Car Accident Lawyers in Oregon

Fifteen thousand dollars in required personal injury protection sounds like a safety net, and for a fender-bender it usually is. For a crash serious enough to need surgery or months of physical therapy, that PIP limit is often gone before treatment is finished — which is why Oregon’s system, despite requiring no-fault medical coverage, still runs on fault when it comes to the bigger losses.

PIP First, Fault Second

Every Oregon auto policy must include personal injury protection: at least $15,000 per person, paying medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. That gets treatment started without waiting on a liability fight. But PIP is not full compensation — once its limits are exhausted, or for pain and suffering and other losses it never covered, an injured driver has to look to the at-fault driver’s liability policy or their own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

25/50/20 Is the Floor

Oregon’s minimum liability requirement is 25/50/20: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage, plus $20,000 in property damage coverage. Oregon also requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person, which becomes the practical source of recovery when the at-fault driver’s minimum policy — or no policy at all — cannot cover a serious injury.

The 51% Line

Oregon applies modified comparative negligence under ORS 31.600–31.620. A driver’s award is reduced by their own percentage of fault, but the moment that share exceeds the combined fault of everyone else — in practice, 51% or more — the claim is barred outright. A driver found 45% responsible for a crash still collects 55% of the verdict; one found 51% responsible collects nothing. Insurance adjusters know exactly where that line sits, which is why early evidence — photos, witness contact information, the responding officer’s crash report — matters as much as the medical records.

Two Years, or 180 Days if the Government Is Involved

Most Oregon car accident claims must be filed within two years of the crash under ORS 12.110. That clock changes entirely when a public body caused or contributed to the crash — a transit bus, a school district vehicle, a state or county fleet car. The Oregon Tort Claims Act requires a formal notice within as little as 180 days, and missing it can end a claim long before the two-year deadline would otherwise apply. Oregon also requires drivers to report any crash involving injury, death, or more than $2,500 in total property damage to the DMV within 72 hours.

Damages: Uncapped for Private Drivers

In Lakin v. Senco Products (1999), the Oregon Supreme Court struck down the state’s general cap on non-economic damages as unconstitutional when applied to negligence claims against private defendants. That means a car accident claim against another driver faces no ceiling on pain and suffering. A separate, lower cap under the Oregon Tort Claims Act applies only when the defendant is a government entity — relevant given how often a public vehicle shows up in Oregon crash claims. Punitive damages remain rare, requiring clear and convincing evidence of malice or reckless indifference, and 70% of any punitive award is redirected to the state rather than paid to the injured driver.

Choosing an Oregon Car Accident Lawyer

The Lawyer Atlas is a directory, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice for a specific situation. When comparing attorneys, ask how quickly they can move if a government vehicle was involved and the 180-day notice applies, and how they handle a fault dispute that puts a client near the 51% line. Consultations are almost always free, and representation is nearly always contingency-based. Start with your city below.