"I got into an accident and was nervous about finding a personal injury attorney after hearing so many awful stories, but from the start, I felt confident with my choice in Kaplan Law, LLC." Read More - Ben
"Matt and Gillian took great care of me during a stressful time of my life. Very caring and knowledgeable group. I would definitely recommend Kaplan Law!" Read More - Kayleigh
"Incredible service and results! Matthew Kaplan and his paralegal Gillian did an amazing job for me. Not only did they resolve my case beyond my satisfaction, they also were very caring and supportive thru my recovery. I couldn't ask for a better attorney." Read More - Jamal
Matthew D. Kaplan

by

A common truth posits that motor vehicles and alcohol do not mix. That theory is never more true than when the driver is someone under the age of 21. In many cases where an underage driver has crashed a vehicle due to their intoxication, they obtained their alcoholic beverages from someone else, whether that someone is a private server or a commercial establishment. When a social host or a bartender fails to check IDs or otherwise take proper steps to prevent serving minors, they may face severe consequences. A business might lose its liquor license. And, if an intoxicated minor injures (or kills) someone else in a vehicle crash, the facts of the case may present an issue of potential liability on the part of those who served the alcohol. If you have questions about pursuing a dram shop or social host case, be sure to contact a knowledgeable Oregon dram shop lawyer to receive sound, reliable advice about your situation.

A fatal accident just outside Portland was allegedly an example of mixing minors, alcohol, and “dangerous” vehicles.

The crash occurred on Sauvie Island, located approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Portland. According to the police, an 18-year-old male crashed a Polaris utility terrain vehicle shortly after midnight on May 18. The Oregonian reported that the crash killed the vehicle’s other passenger, a 17-year-old girl.

Continue reading

by

A common expression related to grief posits that “no parent should have to bury a child… it is not the natural order of things.” Unfortunately, this happens thousands of times every year. According to the National Institutes of Health, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in children and adolescents, accounting for 20% of all deaths. If you have encountered this kind of tragic loss, you may need to take legal action. If you do have such a need, your case will benefit from having representation provided by an experienced Oregon auto accident lawyer.

One of those fatal accidents occurred this month in Clatsop County.

The collision occurred along Highway 101 just south of its intersection with Highway 26. A southbound pickup truck entered the northbound lanes and crashed head-on into a northbound Honda SUV. The truck continued forward in the wrong lane, eventually hitting a Nissan SUV head-on.

Continue reading

by

According to a leading trade association, forklift accidents totaled more than 40,000 in 2021-22. Every year, 8,000-9,000 of those are injury-causing, according to OSHA, with 75-95 people dying annually in forklift accidents. When your Oregon forklift accident has left you significantly injured (or has taken the life of a loved one,) an industrial accident claim may be a vital element of your family’s financial recovery. To find out if you can seek accountability for your accident using this legal tool, reach out without delay to speak to a knowledgeable Oregon industrial accident lawyer.

Forklift accidents encompass everything from forklift rollovers to pedestrian impacts to forklifts falling off docks/trailers and more. Rollovers are the most common type of accident, but are far from the only cause. Other factors include working in close quarters with pedestrians, insufficiently trained forklift operators, improperly loaded loads, workers falling from forks, mechanical failures, and more.

Earlier this month, the scenario involved a falling forklift, and the outcome was tragically fatal.

Continue reading

by

According to the Insurance Information Institute, more than one in every 10 fatal accidents involves a head-on collision scenario, taking thousands of lives each year. While head-on crashes occur for a variety of reasons — from speeding to impaired driving to unsafe passing — almost all have one thing in common: a driver who engaged in one or more dangerous actions that resulted in their vehicle ending up going the wrong way into oncoming traffic. If you have experienced serious harm — or lost a loved one — because a driver drove negligently and caused a head-on crash, you likely will need to take multiple actions to obtain a recovery. These may include insurance claims, civil lawsuits, and more. To get the recovery you and your family need, you should take the time to consult and retain an experienced Oregon auto accident lawyer.

A rural stretch of Highway 26 in Clatsop County was the scene of one of these severe accidents in the morning hours of April 29. According to Oregonlive.com, police responded shortly after sunrise to find a head-on collision between two Ford F-350 pickup trucks.

According to the report, the driver of the westbound truck was trying to pass “multiple commercial vehicles” when he crashed into an eastbound pickup. The impact threw the first truck into one of the big rigs.

Continue reading

by

One of roughly every 80 auto accidents involves a driver who crashed due to a medical emergency. The vast majority of these involved people who experienced “seizures, blackouts, or diabetic reactions,” according to the data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When you are hurt in a crash involving an at-fault driver with medical problems, the defense may try to use that medical condition to avoid liability. Countering that may require a variety of steps. An experienced Oregon auto accident lawyer can advise you on what actions can help strengthen your case.

Deschutes County was the site of one of those accidents earlier this month. According to the Bend Police, a 61-year-old man driving southbound on the Bend Parkway “had a medical event” that caused his pickup truck to veer into the northbound lanes. There, the truck crashed head-on into a Toyota van.

The force of the collision partially ejected the van driver from her vehicle. Central Oregon Daily reported that both drivers were hurt and that the woman suffered life-threatening harm. The police cited the truck driver for careless driving, which caused an accident. The police did not disclose the nature of the medical event that afflicted the truck driver.

Continue reading

by

A recent report from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division revealed that an ironworker’s death at a Portland construction site last June was “preventable.” The worker’s death is a somber reminder that errors and negligence at worksites can have fatal consequences. If you have endured serious injuries (or you have lost a loved one) as a result of a workplace accident, the facts may dictate that you have the option to pursue a civil lawsuit against one or more entities. Talk to a knowledgeable Oregon industrial accident lawyer to learn more about your legal options.

The Oregon OSHA investigation, whose results the agency published in February, deemed a deadly accident that occurred last June during the renovation of a Northeast Portland high school to be “preventable,” according to an OregonLive report.

In that accident, a five-ton forklift carrying staircase railings ran over and crushed the ironworker. She died two days later. Oregon OSHA’s investigation found that the fatal accident resulted from “a series of flawed decisions.” Those errors exposed workers to “a struck-by hazard that could be expected to seriously injure or kill them,” according to the agency.

Continue reading

by

Last week, this blog looked at a recent Multnomah County lawsuit involving a Domino’s pizza delivery driver and a fatally injured pedestrian. The case is a reminder that, compared to a few decades ago, pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and passengers today face a wide array of potentially unsafe delivery drivers. Rather than just FedEx, UPS, and pizza delivery, now there is also Amazon, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and many more. If you are seriously injured (or a loved one killed) by a delivery driver who drove negligently, it is crucial to understand the unique challenges you may face. To better understand your case’s strengths and possible challenges, talk to a knowledgeable Oregon motor vehicle accident lawyer with experience handling these types of matters.

In the case of the pedestrian in Southeast Portland, the driver was a Domino’s delivery person. The driver, however, did not work directly for Domino’s. Like many chain restaurants, Domino’s employs a franchise business model. The driver worked for a Portland LLC that owned the Domino’s restaurant franchise on Southeast 82nd Avenue. That meant the pedestrian’s estate filed claims against Domino’s, the LLC franchisee, and the driver.

Other employers whose businesses involve delivery also employ multifaceted business models. FedEx is one delivery service where a driver’s status can be complex. Some FedEx drivers are employees, but the company also relies on numerous independent contractors for package delivery.

Continue reading

by

Many drivers engage in negligence behind the wheel because they are in a hurry, and some of the most time-crunched drivers on the road are food delivery drivers. The pressure to make timely deliveries drives some to engage in unsafe practices, such as speeding. When they do, they place everyone sharing the road at risk, especially pedestrians. If you were hurt on foot because a delivery driver was in too much of a hurry and driving unsafely, you might encounter a need to pursue insurance claims, civil litigation, or both. A skilled Oregon pedestrian accident lawyer can often be instrumental in getting a just outcome after your accident.

According to a recent lawsuit launched in state court here in Portland, that was precisely what happened in a fatal accident three years ago.

In late January 2022, a driver struck and killed a 56-year-old pedestrian at the intersection of 101st Avenue and Division Street in Southeast Portland. Allegedly, the pedestrian was crossing Division to reach a bus stop when the driver, who was delivering food for Domino’s Pizza, crashed into him. According to the lawsuit the pedestrian’s estate filed, a 41-year-old delivery driver, M.H., was “rushing to deliver a pizza” and was speeding when he collided with the pedestrian.

Continue reading

by

An outbreak of wintry weather led to a massive chain-reaction crash in eastern Multnomah County last month. Frequently, multi-vehicle crashes, while they may involve natural phenomena like ice, snow, rain, fog, wind, and smoke, are not situations where “Mother Nature” alone is to blame. Often, the problems- and the injuries or deaths that result- are caused (or at least made worse) by drivers driving negligently. If you have endured serious harm or have lost a loved one in an accident like this, finding out who was responsible can be an immensely complicated and daunting process. Rather than tackle such an undertaking alone, call an experienced Oregon auto accident lawyer to get the legal representation you need.

The recent Multnomah County accident involved at least eight collisions and ended with 100+ vehicles trapped on westbound Interstate 84 near Multnomah Falls. The crash left between 20 and 30 vehicles damaged, and numerous people suffered harm, but at the time of FOX 12’s reporting, authorities had recorded no serious or fatal injuries.

“Near whiteout” snow conditions and slick, icy roads were prominent factors in the accident.

Continue reading

by

Mid-February 2025 has brought another highway death in Yamhill County. The incident occurred along a part of Highway 99W in Yamhill County that has been the home of numerous serious and fatal crashes in the past. When stretches of highway become notorious for their dangerousness, that reputation frequently springs from various factors. Often, it includes driver negligence. Sometimes, it also includes negligence in the road’s design, maintenance, or repair. When you have been catastrophically injured (or have lost a loved one) in an accident along a notorious highway, you need a skilled Oregon auto accident lawyer representing you to get to the bottom of what happened and why. Only then can you be properly equipped to begin holding accountable the people and entities who were genuinely responsible.

In the February 19th collision, a Washington State man behind the wheel of a Chevrolet pickup truck attempted to turn onto Highway 18 from southbound Highway 99W when he “entered the path of a northbound Toyota Yaris… causing a side impact collision.” The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries. The crash killed the driver of the Toyota, a 31-year-old woman from McMinnville.

The mid-February accident was far from unusual. The “Y” intersection where Highways 99W and 18 meet near Dayton has been the site of many prominent (and deadly) collisions. In early December, a 45-year-old Newburg man lost his life after a crash at the same intersection. The man’s Mercury Grand Marquis collided with a motorhome, and he died a short time later at Willamette Valley Medical Center.

Continue reading

50 SW Pine St 3rd Floor Portland, OR 97204 Telephone: (503) 226-3844 Fax: (503) 943-6670 Email: matthew@mdkaplanlaw.com
map image