Eugene Drunk Driving Accident Injury Lawyer
Looking For An Experienced Drunk Driving Accident Injury Attorney in Eugene, Oregon?
We almost couldn’t bring ourselves to say drunk driver “accident,” because there is nothing “accidental” about bad things happening after a person voluntarily becomes impaired and gets behind the wheel of a car. After years of efforts to reduce the number of drunk driving crashes that have shown some successes, our nation still loses a citizen every 50 minutes to a drunk driver. That’s over 10,000 Americans unnecessarily killed every year in preventable crashes.
Every driver knows that driving while impaired is illegal. But sometimes people don’t realize that they have exceeded Oregon’s maximum blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 (grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood). Sometimes people don’t appreciate that they can become impaired at blood alcohol levels lower than 0.08. One of the first casualties of intoxication is judgment, and impaired people are notoriously poor judges of their own abilities.
Even well below a 0.08 blood alcohol level, people experience poorer coordination, decreased abilities to perform two tasks simultaneously, more difficulties with steering and with tracking moving objects, and reduced abilities to respond to emergencies.
In part because people are poor judges of themselves after starting to drink, laws across the country try to reduce the ability of intoxicated people to become even more impaired. That’s why the law prohibits serving or selling more alcohol to an already visibly intoxicated person (or to minors). People and businesses that violate those laws are complicit in drunk driving injuries and deaths, and can be held responsible for their complicity. However, prompt action is typically required for those kinds of cases, as Oregon law has surprisingly short time requirements for giving the required notice to the negligent alcohol provider.
While alcohol gets most of the attention, other drugs can also impair one’s driving abilities. Oregon statutes make it a crime for someone to drive “under the influence of intoxicating liquor, cannabis, psilocybin, a controlled substance or an inhalant,” or any combination of those drugs. Oregon Revised Statutes 813.010. Violation of that statute is negligence.
Common Crashes Caused By Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. Despite this well-known fact, countless lives continue to be taken every year by drunk drivers.
While community groups, non-profit organizations, and government agencies have for years worked to raise awareness about the realities of drunk driving, people continue to drink and drive.
The irresponsible choices of people who drive after drinking alcohol or using other substances that impair judgment and reactions cause injuries, death, and loss and misery to families across Oregon and across our country.
Drunk and impaired drivers cause a disproportionate share of:
- Head-on collisions
- Read-end collisions
- Pedestrian injuries
- Wrong-way wrecks
Common Types of Drunk Driver Caused Injuries
Injuries inflicted by drunk and impaired drivers range from minor sprains to catastrophic brain injury or death. Probably because drunk drivers may speed and their impaired reactions delay braking, injuries in drunk driving crashes often are more serious. The injury list also includes:
- Spinal and spinal cord injuries
- Fractures of the pelvis, shoulder, and collarbone
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Leg injuries, including knee damage and femur and tibia fractures
- Arm and wrist fractures
If a drunk or drugged driver injured you in Oregon, contact the Corson & Johnson Law Firm. Our experienced Oregon injury attorneys can assess your case and help you fight for a fair and just result. Our attorneys have been representing injured people for decades.
Have You Been Injured By A Drunk or Impaired Driver?
Here Are Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
1. What type of losses can be claimed in a drunk driving injury case?
2. Who is liable when you are hit by a drunk driver?
3. What should you know if you were hurt by a drunk driver in Oregon?
4. Does Someone Besides the Drunk Driver Share Responsibility For Your Injuries?
5. Could the bar be responsible if the drunk driver who caused my crash was served while visibly intoxicated?
Why Promptly Calling the Right Attorney Matters
Most drunk driving injury cases eventually settle, but the terms of a settlement reflect in part the work, preparation, and knowledge that go into the case. If there has been a serious injury or a death, it can be important to have an attorney help to make sure you identify and assert all of the legitimate claims. A good attorney can also help you avoid doing things that might damage your case. For example, adverse insurance companies generally try to obtain overly broad medical records from unrepresented injured people, and try to obtain statements that are slanted against the injured person. An attorney stands between the adverse insurance company and the injured person, standing up for the injured person’s rights.
An attorney who is experienced in representing survivors of drunk driving crashes will know to get the police investigation materials as promptly as possible. Oregon Revised Statute 135.857 provides that “In any criminal prosecution arising from an automobile collision in which the defendant is alleged to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the district attorney prosecuting the action shall make available, upon request, to the victim or victims and to their attorney, or to the survivors of the victim or victims and to their attorney, all reports and information disclosed to the defendant . . . .”
Attorneys who do this work will typically try to visit and document the scene of the crash, and to inspect and photograph the crash vehicles. If contacted right after the crash, the attorney may be able to locate and preserve video evidence, such as from surveillance videos of nearby businesses. The attorney may ask that certain evidence be preserved for later court proceedings. If appropriate steps are not taken early on, important evidence may be lost.
An experienced injury attorney at The Corson & Johnson Law Firm will protect you from overbearing tactics by the impaired driver’s insurance company, and will try to make sure you get a fair and reasonable result for your case.
Real Drunk Driver Accident and Injury Cases We’ve Handled
The attorneys at Corson & Johnson have helped countless individuals and families over the decades.
Please click on the Read More Cases link highlighted below to see additional Drunk and Impaired Driver Injury case examples.
If you think you may have a case, please call, email, or text us; we would be happy to talk with you.
Client Testimonials
Candy C.
“Four years ago I was badly injured in a car wreck caused by a very drunk underage driver. Because of multiple surgeries, I spent an entire year unable to care for myself, first at a hospital, then at a rehabilitation facility, and later at a foster home. The outcome didn’t look favorable for me but Don Corson and his firm never gave up. They went after the drunk driver and the party responsible for providing the alcohol to a minor. They were able to recover all of the funds available. The combination of that recovery and negotiating reimbursement obligations managed to secure a sizable settlement for me. Don Corson is not only an unusually capable attorney, he’s a very nice person who truly cared about my future. I’m so fortunate to have had Don in my corner.”
Corky Franklin
“The Corson & Johnson Law Firm handled my case with professionalism and the all important personal touch — every step of the way. It was priceless to be able to turn over the responsibility for calling medical and insurance providers – they handled everything in such a way that I never stressed about the outcome of my case or monetary issues. I’d highly recommend.”
Janos Tivadar
“On August 10th, 2003, just four days after my 28th birthday, my life was permanently altered by a reckless and violent, drug-induced, drunk driver who crashed head-on and into my car. Everyone in the vehicle was injured, with my injuries being the most severe. I suffered a complete spinal cord injury, which changed everything in my life in an instant.
Nearly 17 years later, I remain paralyzed from the chest down, and on that day, I not only lost my ability to walk but my ability to do the field engineer work I once loved so much. In these unpredictable and devastating moments in life, it is essential to surround yourself with people you can trust. My physical rehabilitation was a long road, and as if that wasn’t hard enough, I also had to figure out how I was going to support myself financially.
As someone who worked in a physically demanding job, with a lot of international travel, I had no idea how to move forward with my life or what I would be capable of achieving in the future. I can honestly say, I feel so fortunate to have had the legal guidance of Don Carson. Don not only professionally represented me, but he was relentless in settling an agreement that would help assist me financially. He put his heart and soul into helping me achieve the best outcome and, in many ways, offered tremendous emotional support that went way beyond his call to a legal duty.
My reliance upon him, both professionally and emotionally, should not be understated. With his expertise, I was able to receive a financial settlement for my lifelong medical bills as well as a path forward to make a living and successfully support myself. Don is not only a brilliant lawyer; he is honest and trustworthy and committed to doing the best for his clients, even in the most challenging circumstances. With Don at the helm, you will not only have the most capable legal guidance but someone who cares about your overall well-being. I give him my highest recommendation.”
Jeanna M.
“Don Corson and his team of incredible people (Wendy and Stacy particularly) worked so hard over the last two years on my case. Their detail orientated and careful attention to all documentation made my case much stronger ! Don was a God Sent! He really was more than an attorney, more like a close caring friend and for that I am so grateful. My particular case involved a drunk driver and I wasn’t sure how things would fair just as I read so many statistics about Oregon being the lowest pay out state for car accidents etc. Don made sure my case was paid special attention to and delivered a fantastic review of what occurred during my accident and after. I’m so happy Don was my attorney and highly recommend anyone in the Eugene area seeking a GRADE A strong attorney and staff to look no further than Corson and Johnson law firm !! “
Mark
“Corson and Johnson exceeded my expectations of a personal injury lawyer. Lara was very thorough throughout the case and successfully worked towards a fair settlement.”
Mark Francis
“I am a past client. Unfortunately someone T-Boned me and caused injuries to myself and totaled my vehicle. My personal attorney recommended Corson and Johnson. I am glad they did! Lara accepted my case and worked tooth and nail to help me through a difficult time of lost revenue and injuries. If you are looking for an ethical, hard working firm then look no further.????????”
Philip L.
“I was extremely pleased with the work they did for me with my personal injury suit. The results were better than expected. I was always kept “in the loop.” If you need a compassionate, hard working law firm to help you with your legal needs, look no further.”
Shana J.
“Lara Johnson and her staff were wonderful to work with!!! You can clearly see that she honestly cares about her clients! Her compassion and understanding made a world of difference for my son, who was her actual client, after being hit by a drunk driver. She has a vast knowledge of the types of injuries, both the temporary and permanent, and how they will likely affect the rest of his life. Of course, as with any attorney, this is a job and it is also about making money.
However, she also wanted to make sure he received the largest amount possible due to the fact that even after almost 2 years of various treatments, he has permanent injuries that will greatly affect the rest of his life. Not only did she get him the settlement, they got him a Lump Sum to begin with, as he still needs a lot of dental work done and wanted to get a few things, but set the rest up in an annuity. He was super happy knowing she was looking after future.
Especially since he is a 19 year old kid who could easily blow through a lot of money, and is concerned that people may try to take advantage of him knowing he has a brain injury that greatly affects his memory and decision making. Not only is it very obvious she truly does cares and showed a great deal of compassion, he is actually sad that he won’t need to see her anymore. He said he is going to miss her, and everyone else there at the office.
Unfortunately, under very unfortunate and heartbreaking circumstances, I recommended her to a very close family friend. I know she will do everything she can to help his family, especially under such tragic circumstances, and show every bit of compassion she showed to my son. So, not only have I already, I will recommend her to anyone I know who finds themselves in the need of her services. We were recommended to Lara to begin with, and I would call her immediately should any of us have anything like this every happen to our family. I greatly recommend her to anyone who may find themselves in similar circumstances!!! Without a doubt! 100%!!!!”
Shawna J.
Lara Johnson and her staff were wonderful to work with!!! You can clearly see that she honestly cares about her clients! Her compassion and understanding made a world of difference for my son, who was her actual client, after being hit by a drunk driver. She has a vast knowledge of the types of injuries, both the temporary and permanent, and how they will likely affect the rest of his life.
Of course, as with any attorney, this is a job and it is also about making money. However, she also wanted to make sure he received the largest amount possible due to the fact that even after almost 2 years of various treatments, he has permanent injuries that will greatly affect the rest of his life. Not only did she get him the settlement, they got him a Lump Sum to begin with, as he still needs a lot of dental work done and wanted to get a few things, but set the rest up in an annuity. He was super happy knowing she was looking after future. Especially since he is a 19 year old kid who could easily blow through a lot of money, and is concerned that people may try to take advantage of him knowing he has a brain injury that greatly affects his memory and decision making.
Not only is it very obvious she truly does cares and showed a great deal of compassion, he is actually sad that he won’t need to see her anymore. He said he is going to miss her, and everyone else there at the office.
Unfortunately, under very unfortunate and heartbreaking circumstances, I recommended her to a very close family friend. I know she will do everything she can to help his family, especially under such tragic circumstances, and show every bit of compassion she showed to my son. So, not only have I already, I will recommend her to anyone I know who finds themselves in the need of her services.
We were recommended to Lara to begin with, and I would call her immediately should any of us have anything like this every happen to our family. I greatly recommend her to anyone who may find themselves in similar circumstances!!! Without a doubt! 100%!!!!
Travis P.
I was referred to Don after I was injured in an accident in 2014. I had never been through anything like this before and had no idea what to expect. Don and his team guided me through every step of the process and treated me like a close friend. I would definitely recommend him to others.
How can we help you?
Our team is ready
If you would like to speak with a member of our legal team, please call or text us at 541-484-2525, or contact us using the form. We will promptly follow-up and get in touch with you. There is no charge for an initial phone or Zoom video consultation.
Please keep in mind that we can only help a limited number of people at one time, and that we try to focus on serious cases where we think we might be able to make a meaningful difference in a person’s life. Deciding on which cases to accept typically involves at least a preliminary investigation.
Or give us a call or text message
(541) 484-2525
