Q: Which types of personal injury claims do you refer to attorneys in Oregon, Washington, and California?
A: Accident cases and personal injury claims commonly include car vs. truck accidents, semi-truck accidents, airline aviation injuries, private aviation accidents, commercial aviation accidents, auto injuries, motorcycle injuries, bicycle injury accidents, dog bite injuries, ATV injuries, boating injuries and drowning, work injuries, wrongful death, and any other case where someone else may have caused you personal injury.
Q: When should I contact you or another experienced personal injury attorney after my personal injury accident?
A: You should contact an experienced personal injury attorney ASAP. Ideally consult with me or another lawyer before you provide a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster for the other driver’s insurance company. If you email me at tompattonlaw@gmail.com, I will promptly return your email ASAP and answer any questions you have to the best of my abilities or find you an attorney in your area to help you with your case. I will help you to find an attorney that understands what insurance coverage is available to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Q: What is my personal injury case worth?
A: The value of an injury case will depend upon the injuries, treatment, and time it takes to reach maximum medical improvement. In severe cases, where there are permanent injuries or death, the value is obviously much greater. Email me to discuss the details of your case and I may be able to provide a range of value for the worth of your case.
Email referral and case evaluation questions about your personal injury case to: tompattonlaw@gmail.com.
Q: Should I accept the offer that the insurance company has given me?
A: Oftentimes an experienced litigator can get insurance companies to substantially increase the amount of their personal injury settlement offer. If you have already received an offer for your injuries, contact me and I will let you know if I think it is a fair offer. I will not charge you for this consultation.
Q: Can I still get money when the driver that hit me had no insurance?
A: Yes, you can recover money for medical expenses and pain, suffering, and inconvenience If you have uninsured motorist coverage.
Q: Does my car insurance policy medical coverage (PIP) cover me when I’m walking or on my bike or a scooter?
A: Yes, most car policies cover you when injured in a bicycle or scooter accident or as a pedestrian.
Q: How do I know if I have a good auto accident or personal injury case?
A: Email me to discuss the details of your case. My initial consultation is free for all personal injury claims.
Q: How long do personal injury cases usually take to settle?
A: It will depend upon the circumstances of your injury case. I’ve routinely settled smaller cases within a few weeks of the end of your medical treatment. When there are small policy limits, those cases can also settle very quickly when the value of your case is close to the policy limit. In large injury cases where there are catastrophic injuries or in wrongful death cases, they can take more time to settle. Smaller cases under $10,000 can also settle quickly because of an Oregon law provision that allows me to collect attorney fees directly from the insurance company.
Q: If I pursue a case with an experienced personal injury attorney, will it require a lot of my own time and energy?
A: No, in fact very little. I have had some cases settle with no more of my client’s time than filling out the initial paperwork and keeping me aware of their recovery with a few emails. Attorneys know your time is valuable, so they will not waste it. Even when your case is in litigation and your attorney has to file suit, you will likely have to do little more than spend a few hours at a deposition. Obviously, a trial requires a larger investment of your time.
Q: If I hire a personal injury lawyer, will we have to have a trial?
A: Not likely, even though I’ve personally tried over 100 cases and tried cases in Oregon and Washington, over 90% of my total cases settled out of court and did not go to trial. An experienced attorney will however pursue your case as if they are going to trial, however, to maximize the value of your settlement.
Q: Why is it so important to hire an experienced trial attorney to handle my injury case?
A: Most personal injury cases settle before trial, but you want to maximize your settlement. If you hire a personal injury attorney who has little trial experience, oftentimes they will be afraid to go to trial. Insurance companies know who these lawyers are, and they will oftentimes offer them less than the case is worth. When I used to represent insurance companies, we knew who these lawyers were, as they would often settle personal injury cases for pennies on the dollar rather than go to trial. I have over 25 years of experience conducting jury trials and appeals on both sides of the aisle. With my decades of courtroom experience, I have tried well over 100 cases. I have had much success in the courtroom and I will not advise you to settle for less than I believe your case is worth.
Q: Do I need a personal injury lawyer?
A: In order to settle your personal injury case, you will have to deal with insurance companies. Their goal is to pay you as little as you will take to settle. It is tough for someone who is not familiar with personal injury cases to know what a fair settlement amount is. An experienced Oregon personal injury attorney or Washington accident lawyer can help you to determine that amount and reach a fair settlement. The insurance company has an attorney, you need one too.
Q: How do I pay for attorney fees?
A: Experienced personal injury attorneys handle accident cases on a contingency fee, so you will not owe them an attorney fee unless they win money for your case. SO THERE IS NO FEE until they recover money for you.
Q: If my attorney files suit, will their attorney fee increase?
A: Sometimes. Most personal injury lawyers in Oregon and Washington fees go up to 40% if a suit is filed, and often 50% for a trial. My clients did not pay more merely for filing a suit. The attorney fee remains at one third. Only in the case of a trial or arbitration did my fees increase to 40%, with the additional 6.67% intended to compensate for the time and effort required to try their cases. This happened in about 10% of my cases. Make sure to ask any other lawyer whether they charge an increased fee after filing a suit.
Q: Are there fees for recovering my medical bills?
A: No. While most attorneys compute the one third (33.3%) fee from the total amount of the settlement, I did not practice this way. I computed my fee on the amount left after the unpaid medical bills were paid. For example, If your case settled for $150,000, most attorneys would charge $50,000. Then if you had a $50,000 medical bill, you would get the $50,000 leftover. With my fee structure, I would charge the one-third fee after the medical bills were paid, resulting in an additional $16,666.67 in your pocket. Make sure to ask whether a potential attorney charges their fee on the gross amount, or the amount left after medical bills are paid.
Q: Do attorneys charge any other fees or hidden fees?
A: I never practiced law with hidden or additional fees for things like phone charges, parking, copies, postage, etc. I believe that the attorney fee covers all of those office type expenses. Other lawyers charge for some or all of those things, which can add up quickly. The only costs other than the attorney fee are the checks that I write to cover the litigation expenses, such as the cost to obtain your medical records or if your case is tried in court and not settled out of court as explained above.
Q: Lawsuits can be expensive, will it cost me any money upfront for filing fees, court costs, expert witness fees, and any other costs?
A: Filing a lawsuit, paying court costs and expert witness fees can be very expensive. I know that most people cannot afford these costs upfront, so I always forwarded these costs upfront for my clients in every case I took. Spending a few thousand dollars on a good expert witness can make the difference between getting thousands of dollars and getting nothing for your personal injury claim. You will not have to pay those costs until your case is concluded. Before you hire a lawyer, make sure that they are willing to forward the money to adequately pursue your personal injury case. Otherwise, you may be forced into taking a minimal settlement if you cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars to pursue your personal injury claim.
Q: The other driver was very nice. What happens to them if we file a lawsuit?
A: When an attorney files a complaint, the lawsuit will be against the other driver, but your legal team is not going after them, just their insurance company. The insurance company is required to pay the settlement or judgment and hire an attorney to defend the other driver. So they rarely pay a dime. Even when the other driver’s policy is too small to cover the settlement or verdict, either your policy or his or her insurance company will still cover the loss.
Q: What qualifies Tom Patton as an expert in airplane accident law cases?
A: I am an experienced aviator and a retired Lt Col who served in the Air National Guard for 30 years. I flew Air Force cargo and rescue planes for 11 years. I was a C-130 Navigator, and have over 2,500 flying hours under every condition, including combat. I have lost close friends and military co-workers due to aviation accidents. I know how hard it can be to handles these types of losses, but know that I am exceptionally qualified to do so and will fight tooth and nail for you to win your case and get the maximum settlement possible from those at fault.
Q: What kinds of accident cases did you handle?
A: I am retired I have handled all types of cases, wrongful death cases, and products liability cases involving cars, trucking accidents, plane crashes, helicopter crashes, bikes, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, pedestrian and wheelchairs, as well as slip or trip and fall cases where a store, hotel, restaurant, casino, or even a city was at fault for the accident.
Cities in Oregon: Portland, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, Gresham, Troutdale, Hood River, The Dalles, Salem, Monmouth, Eugene, Medford, Bend, Springfield, Albany Aloha, Corvallis, Keizer, Grants Pass, Milwaukie, McMinnville, Oregon City, Woodburn, St. Helens, Vernonia, Yamhill, Roseburg, Pendleton, Ontario, Astoria, Seaside, Umatilla, Cottage Grove, Lincoln City, Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon, Oregon Coast
Counties in Oregon: Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County, Yamhill County, Columbia County, Hood River County, Wasco County, Marion County, Linn County, Lane County, Josephine County, Jackson County, Douglas County, Clatsop County, Tillamook County
Cities in Washington: Aberdeen, Battle Ground, Benton City, Bingen, Bucoda, Burton, Calama, Camas, Campbell Lake, Castle Rock, Cathlamet, Centralia, Charter Oak, Chehalis, Cosmopolis, Crawford, Curtis Lake, Eatonville, Ellsworth, Ellsworth, Felida, Fern Prairie, Fisher, Gig Harbor, Goldendale, Good Hope, Grandview, Granger, Green Lake, Hazel Dell, Hoquiam, Ilwaco, Ireland, Kalama, Kelso, Kennewick, King Corner, La Center, Lake Shore, Lewisville, Little Elkhorn, Livingston, Long Beach, Longview, Lucia, Mabton, Montesano, Moxee, Naches, Napavine, Ocean Shores, Olympia, Pasco, Pioneer, Proebstel, Prosser, Ranier, Raymond, Richland, Ridgefield, Rye, Sacajawea, Salmon Creek, Sara, Scotton Corner, Seattle, Selah, South Bend, Stevenson, Sunnyside, Tacoma, Tenino, Toledo, Toppenish, Tumwater, Twin Harbors, Union, Vader, Vancouver, Venersborg, Wapato, Washougal, West Richland, Westport, White Salmon, Winlock, Woodland, Yacolt, Yakima, Zillah.
Counties in Washington: Adams County, Asotin County, Benton County, Clallam County, Clark County, Columbia County, Cowlitz County, Franklin County, Garfield County, Grant County, Grays Harbor County, Jefferson County, King County, Kittitas County, Klickitat County, Lewis County, Lincoln County, Mason County, Pacific County, Pierce County, Skamania County, Thurston County, Wahkiakum County, Walla Walla County, Yakima County.
Email referral and case evaluation questions about your personal injury case to: tompattonlaw@gmail.com.