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What Are Non-Economic Damages in Oregon?

What Are Non-Economic Damages in Oregon?

Most people understand they recover compensation for their medical bills and lost wages after an accident. These economic damages are easy to wrap your head around.

People might not understand that they can also recover money for their non-economic damages after an accident. These damages are more personal than financial, but they are no less real than economic losses.

Our Portland personal injury lawyers explore the topic of non-economic damages in this article.

Understanding Non-Economic Damages in Oregon

In Oregon, injury victims can typically recover two types of damages after an accident:

  • Economic damages – to cover financial losses like medical bills, lost income, and property damage.
  • Non-economic damages – to cover non-monetary losses like pain and suffering.

Economic damages are easy to quantify. They typically come with receipts, invoices, or bills that detail the nature of a loss.

Non-economic damages are harder to calculate. However, they can make up a substantial part of your compensation award. These losses do not have a specific monetary value. They are personal in nature. They recognize that personal injury damages can have physical, emotional, and psychological costs, as well as financial costs.

Common Types of Non-Economic Damages in the State of Oregon

There are many different types of non-economic damages in Oregon injury cases. We discuss the most common non-economic losses below. 

Pain and Suffering

Serious injuries can cause serious, debilitating pain. This pain can affect a victim’s work, relationships, and other aspects of daily life. Non-economic damages allow victims to recover money for the pain and suffering they’ve endured after an accident.

Emotional Distress

An accident can cause severe emotional distress to a victim. They might feel anguish about their injuries. They might also feel distressed by memories of the accident. Emotional distress makes up an important category of non-economic damages.

Scarring and Disfigurement

Some accidents like car accidents and construction accidents can cause disfiguring injuries. This scarring and disfigurement can cause emotional trauma and embarrassment for victims. Injury victims can recover money for this non-economic loss.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

Serious accidents like truck crashes can have many negative impacts on one’s life. The injuries may prevent them from participating in hobbies or doing other things they used to do. In fact, a victim’s injuries can even reduce their quality and enjoyment of life. 

Loss of Consortium

Loss of consortium is a non-economic damage experienced by a victim’s spouse. A victim’s injuries may impact their ability to provide love and support to their spouse and children. The injuries could also prevent barriers to intimacy.

How Do Courts Determine the Amount of Non-Economic Damages to Award a Victim? 

As mentioned above, non-economic damages can be hard to quantify. These losses don’t come with bills or invoices. However, courts and insurance companies have come up with ways to determine the amount of non-economic damages an injury victim should receive. 

Many courts use the “multiplier method” to arrive at a value for non-economic losses. With this method, courts assign a number to a case between 1.5 and 5. The higher the number, the more serious the injuries. 

Courts will then multiply a victim’s economic damage by this number. For example, if a victim has $100,000 in economic damages and a 2x multiplier. They would have $200,000 in non-economic damages. 

There are other ways to evaluate the non-economic damages in your case. The best way to determine the value of your case is by speaking to an experienced injury lawyer. Your lawyer can help you calculate your losses and bring in experts to estimate harder-to-value damages.

Does Oregon Cap Non-Economic Awards in Personal Injury Cases?

Economic damages are completely uncapped in Oregon. However, Oregon law caps non-economic damages to $500,000 in some personal injury claims. The Oregon Supreme Court has held that this cap is unconstitutional when applied to common-law injury claims. A skilled personal injury lawyer can help you determine if a cap would apply to your case.

What is the Deadline for Claiming Non-Economic Damages in Oregon?

Oregon’s statute of limitations places a time limit on your ability to file a claim after an accident. Generally, you will have two years after an accident to file a lawsuit to recover non-economic damages. Wrongful death claims have a three-year time limit. 

If you don’t file your claim by the deadline, you will be unable to pursue your claim in court. That’s why you should never delay your personal injury claim. You should get started as soon as possible.

Contact Tillmann Law For Help With Your Personal Injury Case

You could be entitled to economic and non-economic damages after an accident in Portland. Having the right legal team can make a world of difference in your case. The personal injury attorneys in Portland at Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you maximize your compensation.

Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your case by calling (503) 272-8986.

Justin Vieth
Justin Vieth
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Shimmeri Selph
Shimmeri Selph
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Don't waste your time.
Alan Rogers
Alan Rogers
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Thanks Aaron, we truly appreciate everything you have done for us.I know that I was a handful early on, but you handled it with a deft touch and ultimately proved yourself to be a great advocate for our family none the less.Thanks so much Bud!You have my eternal respect and gratitude.
Tim Cheredayko
Tim Cheredayko
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Tillmann helped me out a lot! Going over ever detail with the case from both sides and always informing me what is going to happen through out the case. Definitely recommend Tillmann Law!
A B
A B
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Rude. Classist. The receptionist needs some manners. Actually hung up when told was a low income family.
Justin W
Justin W
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I had the pleasure of working with Aaron and his team over the course of the last year. They were very professional and responsive. Dealing with injuries can be dreadful, but Aaron made it as painless as possible. I highly recommend.
Bonnie Thorn
Bonnie Thorn
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Aaron Tillmann and his entire staff were professional, empathetic and very knowledgeable. They assisted our family at a time when we were grieving the loss of our son with compassion and respect.
Tina Rutledge
Tina Rutledge
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Arisbet Bustos
Arisbet Bustos
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I am very grateful and pleased with the services of Lawyer Aaron and his team work, especially Julia, who was always attentive to my concerns and resolved my doubts with a good attitude and empathy, and best of all, she speaks Spanish. Thank you so much!!!
Ken Pollett
Ken Pollett
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I was involved in a serious auto accident. Not that there is a good time to be in any accident, it just happened to be 2020. Tillman Law and support staff kept me in the loop as the court system was disarray with all the Covid issues. The staff was very professional and courteous. In a nutshell, they took care of me.
Jordan Bedrick
Jordan Bedrick
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My husband was in a bad car accident a few years back, and he was stopped due to traffic. He was behind a fuel truck, and someone rear-ended him, going 60mph. The worst part was our 6 mo old was in our and the truck was totaled beyond repair and my husbands back injured severly he ended up with 2 broken vertebrae. Our child had ptsd any time getting into a vehicle after that. Tillman made this right even though we couldn't do much for our son other comfort him and make car rides more comfortable from there on out Tillman was able to get my husband the money he deserved after the other driver was extremely negligent and either not paying attention or on his phone or something unfortunately this was during covid and when the police came they didnt do a single thing to check for any of that. We can't say enough good things about Aaron Tillman he gave us our hope back and the ability to have back surgery to repair a lot of his back issues due to the car wreck. So if you have been in an accident definitely call Tillman Law they're amazing super professional, kind and empathetic beings who will work for the best possible outcome for your case and fight they won't just roll over and play dead they spent about 2.5 years on my husbands case never giving up. He was always super honest with my husband and always communicated everything. So again, thank you, Aaron Tillman, and thank you to your law firm for working so tirelessly. We appreciate it more than you know.
Cassie Kocker
Cassie Kocker
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Aaron is great. He is professional and personable which makes you feel cared about during the process. He will provide advice and resources so that the process is smooth and renders positive results. I highly recommend!
Michael Darling (Mike Rich)
Michael Darling (Mike Rich)
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Still working with them to this day! Great firm great people. Much recommend
Brittany Sloan
Brittany Sloan
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I can’t recommend Tillman Law enough. We were in a sticky situation from a car accident in December and my partner was out of work for over a month. Aaron told us we may not be able to get those lost wages, but he would definitely try to fight the insurance for them and even then we might not see the money for a long time. It’s only been 3 1/2 months since the accident and we just got our lost funds today. Tillman Law was quick, efficient, and made this entire situation much less painful. I appreciate everything they’ve done for us.
Hazel Ault
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Jennifer nelson
Jennifer nelson
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Great experience
Oksana Pavlenko
Oksana Pavlenko
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Really pleased with my experience at Tillmann Law. Mr. Tillmann and his team were on top of my case, worked hard to answer any questions I had and finished my case in a timely manner. I was really happy with the outcome . Thank you!
Robert Swanson
Robert Swanson
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Tucker Earp
Tucker Earp
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Linette Figueroa
Linette Figueroa
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Mr. Tillman took care of my care seamlessly! He immediately hopped on my case immediately and guided me through the entire process. His team is professional, organized and well-resourced! He even went back to ensure the settlement was beyond fair. If you want someone who will fight tooth and nail on your behalf- Mr. Tillman is your lawyer!
Robert Aley
Robert Aley
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I am so happy to promote Aaron and his team. They did such an amazing job handling my case. Call them if you need service. I called him when I first needed help with my accident and he called me back within five minutes. This team is so great! I am so happy to have worked with them.
Teresa Ochoa
Teresa Ochoa
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Mr. Tillmann and his paralegal Jason were fantastic to work with! They were always available to answer my questions in a timely manner and delivered a very good outcome after I was rear ended. I would recommend their services to anyone.
Roro Roro
Roro Roro
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Amazing team at the Tillman Law, LLC . His work speaks for it self. Thank you for being professional and above all understanding to different people. God bless everyone that works there .
Mercury Nightstone
Mercury Nightstone
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Aaron and his staff, especially Jason, were all extremely courteous, timely, and professional. Highly recommend, truly appreciate your hard work!
Danielle Martin
Danielle Martin
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The Tillman Law Firm is amazing! I have been very pleased with everyone that I came in contact with concerning my case. They filed the case against the insurance company and fought hard in litigation to get what rightfully was taken from me. I would highly recommend them, they are the best in the Portland metro area!
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