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The Oregon Zoo is a fun, educational, family-friendly outing in Portland, OR. Unfortunately, every year, visitors go to the zoo and get hurt. This can be overwhelming, and you may not know your rights, let alone what to do.
If you are injured while visiting the Oregon Zoo, there are certain steps you can take to ensure you get compensation for your injuries. Compensation can help you cover medical bills, lost wages, and emotional suffering.
You shouldn’t have to accept your injury in silence. You deserve recourse if you or a loved one are hurt at the zoo.
In our experience, there are many types of injuries that happen at the zoo. Some injuries are relatively minor, while others are catastrophic and severe. In extremely unfortunate cases, the injuries can result in death.
The most common types of zoo injuries include:
Even simple injuries can become complex and life-altering without the appropriate treatment.
That’s why it is important to immediately seek medical treatment after getting hurt at the zoo. This may include contacting zoo staff or 911, but it should also include getting an independent evaluation from a doctor after the fact.
The doctor will document your condition, and the medical records can be used later in your case. If you fail to get a medical diagnosis or don’t follow through with treatment, you will have a very hard time proving that you are entitled to damages.
When most people go to the zoo, they don’t expect to leave with an injury. Unfortunately, accidents are very common at a popular place like the Oregon Zoo. Depending on how the accident happened, different parties can be held financially responsible. In fact, multiple parties may be simultaneously responsible.
Some of the most common causes of accidents are:
In many cases, you can hold the zoo responsible for the accident. However, sometimes others are liable, such as another guest, a maintenance company, or the city government.
If you are hurt at the zoo, your first step is to get medical attention. However, assuming it is a non-emergent situation, you should try to collect evidence from the scene. Strong evidence is one of the most important parts of a personal injury case.
While a lawyer can help you collect evidence after the fact, sometimes it is destroyed or no longer available. You should not assume that just because evidence is available now means that it will be available later. Some of the strongest types of evidence include photographs, witness statements, and video footage.
Additionally, you should keep track of evidence as the case progresses. This evidence may include medical records, estimates, a journal, and relevant accident reports. If you have a personal injury attorney, they can help you identify and collect the most valuable types of evidence.
After the initial shock of an accident at the zoo wears off, you should consider calling an Oregon personal injury lawyer. An attorney can help you identify who is legally responsible for the accident and explain the next steps.
When an accident happens at the zoo, you may need to file a lawsuit against the zoo itself or even the city of Portland. It can be extremely difficult to go about this without an attorney by your side. Powerful defendants may use their resources to try and silence you or pay you less than you deserve.
Understandably, many people are worried about the cost of hiring an attorney. Luckily, personal injury lawyers charge a contingency fee. That means that you don’t pay the lawyer until the end of the case, and even then, you only pay if you win.
This fee arrangement means that you don’t pay more just because you hired them earlier in your case. There’s only an upside to getting a lawyer involved as soon as possible after the accident.
If you were injured in an accident in Portland, OR, please contact our Portland personal injury lawyers at Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers
101 SW Main St. #1905
Portland, OR, 97204
(503) 773-3333
