Salem, OR – Accidents can become very costly for anyone who has experienced property damage or injuries that require medical treatment. All states have some kind of insurance requirements for drivers to anticipate these costs, and all states also have a way for victims to bring civil cases against those responsible for the accident.
Insurance requirements for drivers
The Oregon Department of Transportation website states that statutory law requires all drivers to maintain some kind of liability coverage to operate a vehicle on the state’s roads. Their policy must have certain minimum protection amounts available. These include $25,000 for injuries to a person, $50,000 for total property damage, liability, and injuries to others, and $20,000 per crash for property damage. There are additional requirements for personal injury protection for up to $15,000 per person involved, and uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 for one person or $50,000 for all people involved in a collision.
The state law says that insurance policy numbers must be presented when registering a vehicle or applying for certain permits. There are also certain exemptions from insurance requirements for other types of vehicles listed in an additional statute that covers traffic regulations.
Drivers can contact commercial insurance companies that operate in the state to purchase a policy that meets these coverage requirements, along with additional coverage if they want to do so.
Lawsuits against other drivers
In some cases, things like medical treatment and property damage may come with costs that exceed these amounts. It may be necessary to file a civil negligence case against the driver that caused the accident or the business that owns the vehicle. All states in the U.S. have similar laws that regulate negligence cases, but minor differences in state law can possibly affect the outcome of the case. All negligence cases have the same basic structure, which includes a duty of care on the roads, a breach of that duty of care, actual and proximate causation, and damages or losses associated with the crash.
Oregon’s comparative negligence laws
Oregon uses a modified form of comparative negligence to divide fault in accidents. This means that a plaintiff can still collect money after being found partially at fault for a collision, however their level of fault cannot be greater than fifty percent. If they are found to be somewhat at fault, their damages are reduced relative to their level of fault when they collect at the end of the lawsuit. If they are above the fifty percent threshold of fault. they cannot collect anything at all.
Learning more about auto insurance and lawsuits
USAttorneys.com is a site that assists people who are in the process of looking for a lawyer. Anyone who has recently been involved in an accident in Salem or other cities in Oregon can find a local attorney to bring a lawsuit on their behalf.
