Portland Personal Injury Attorney

When individuals sustain injuries caused by the careless or negligent actions of others, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. Unfortunately, recovering compensation can be challenging, particularly when working with aggressive insurance carriers. At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, our Portland personal injury lawyer is here to help if you need skilled legal representation by your side.

Our team has extensive experience handling complex injury claims throughout Oregon, and we know what it takes to help clients recover the compensation they are entitled to. Do not hesitate to contact our Portland accident attorney immediately so we can get to work. Fill out our online contact form or call (503) 862-8712 today. 

Why Choose Our Portland Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Case?

After sustaining serious harm in the Portland area, you need to trust a legal team with the experience necessary to handle every aspect of your personal injury case.

• Proven results: We have years of experience handling complex claims throughout Oregon, and our law group has recovered major settlements and jury verdicts on behalf of clients. Our goal is always to secure the maximum compensation possible on your behalf.
• Client first focus: We are focused on putting the client first all the time. You will always have access to your attorney when you have questions or concerns, and you will receive regular updates about your case.
• Tech-driven advocacy: Our experienced Portland personal injury lawyers use the latest technological advances to help win a case, both in and outside of the courtroom.

Notable Personal Injury Case Results

We are proud to have secured multiple noteworthy settlements and verdicts on behalf of injury victims in Portland. Some case results we have secured include:

• $18 Million – Our lawyers were able to secure a significant verdict for the family of a young man who was fatally struck by a Greyhound bus.
• $13.9 Million – We successfully litigated a case for a pedestrian who was struck by a garbage truck, which resulted in the amputation of one of the victim’s legs.
• $7 Million – Our attorneys were able to successfully pursue a workplace death case for the family of a man who fell to his death. The workers was making repairs to electrical repairs while suspended from a helicopter when he fell.

View More Case Results

Meet Injury Attorney Jane Paulson

Jane Paulson is a Partner at Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC. She represents injury victims in both Oregon and Washington. As a Portland personal injury attorney, Jane is known for her commitment to her clients and straightforward communication. Her clients trust her to thoroughly investigate the details of their case, collect evidence, hire experienced expert witnesses, negotiate with insurance adjustors, and build the strongest case possible on their behalf. She has secured numerous significant settlements and verdicts on behalf of injury victims who suffered harm through no fault of their own.

As a longtime resident of Portland, Jane is an involved member of her community. She was on the board of organizations such as Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East, the Campaign for Equal Justice, and the PSU Hatfield School of Government’s Center for Women’s Leadership.

What Our Clients Have to Say

“The result was more than I had dared hope for…” – Gail

“I would (and have) recommended them to anyone seeking help in receiving a fair settlement for their injuries.” – Scott

“Attention to detail, emotional support, and thorough investigative work took us from start to successful finish.” – Jo

 

Navigate This Page

To immediately access the resources at any point on this page, click the corresponding links below.

• Cases We Take On
• Steps to Follow After Suffering an Injury in Portland
• How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Portland Personal Injury Lawyer?
• How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Portland?
• How Much is My Case Worth?
• Potential Damages in a Portland Personal Injury Claim
• Proving Negligence in an Injury Claim
• Contact Us
• Frequently Asked Questions

Types of Injury Cases We Take On

Our team has extensive experience handling a range of complex injury cases throughout the state of Oregon. We do not shy away from handling complex cases, but we also have no problem helping clients who have sustained even relatively minor injuries. The goal is to help ensure that at-fault parties are held accountable for their actions. 

• Autonomous Vehicle Accidents: Accidents involving autonomous vehicles raise complex legal questions about liability, software failures, and human oversight. Victims of self-driving car crashes may face difficulties determining who is responsible—the vehicle manufacturer, software developer, or human operator.
• Birth injuries: These injuries occur when a newborn sustains harm during the labor or delivery process, often due to medical negligence. This can include conditions like cerebral palsy, brachial plexus injuries, or fractures.
• Bus accidents: Accidents involving commercial passenger buses and school buses often result in major injuries for those inside the bus as well as those affected in other vehicles. Passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists are all at risk of severe harm due to the size and weight of buses.
• Car accidents: Car accidents are one of the most common causes of injuries in the U.S., leading to a wide range of outcomes from minor scrapes to life-threatening trauma. These incidents may involve distracted driving, speeding, or reckless behavior on the road. Head-on collisions, for instance, can result in severe injuries and require specialized legal attention.
• Catastrophic injuries: Severe injuries such as loss of eyesight, amputations, disfigurement, and more can alter the victim’s entire life. Accommodations must be made to help the injury victim to recover as much of their everyday lives as possible.
• Child Injuries: Children are especially vulnerable to injuries caused by the negligence of others. Our legal team has extensive experience representing families affected by child injuries, including incidents at daycare centers, drowning accidents, defective products, and other hazardous situations. We understand the delicate nature of these cases and work diligently to ensure families receive the compensation and justice they deserve.
• College Campus Injuries: College students face unique risks, including campus assaults, unsafe premises, and negligent security incidents. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury on a college campus due to negligence, our legal team is here to help. We are dedicated to holding institutions accountable and ensuring students receive the justice and compensation they deserve.
• Defective products: Those who manufacture, design, and sell products are liable for ensuring their products are safe for their consumers. Some products enter the public domain without being safety-tested properly or with known defects. Common examples include faulty auto parts, malfunctioning medical devices, or contaminated food products.
• Medical malpractice: When a medical error occurs, patients harmed may be able to recover compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit in Portland. This can include errors with medication, failure to conduct a patient history analysis, a misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, and more. This can also include anesthesia and surgical errors as well as birth injuries. Nursing home abuse is another area where medical malpractice can occur, often resulting in significant harm to elderly residents due to neglect or mistreatment.
• Motorcycle accidents: Motorcycle accidents often result in severe injuries for riders due to the lack of protection compared to cars. These injuries frequently include road rash, broken bones, head injuries, and, in many cases, permanent disabilities.
• Ridesharing Accidents: Ridesharing accidents involving services like Uber and Lyft can result in serious injuries, leaving victims with mounting medical bills, lost wages, and long-term rehabilitation needs. Liability in these cases can be complex, involving multiple parties such as the rideshare driver, the company, and other motorists.
• Spinal cord injuries: Spinal cord injuries can lead to partial or full paralysis depending on the location and severity of the damage. Victims often face a lifetime of medical care, physical therapy, and adaptations to their daily lives.
• Traumatic brain injuries: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when a person suffers a blow or jolt to the head, causing brain dysfunction. These injuries range from mild concussions to severe cases that can result in permanent cognitive, physical, and emotional impairments.
• Uninsured Driver Accidents: Uninsured driver accidents can leave victims struggling with medical expenses and vehicle repairs without proper compensation. Even if the at-fault driver lacks insurance, you may still have options for recovering damages through your own insurance policy or legal action.
• Work injuries: If filing a workers’ compensation claim becomes challenging, and insurers or employers may push back, a Portland work injury attorney can be your legal advocate. In particular, heavy machinery accidents often involve complex legal issues that require expert representation to ensure you receive fair compensation.
• Wrongful death: Unfortunately, there are times when individuals lose their lives due to the negligent actions of others. Our team helps families and estates with Portland wrongful death claims regularly.

The injury claims listed above are not an all-inclusive list of cases we take on.

If you have any questions about whether or not your case could move forward toward a major settlement or jury verdict, we encourage you to reach out to our Portland injury attorney for a free consultation today.

Steps to Follow After Suffering an Injury in Portland

There are various steps that you can follow in the aftermath of sustaining an injury to help ensure a better chance of recovering compensation for your losses. We understand that the aftermath of an injury can be a confusing and chaotic time, and you may not be able to take every one of these steps in this exact order. However, the advice given below can help:

• Seeking medical care. It is important to seek medical care as soon as possible after an injury occurs. Even if you do not think your injuries are very severe, a doctor needs to conduct a complete evaluation. Delaying medical treatment could jeopardize the overall claim. Insurance carriers and at-fault parties will look at any delay and point to that in an attempt to say that your injuries are not as severe as you claim. 
• Gathering evidence. It may or may not be possible to gather evidence right away after an injury. Each particular claim is different. Sometimes, individuals can use cell phones to take photographs or video footage of the entire incident. There may be eyewitnesses who saw what happened, and we always encourage individuals to get their names and contact information. In the days and weeks that follow an incident, other types of evidence may become available, and an attorney can help gather all of this. This can include surveillance footage from nearby cameras, further statements from witnesses, company maintenance or safety records, vehicle black box data, and more.
• Reporting the incident. It is crucial to report the incident to the appropriate entity as soon as possible. For a car accident, this includes dialing 911 and letting law enforcement officials come to investigate the incident and fill out an accident report. For a premises liability lawsuit in Portland, however, this typically requires reporting the incident to the property owner or an employee. 
• Calling an attorney. We always encourage individuals to reach out to a Portland personal injury attorney as soon as possible. The sooner a lawyer can get involved in the case, the better. A lawyer can take over every aspect of the claim and handle all communication on your behalf. Securing the services of a law firm can help ensure that you do not do or say anything that could jeopardize the claim.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Portland Personal Injury Lawyer?

Our attorneys understand how these cases can put clients into strenuous financial circumstances. That is why we handle Portland personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis. This means that clients will never have to worry about paying upfront or out-of-pocket costs while their case is ongoing. We pay for every aspect of the case so clients only have to focus on recovering. We will collect no legal fees until after we successfully recover compensation for the case.

In the event our law firm does not win the claim, our clients will pay nothing. If we do recover compensation, then the total legal fees will be an agreed-upon percentage of the final settlement or jury verdict. 

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Portland?

Under Oregon Revised Statutes section 12.110, a personal injury claim must be filed within two years from the date an injury occurs.

In the event an individual fails to file a lawsuit within this two-year timeframe in Oregon, they will be unable to recover any compensation for their losses. We strongly encourage Portland personal injury victims to work with an attorney who can assess their claim and make sure that it gets filed on time and appropriately.

Notifying Insurance Companies After an Injury

We also want to point out that there is almost certainly going to be an insurance carrier or two involved in a personal injury claim. Insurance companies all have their own reporting deadlines, often within a day or two after the incident occurs. If you know there is an insurance carrier involved in your claim, we encourage you to report the incident to them as soon as possible. Do not go into much detail when you make your initial report with an insurance carrier. Simply let them know the incident occurred and refer any further questions to your Portland injury lawyer.

How Much is My Case Worth?

The value of every unique personal injury case varies significantly. An attorney can evaluate the extent of your injuries, severity of non-economic and economic damages sustained, and additional factors that may play a role in your case. They can then give you an estimate of what they believe your case may be worth. It is important to note that the final valuation of your Portland personal injury case will not be known until a settlement or verdict is reached.

Potential Damages in a Portland Personal Injury Claim

At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, our team works diligently to recover various types of compensation on behalf of every client that we assist. Our goal is to recover the compensation needed to make our clients as whole as possible after a major incident. This typically includes recovering both economic and noneconomic damages for every client.

Economic Damages

Sometimes referred to as special damages, these types of losses revolve around calculable expenses that injury victims are likely to incur in the aftermath of the incident. Our team will work with economic and medical experts to gather receipts and bills to help adequately calculate the following types of damages:

• Hospital and doctor’s office bills
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation costs
• Prescription medications and medical devices
• The cost of any necessary home or vehicle modifications
• Lost wages if a person cannot work
• Household and transportation out-of-pocket expenses
• Property damage expenses

Some injuries, such as burns, can lead to extensive medical treatment, long-term rehabilitation, and significant pain and suffering. If you or a loved one has suffered severe burns due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.

Non-Economic Damages

You may see these referred to as general damages, and these types of losses are not as easily calculable as the economic damages mentioned above. However, just because something is not as easily calculable does not mean it is unimportant. Non-economic damages are crucial because they help pay for the unseen injuries individuals incur due to the incident. This includes a victim’s:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional and psychological distress
• Loss of quality of life or loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium or companionship with a spouse or other family members

There is no set amount of compensation paid to personal injury victims in the Portland area. However, there are several factors that will influence total compensation amounts, whether that compensation comes through an insurance settlement or as a result of a personal injury jury verdict. 

At a larger scale, the injury severity and how long it takes a person to recover play a major role in total compensation amounts. However, whether or not an individual can work and carry out day-to-day activities will also play a role in the compensation they receive. Allegations of shared fault could result in a person recovering less compensation depending on their percentage of fault for the incident.

Proving Negligence in an Injury Claim

The word “negligence” is one that everyone knows, but they may not quite understand how it applies to a personal injury claim in Oregon. In order for a person to successfully recover compensation through a civil personal injury lawsuit against another party, they have to show that the other party was negligent in some way, this includes cases where businesses serve alcohol irresponsibly, leading to serious accidents or injuries. Our team will be looking to establish four individual elements of negligence in order to ensure a case’s success:

1. Duty of Care: The first step towards a successful personal injury claim is showing that the injury victim (the plaintiff) was owed a duty of care by the alleged negligent party (the defendant). Depending on the type of situation at hand, a duty of care will look different. For example, we will not be looking at the same elements for a car accident claim that we would for a premises liability case. The duty of care that drivers owe others on the roadway revolves around the safe operation of a vehicle and following traffic laws. Property owners have a different duty of care. Namely, they must ensure the safety of their premises for anyone who has a right to be there. Looking further, the duty of care owed by a doctor to their patient is vastly different and involves upholding the accepted standard of medical care for a given situation.
2. Breach of Duty. After establishing that there was a duty of care between the plaintiff and the defendant, it must then be shown that the defendant breached their duty somehow. The breach of duty, again, will look different depending on the type of claim. A driver on the roadway could breach their duty of care if they fail to use their turn signal or if they operate their vehicle while distracted by a phone or something else. A healthcare professional could breach their duty of care in a variety of ways, including failing to perform a patient assessment, giving the patient the wrong dosage of a medication, or making a surgical mistake.
3. Causation. After establishing that a breach of duty did occur, it must be shown that the breach somehow caused injury to the plaintiff. There may be times when a breach of duty does not cause the injury, but that is rare. Drawing a line from the breach of the defendant’s duty to the plaintiff’s injuries is often not too difficult.
4. Damages. The final element of establishing negligence is showing that the plaintiff sustained some sort of loss as a result of their injuries. This can include medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering damages, and other monetary losses associated with the injury and the recovery process. 

Call Our Portland Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one have been injured due to the negligent actions of another entity or individual in the Portland area, reach out to the team at Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC for help today. We have extensive experience handling complicated injury claims throughout this state, and we know what it takes to help clients manage an aggressive insurance company and at-fault parties.

Our goal is to make sure clients recover the compensation necessary to make them whole. When you need an injury lawyer in Portland, you can contact us for a free consultation of your claim by filling out our contact form or calling (503) 862-8712.

Portland Personal Injury FAQs

Going through an accident that causes serious harm to you or a loved one can be an incredibly traumatic experience for you and your family. We answered some commonly asked questions regarding personal injury cases in Portland in the following section to help you navigate the legal aftermath of your accident. If you have a question that is not addressed below, please give our office a call today. We are prepared to discuss the specific details of your unique case to help you make the best possible decision for yourself or an injured loved one.

How Long Does a Personal Injury Lawsuit Take?

Every case is unique, so it is difficult to give an exact timeline for how long the average Portland personal injury lawsuit takes. It generally takes at least several months to gather evidence, bring in expert witnesses, and negotiate with the insurance companies involved in the case. A particularly complex case or situation where the plaintiff suffered particularly severe injuries may take longer to litigate. Some cases can take years.

What You Should Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer

You may have established that you have a case, and one of the key factors to determining how successful your case will be is having the right personal injury lawyer. Some important things you should look for when choosing a personal injury lawyer are listed below: 

• Pay attention to their peer reviews. Good places to find peer reviews and ratings are Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry, The Best Lawyers in America, and Superlawyers.
• Inquire about how many of their cases are referrals from other attorneys. If other lawyers are referring a great percentage of their cases, it implies trust.
• Nearly every attorney will offer their services on a contingency fee rather than paying upfront for their services. Since most attorneys offer this service, it should not be considered a selling point.
• Catastrophic injury suits can cost a lot of money to take to court. Therefore, you will want to make sure you hire an attorney who has the resources necessary to take care of the expenses involved so they do not cut corners on your case.
• It is essential to know what type of cases they regularly handle so that you know they have an experience that fits your needs.
• Find out if they are comfortable trying your lawsuit in court before hiring an attorney.
• Another thing that might demonstrate their skills as a trial attorney is whether they are certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Should You Accept an Initial Settlement Offer?

In the aftermath of a serious accident, it can be tempting to immediately accept a settlement offer from an insurance company. As medical bills and daily expenses pile up, you may feel as though you need to take advantage of the money that’s already available. However, if you choose to accept an initial settlement, you forego your right to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the party liable for your injuries. Even if you later discover that your wounds are more severe than initially believed after your accident, you will be unable to seek compensation via the legal system.

It is always in your best interests to speak with a Portland personal injury attorney before accepting or rejecting a settlement offer. They will be able to give you a better sense of what your case is worth and whether it would be beneficial to pursue additional actions. An initial consultation with our attorney comes at no cost to you and does not obligate you to use our legal services.

Will My Case Go to Trial?

Not every personal injury case goes to trial. In many cases, both sides will come to an agreement on a settlement amount that adequately compensates the victim for the harm they suffered. Our attorneys are fully prepared to bring your case to trial if that is the best path to securing fair compensation and justice on your behalf.

What Evidence Will Be Gathered?

Actually proving these elements of negligence can be challenging and heavily relies on obtaining evidence. Depending on the situation at hand, the evidence may look different, but it often includes:

• Statements from eyewitnesses to the incident
• Photographs taken at the scene of an incident
• Video surveillance from nearby cameras on homes, businesses, or dashcams
• Accident reports
• Police reports
• Vehicle black box data
• Maintenance and safety records
• Employee training records
• Evidence of past injuries at a certain location

Our team will work diligently to investigate every claim, and we will enlist assistance from accident reconstruction experts if necessary to help prove negligence. These individuals can help fill in the blanks if there are any gaps that the evidence leaves behind. Accident reconstruction experts can thoroughly examine the scene of the incident along with any evidence already gathered and help put together computer 3D models to show an insurance carrier or a jury what likely occurred.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Portland Injury Attorney?

Our team has built this firm as a way to ensure injury victims are treated fairly. We understand local, state, and federal law surrounding personal injury claims, and we know what it takes to prove the negligence of the other party. 

From the moment we get involved in a case, we handle all communication with other parties involved. Your role, as the injury victim, is to focus on recovering from your injuries so you can get back to living a normal life. Our team will ensure that you are evaluated by trusted medical professionals who will not only help ensure your well-being but will also help us calculate total expected losses.

We will use our resources to fully investigate your claim and provide meticulous legal representation because we know that proving fault involves gathering as much evidence as possible. We will vigorously negotiate with insurance companies, legal teams, and at-fault parties to attempt to secure a fair settlement on your behalf. In the event the other party refuses to offer a fair settlement, our team has no problem fully preparing the case for trial. Our Portland personal injury lawyers will absolutely try your case in front of a jury if we think that is the best solution to securing a fair financial recovery on your behalf.

Areas We Serve

We serve areas across Portland, including but not limited to:

Arlington Heights, Forest Park, Goose Hollow, Hillside, Linnton, Northwest District, Old Town, Pearl District, Downtown, Sylvan – Highlands, Arnold Creek, Ashcreek, Bridlemile, Collins View, Crestwood, Far Southwest, Hayhurst, Hillsdale, Homestead, Marshall Park, Multnomah, South Burlingame, South Portland, Southwest Hills, West Portland Park, Arbor Lodge, Bridgeton, Cathedral Park, East Columbia, Piedmont, Portsmouth, St Johns, University Park, Alameda, Concordia, Eliot, Lloyd District, Cully, Hollywood, Rose City Park, Hazelwood, Parkrose Heights, Pleasant Valley, Woodland Park, Brooklyn, Eastmoreland, Kerns, Laurelhurst, Montavilla, North Tabor, Richmond, Sunnyside, Woodstock.