How Much is Your Claim Worth?
How Much is Your Claim Worth?
As an Oregon driver, it’s important to know your legal responsibilities following a car accident. Being prepared can help you better navigate the aftermath of a crash.
This page provides information on everything you need to know about Oregon’s car crash laws so that you are always ready to act if an unexpected accident occurs. For more details, you can also review Chapter 811 of the Oregon Motor Vehicle Code.
According to Oregon law, if your vehicle gets into an accident resulting in injury or death, you must stop at the scene and investigate what your vehicle hit. Additionally, the law requires you to provide your name, address, vehicle registration number, and insurance information.
You must also give the names and addresses of the vehicle’s owner and any other occupants, and, if asked, display evidence of your driving privileges. If the other people involved in the accident are incapable of receiving this information, you must wait until a police officer arrives on the scene and provide them with the required details.
A driver who was involved in a collision commits the offense of failure to perform the duties of a driver if the driver’s vehicle has been in a collision that results in injury or death to a person and the driver does not perform all of the following duties:
In Oregon, if you are involved in a car accident, you have a duty to render aid to anyone injured in the collision. This includes taking or arranging for the transportation of an injured person to receive medical treatment whenever it is necessary or requested.
A driver commits the offense of failure to perform the duties of a driver if the driver does not render to any person injured in the collision reasonable assistance, including the conveying, or the making of arrangements for the conveying, of an injured person to a hospital for medical treatment, if it is apparent that such treatment is necessary or if requested.
As a driver, Oregon law requires you to immediately report a car crash that results in injury, death, or more than $2,500 in property damage to the local police. If the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash is physically incapacitated and cannot report the accident, a capable passenger must do so instead.
Any accident resulting in injury or death to any person is subject to the reporting requirements under the following sections:
An accident resulting in damage to the property of any person in excess of $2,500 is subject to the following reporting requirements:
The driver of a vehicle commits the offense of driver failure to report an accident if the driver is driving any vehicle that is involved in an accident required to be reported under ORS 811.745 and the driver, if physically capable, does not give notice of the accident immediately to a police officer or a law enforcement agency by the quickest means available.
A person commits the offense of failure of a vehicle occupant to make an accident report if:
Failing to notify the police of an accident when legally required is a Class A traffic violation in Oregon. This is true whether you are a passenger or a driver.
Under Oregon law, you must immediately stop at the scene of a car crash that damages property, even if the collision didn’t hurt anyone. You must also exchange information with the other parties involved.
A driver commits the offense of failure to perform the duties of a driver if the driver’s vehicle is involved in a collision that results in damage to property and the driver does not perform duties required under any of the following:
When you hit a parked car in Oregon and damage it, you must find the owner of the vehicle and notify them of your name, address, and insurance details, as well as the vehicle’s registration number and the name and address of its owner. If you can’t find the owner of the car you hit, you must leave a written note that includes all the required information.
If the driver has been in a collision resulting in damage to any vehicle that is unattended, the driver shall locate and notify the owner of the driver’s name and address and the name and address of the owner and the registration number of the vehicle, the insurance carrier, the policy number and the phone number of the insurance carrier; or leave written notice.
Knowing what to do at the scene of an accident will help you avoid the negative consequences that may come from failing to comply with your legal duties. For this reason, it’s important to learn your obligations under Oregon law and to follow it should you find yourself involved in a collision.
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