Oregon Legislature Considers Harsher Penalties for Hit-and-Run Drivers

With the Oregon legislature considering a bill to make penalties harsher for those convicted of injury hit-and-run collisions, pedestrian and bicycle groups are hoping for a decrease in hit and run injuries throughout Oregon. House Bill 2542 would force a driver convicted of serious injury hit-and-run to forfeit his or her driver’s license for three years as opposed to the one-year forfeiture now in effect for those convicted of leaving the scene of an accident in which an injury has occurred. The penalty for a hit-and-run driver who kills someone in a collision is currently five years. Oregon lawyers for injuries at DuBois Law Group always advise clients to carefully follow the law when involved in any type of accident’but first you have to know what the law is governing actions you should take following a collision.

Any time a motor vehicle accident occurs in Oregon, state law requires drivers involved to follow certain procedures. ORS 811.705 dictates that if you are involved in a traffic accident in which someone is injured, hurt or killed or in which property is damaged you must:

• Stop your vehicle immediately
• Remain at the accident scene until it is apparent that you are allowed to leave by law
• Provide the other driver or any surviving passenger with contact information and car information including your name, address (yours and any other passengers), vehicle registration number, driver’s license number (or official documentation proving you have driving privileges)
• Render reasonable medical assistance to anyone who is injured, including conveyance to a hospital or other medical facility
• Remain at the scene of the accident until law enforcement arrives and has collected the required information from you (this is not applicable to those injured and in need of medical assistance)

Should you be the victim of a hit-and-run, you do have some recourse for collecting compensation for the injuries and damages you have suffered. Even if the hit-and-run driver isn’t ever caught, you have the right to recover your financial losses from your own Oregon auto insurance provider under its uninsured and underinsured motorist clauses. While your insurance provider may try to provide you with as little as possible for your damages, as Portland injury lawyer, we are here to assist you in obtaining compensated from your own insurer for:

• Medical expenses
• Loss of current and future wages
• Rehabilitation expenses
• Disability
• Pain and Suffering

Often complex and confusing hit-and-run accident claims can be frustrating to deal with. At DuBois Law Group, we are Oregon lawyers for injuries who can assist you with your claim to see that you get the compensation you are entitled to. Contact our Oregon lawyers for injuries today for a free evaluation of your hit-and-run accident claim.