawyer.�

In Hamlin�s case, an ongoing feud between him and former Joe Gibbs teammate Joey Logano may have contributed to the accident in last week�s race at Auto Club Speedway. According to news sources, Hamlin and Logano have collided several times in races recently, leading up to this incident in which Hamlin ended up with a broken vertebra. Still, Hamlin admitted that while he doesn�t think the wreck was intentional and doesn�t blame Logano for his injury, he does believe that the accident was Logano�s fault. NASCAR, after reviewing the accident concluded that �the incident was a byproduct of racing hard for a victory,� and will not penalize Logano this time.

Hamlin, expected to recovery in approximately six weeks, hopes to be back in the racing business by April 27 to drive on his home track at Richmond International Raceway.� His doctors have stated that it is a possibility that he may be ready for the Richmond race; but, there is no way to predict how fast the injury will heal.

What to do When Involved in a Car Accident

Car accidents are sudden. Car accidents are scary. They leave even the most level-headed of drivers shaken. However, immediately after an accident is not the time to speak with insurance adjusters or others involved in the accident about the incident. In fact, most Oregon personal injury lawyers will tell you that going into detail about the accident without legal counsel could come back to bite you when you try to file an insurance claim. So, what should you do? (more…)

Oregon Truck Crashes are Complicated – Do You Need an Attorney?

An Oregon truck driver who crashed his truck after swerving to avoid hitting an animal in the roadway, unleashed 500 million bees onto Highway 97 near Madras last week. Fortunately, the truck driver was uninjured in the crash, but it took bee apprentices from the Central Oregon Beekeepers Association 12 hours to rescue the bees. Taken to nearby farms to be checked for injury, the bees have been safely transported to their original destination and the truck driver was cited for �failing to maintain a lane of travel.� While this truck accident resulted in no injuries (to any humans at least), most accidents involving trucks don�t end as well – as any Oregon truck crash attorney can attest to.

According to the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), rollover truck crashes are the third most injurious type of truck crashes in the US, with truck drivers often walking away from these rollovers unharmed as in the Madras crash. On the other hand, when a truck collides with a car, rarely do the occupants of the car walk away unharmed. Often resulting in catastrophic injuries, truck crashes that involve a collision between a car and truck are often financially, physically, and emotionally damaging to those injured in such a crash.� Consequently, if you have been injured in a truck accident in Oregon, consulting with an Oregon truck crash attorney could be highly beneficial to your chances of obtaining a large enough insurance settlement or lawsuit award to cover the many expenses associated with that accident.

Truck Accident Insurance Claims and Lawsuits Can Be Complex

Reasons for consulting with an Oregon attorney in the aftermath of a truck accident are many. However, the most compelling reason to do so is that truck crash insurance claims are rarely simple, requiring the filing of claims with multiple insurance carriers or the filing of lawsuits against multiple parties. Just a sampling of the various parties that could be liable for damages and injuries after a truck accident includes:

• Parties Involved in the Accident Itself. Parties might include the truck driver and other drivers who may have contributed to the truck crash.
• Truck Manufacturers, Truck Retailers, and/or Truck Product Manufacturers. If some truck part is determined to have been defective and that defect contributed to the accident, you may be able to include these parties in a truck accident suit. For example, if the truck�s tires, engine parts or other components were defective at the time of the accident, you may be able to collect insurance monies or damages from the makers of the defective items.
• Employers of the Truck Driver. �Semi-truck owners or a trucking company, while not present at the accident, can often be held potentially liable for the truck driver�s negligence. For instance, if the truck driver�s employer pressures drivers to violate trucking regulations by driving too many hours or cutting corners in some other way, the employer may be liable for punitive damages. An experienced Oregon truck crash attorney is your best resource for determining if a trucking company has liability for your injuries. (more…)

Oregon Car Accident Lawyers Explain Pedestrian Injury Compensation

Pedestrians Rarely Escape Injury When Involved In A Car Accident

Pedestrians are some of the most vulnerable victims in car accidents. �With little protection against the impact and power of a car, pedestrians rarely escape injury when involved in a car accident. As seen in this most recent pedestrian accident, the most commonly injured victims when a pedestrian and car collide are children and the elderly. Devastating and live-threatening, the injuries that children suffer as the result of a pedestrian accident most often involve injuries like:

• Brain damage
• Internal injuries
• Broken bones
• Torn cartilage and tendons
• Liver lacerations
• Herniated discs
• Death

Car accidents that involve children pull at the heartstrings of us all. Just this week, a young woman and a 10-day-old infant were seriously injured in an accident near Nathan Eckstein Middle School when a pick-up hit a group of pedestrians who were crossing the street at the time of the incident.

The truck, allegedly driven by a 50-year-old man, killed a couple from Indiana who are believed to have been the grandparents of the injured infant and in-laws to the injured woman. We wish to express their sympathy to those killed in this tragedy and hope that the mother and child involved in the incident experience a full recovery.

Arrested at the scene of the crime, the driver of the truck is reported to have a couple of previous drunk-driving arrests on his record as well as other traffic violations that include a suspected hit-and-run incident, an inattentive driving violation, a red-light violation and several speeding citations.� According to Seattle police, alcohol or drugs may have been involved in this tragic accident as well.� Investigation of the incident is ongoing and police have affirmed that a charge of vehicular homicide may be pursued.

Our Oregon Car Accident Lawyers Fight For The Compensation That Accident Victims Deserve

As Oregon car accident lawyers, we can attest to the many challenges that victims of pedestrian accidents face.� Having represented and prevailed in numerous car/pedestrian accident claims, we know �that compensation can never replace or compensate a victim left for a life-time of struggles when permanently injured as the result of any kind of accident.

Compensation, however, can help make sure that their families are do not need to struggle financially. Oregon wrongful death attorneys can use all the resources they have available to see that compensation is acquired in an amount that the families deserve.

Retention of legal representation as soon as possible following a pedestrian accident (or any accident for that matter) will increase your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve for your injuries or the injuries of your loved one.

Gathering the details of the incident and obtaining statements of eyewitnesses, accident reports, medical reports and other significant information that could be helpful in your accident claim are much easier to procure soon after the event as memories fade, recollections become vague and paperwork can be lost the longer you wait.

Experienced Oregon car accident attorneys, like those at Shulman DuBois LLC, have resources in place to collect all the evidence you�ll need to prove your case, leaving you with only the task of recovering or attending to your injured loved one.� Offering free consultations, our Oregon car accident attorneys at invite you to schedule an appointment for an evaluation of your pedestrian or car accident claim today.

Oregon Injury Attorneys’ Update On Potential Legislation

New Legislation Could Affect Oregon Bicycle Accident Victim Compensation

As spring quickly approaches and warm weather arrives, Oregon residents are already beginning to enjoy the great outdoors. Unfortunately, an inevitable consequence of an increase in outdoor activities is that more opportunities exist for injuries to occur. In anticipation of the many outdoor activities you might be planning, the Oregon injury attorneys at Shulman Dubois LLC want to update you on some potential changes in Oregon legislature that could affect your springtime fun and your wallet.

Many Oregon parents may discover that a change in one Oregon law could affect some of their family�s favorite springtime activities and require the purchase of a helmet (or multiple helmets depending upon the number of children in the family and the type of activities). Just this week, the Oregon Legislature held a public hearing to discuss Senate Bill 742 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 741 (which would require mandatory helmets for certain competitive activities), both concerning changes to the state�s mandatory helmet laws. The public hearing, according to news reports, proved to be controversial as many bike advocates attended the hearing to voice their opposition to the changes these two bills would put into law.

Currently, Oregon children under the age of 16 are required to wear headgear when riding bikes, scooters or skateboards or using roller skates and roller blades. Senate Bill 742 would increase the mandatory age of those who must wear helmets from 16 to 18. Bike advocates opposed to the measure opine that the change in the age requirement would discourage people from riding bikes instead of protecting children and believe that �legislative efforts would be better spent on programs educating cyclists� on bike safety and the education of motorists concerning sharing the road with cyclists.

Biking is a highly popular sport in Oregon, with thousands of cyclists riding bikes to work, to run errands and for exercise�meaning that while accidents will inevitably occur, Oregonian drivers are quite used to sharing the roadways with cyclists. However, regardless of how safe a bicycle rider is or how aware drivers are, accidents will and do occur in Oregon. Bicycle riders are at more risk for serious injury when involved in an accident than others because, with little physical protection, a cyclist is no match when a collision occurs with any kind of vehicle, no matter how slow that vehicle might be traveling. Consequently, some of the most devastating injuries that Oregon injury attorneys see involve incidents where a bicycle and vehicle crash.

Bicycle Accident Victims Are Entitled To The Same Types Of Compensation That Auto Accident Victims Are Entitled To

Bicycle collision victims are often entitled to the same types of compensation that car accident victims are entitled to. Normally covered by the at-fault person�s insurance company, injuries that result from a bicycle collision include compensation for serious or permanent injury expenses that include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Future earning potential
• Future healthcare
• Pain and suffering
• Other expenses associated with the accident

Our Oregon Injury Attorneys Represent Victims Involved In All Kinds Of Accidents

Don�t assume that just because you aren�t in a vehicle when you are injured during an accident that you aren�t entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact the Oregon injury attorneys at Shulman DuBois LLC to find out what you might be entitled to before settling with any Oregon auto insurance provider. Offering free consultations to accident injury victims, Shulman DuBois LLC is the Oregon firm with the experience you want when you need personal injury advice or representation. Contact us today for an appointment with one of our Oregon accident attorneys for a professional evaluation of your injury claim.