Salem Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers

In your initial consultation, a personal injury attorney will meet with you to get some basic background information, including information about any prior accidents you may have been involved with or claims you have filed.

They will then discuss your incident in detail. They’ll want to know what happened, information about the parties involved, information about police or other emergency personnel who responded to the scene, information about injuries and any treatment you have received so far, and how your injuries have progressed or changed since the incident.

You should also be ready to answer questions about the insurance companies that are involved, your employment status and the impact of the incident on your employment, and if you have lost wages since the incident.

Once the attorney has a better understanding of your potential case, they’ll explain what you can expect in the coming days and weeks, how the process works, the attorney’s and law offices’ roles versus the client’s role, and how long your specific case may take. Finally, the attorney should discuss how their contingency fees work or how they will be paid.

To make this initial consultation more productive, bring any materials you may have regarding the incident, including photos (digital copies are fine), correspondence, emails, police printouts, vehicle information, etc.

The average settlement for personal injury varies greatly throughout the United States and depends on the type of case itself. However, many factors dictate the settlement amount you can expect. This includes the severity of your injuries, the insurance coverage of the defendant, the amount of mental or emotional trauma you’ve endured, who is determined to be at fault, and much, much more. Your personal injury attorney will be able to look at the specifics of your case and give you an estimate of what you may expect to receive through settlement. For a custom case evaluation, speak to our team now; we’re available 24/7 to take your call.

Most personal injury cases are settled out of court; estimates show less than 5 percent of all personal injury cases in the United States will go to trial. In Oregon, an auto accident case has about a one percent chance while a medical malpractice case has about a 50 percent chance. This low trial rate can be beneficial to all parties involved for several reasons. Trial is expensive and both sides have to pay significant sums for experts and other costs associated with trial. For defendants, going to court is costly and risky; it’s safer and more affordable for them, their insurance provider, and their legal team to reach an agreement through negotiations. For you, the victim, settlements can often be achieved much sooner than a verdict in a trial. Additionally, in out-of-court negotiations, your lawyer can continue negotiating until a favorable settlement is reached. In a trial, a verdict handed down by a judge or jury is final. For all these reasons — and based on the statistics — it’s safe to assume that you will likely resolve your personal injury case out of court.

Most personal injury lawyers charge a contingency fee, often described as “no win, no fee.” A contingency fee is a unique payment structure that removes any upfront payment responsibility from the victim. In other words, you don’t have to pay anything to hire your attorney. Only when a settlement or verdict is reached and damages are awarded does the attorney take a fee (usually a percentage of the total settlement). This protects the victim, ensuring they can retain skilled legal representation at no financial risk to them. If the case does not settle, the victim doesn’t owe anything.