Dealing with the aftermath of an auto accident is painful and stressful enough without having to worry about paying for your medical care. People often assume that the other driver’s insurance will cover everything, only to find out that the limits fall far short of their actual expenses. That’s where understanding your options – and getting help from someone who knows the system – becomes essential.
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Bottom-Line-Up-Front: Probably not The Long Answer: In a typical car crash where no one is injured; say for example your car is hit by a drunk driver leaving a football game in the parking lot of Autzen Stadium, an attorney does not provide a ton of value to a person beyond a single conversation. There are plenty of repair shops and parts sellers so finding the price to repair a vehicle is pretty simple without much negotiating room. There are also plenty of people buying and selling vehicles so even if the vehicle is totaled, finding the value of a replacement vehicle is pretty straightforward. That said, it is helpful to speak with an attorney to at least understand your options. Knowing the difference between the process for going through your own insurance (e.g. that you can get the deductible paid back by the insurance company of the at-fault driver) and the process for going through the at-fault insurance company directly. I have had dozens if not hundreds of those conversations with people over the years and I hope they have been helpful. It takes a good amount of time to understand how the systems interact, but for me it is pretty simple to explain it to someone and then give them the chance to ask questions. To convey this information even broader than we can currently, (a single conversation at a time) Hunking Law is currently developing resources to help make this understandable on our website such that more people can get the information any time of day. I hope this was helpful, if you need or want to talk to an attorney in the Eugene/Springfield area about a car accident please consider us and call Hunking Law at (541)486-5464 today.
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Curious about what a car crash attorney in Eugene, OR earns? Learn about salary ranges, commissions, and what top attorneys make! People say that it is impolite to ask how much money they make. I am sure someone somewhere had a good reason to endorse and implement that rule, but personally I think it has some negative consequences that should be considered. Sometimes I think an over-emphasis on not discussing pay in a work environment can lead to gross inequalities in pay. Whereas if we were able to talk about pay, people would have the knowledge to know what other options are available to them. With that in mind there are a couple ways to answer this question: (1) Salary-Based Compensation It is possible that the car crash attorney works on a salary. In that case they likely make between $45,000 a year and $120,000 a year, not including benefits (I use those numbers because they are the lowest salary, I am aware of and the highest salary I am aware of for car crash attorneys in the Eugene, Oregon area. It could very well be that my range is way off). The benefit to the attorney of this system is that they know how much they make and how to budget based on their expected pay. The downside is that it is a fixed number and not necessarily in the person’s financial interests to do this. Personally, I would only recommend this for someone in the first year or two of practice who is still learning the ropes and has not yet built a caseload. (2) Salary Plus Commission It is possible that the car crash attorney works on a salary plus commission. In this system the salary is a floor so the attorney can pay their bills and not be worried about not being able to pay rent if they don’t generate any money, but (at least in my office) because of the floor the commission rate is lower than it would be if the person only worked on a commission. There is some alignment in this system between the attorney and the organization (because the organization needs them to generate dollars sufficient to cover their salary and benefits), and there is a backstop to ensure that the person doesn’t feel pressure to settle a case for lower than what is in the clients best interests because they always have enough salary to pay their bills, even in a down month. I personally would recommend this for someone who is in year 3-5 of practice, has built their caseload, but still isn’t confident and consistent enough to be sure they will make it on a commission only. While this will always be dependent on how much money the person brings in (which is effected by how much they want to work, and how efficient they are with their work), as a range, car accident attorneys that have worked for me in the Eugene area have made between $120,000 and $175,000 a year. (3) Commission-Only Pay It is possible that the car crash attorney works on commission only. Here, the attorney takes home money only when they generate dollars (by getting verdicts or settlements in the bank for car collision cases). Because there is no risk to the organization needing to pay dollars it does not have, and because it aligns the financial interests of the attorney with the organization and the client, I like this system a lot. The caveat with this is that the attorney should be very experienced, with a full and built caseload and confidence that they will be able to make a paycheck. In my office the attorneys that work on commission only have historically taken home the most money (by a lot) and to put it in terms of dollars the range is $400,000 to $600,000 in a year. Conclusion: Is It Worth It? I hope that sheds some light on the pay of Eugene car accident attorneys and helps whoever might be reading this gain some knowledge that they find useful. The high number that car crash attorneys can make on commission is just a percentage of the amount that they are giving back to their clients in the form of paid medical bills, property damage repair bills, and in many cases, a check directly into their bank accounts. Contact a Eugene Car Crash Attorney Call 541-HUNKING (that’s 541-486-5464) today if you were injured in a car accident in Oregon and let us help you maximize your settlement.
I asked a 19 year old relative recently what they would do if they were in a car accident. It is no surprise but the answer was “Call my mom”. I asked the question to try and better understand how to reach younger people who have been in car accidents and can use my help, but the answer I got triggered an interesting thought: what would a car accident lawyer tell a parent to tell their child who just got in a car accident? This Blog is an attempt to answer the question: “What do I tell my adult child who just got in a car accident?” Step 1: Get the Facts I would begin by asking questions to make sure you know what is going on; and they would be some mix of: Are you ok? Is everyone else ok? Are you in a safe place? What happened? These questions help you quickly assess their safety and the situation at hand. Step 2: Reassure Them and Focus on Safety Then I would go with some general advice: Get to a safe place if you aren’t already. Don’t panic; just breathe, we will get through this. Helping them stay calm is one of the most important things you can do in the moment. Step 3: Immediate Actions to Take at the Scene Depending on the severity of the incident I would then give the following advice: Call 911 (Both police or for ambulance or fire support). Call your insurance company. Take pictures of the cars, the accident scene, and any damage or injuries. Gather contact information and insurance details from all other drivers and any witnesses. If you can drive the car home safely then great; otherwise call a tow truck (or have your insurance or the police call a tow truck). Either get a ride to the hospital or home or have someone pick you up. These steps will help protect your child both physically and legally. Step 4: Regroup and Next Steps After the dust settles: Talk to your child about what happened. Decide together what to do next. Determine if your child needs a lawyer. If you’re not sure, review our blog “ When/Why Should You Hire An Attorney After A Car Accident .” If needed, call a lawyer and schedule a free consultation. There is no downside to calling a lawyer after a car collision. They will be able to quickly determine if they can help you or not, and at least at Hunking Law, consultations are free. A good lawyer can guide you through the process and will ensure that your child’s rights are protected. Conclusion I have no idea if this blog will be helpful, but I am hopeful that someone somewhere reads it and they are a little more prepared for this situation than they otherwise would have been. If your child has been in a car crash in Oregon and you’re not sure what to do next, don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to help. Call us today at 541-HUNKING, 541-486-5464.
The when is easy: as soon as possible. There really is not a downside that I am aware of in consulting an attorney quickly and having them on your side from the beginning of the process. If nothing else, it provides you with some inside knowledge to how the process works and what to expect.