Jeremiah Ross Named Super Lawyer for Oregon Personal Injury Cases!

Jeremiah Ross has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” again for his outstanding work in Personal Injury Cases. Jeremiah Ross has been recognized by Super Lawyers for the past four years. Jeremiah Ross has received the following awards:

• 2019 Oregon Super Lawyers

• 2018 Oregon Super Lawyers

• 2017 Oregon Rising Stars

• 2016 Oregon Rising Stars

Jeremiah is honored to be rated as a “Super Lawyer” in the personal injury category by his peers. According to Superlawyers, "Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis. The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Since Super Lawyers is intended to be used as an aid in selecting a lawyer, we limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys."

If you would like to have a free personal injury case evaluation by Jeremiah Ross call Ross Law at 503.224.1658

How Do You Figure Out if Your Child's Day-Care or Pre-School is Safe?

Getting your kids in Daycare can be an overwhelming en-devour.  Site visits, phone calls, interviews, and the always popular, "wait lists" are all new experiences for almost every new parent.  During this process every parent is concerned with one thing, Safety.  However, it is not always easy to determine if a place is safe for your kids.  Daycare providers are like other businesses in that they put their best foot forward in an effort to get your child enrolled and the tuition money.   So how do you determine if your kid's daycare or preschool is safe? Here are some tips:

• Is the Daycare or Preschool Licensed by the State?  You should determine if the provider is licensed by the State of Oregon.   If not, that is a big red flag, and the provider maybe breaking the law by operating a unlicensed daycare.  Calling Office of Child Care - Central Office
  503-947-1400, 1-800-556-6616 may help you determine if the daycare or childcare provider is licensed.  In the alternative, you can simply ask the provider to see the license. 
• Does the Daycare or Preschool have prior complaints?    The State of Oregon has an office that is dedicated to licensing and overseeing daycare facilities.  This office keeps a data-base that allows the public to search for violations committed by Oregon preschools, daycare, and licensed child care providers.   The data base is not too user friendly, and doesn't provide details regarding the complaints but it provides the rules or laws that were violated and the date of the violations.   Click here to learn if the State of Oregon has a public record of a complaint against a childcare provider, daycare, or preschool.  Another place to look for prior complaints is the Better Business Bureau.  Click here for a link to the Better Business Bureau. 
• What should you Look For When Visiting a Prospective DayCare or Preschool?  If you are a new parent it is overwhelming trying to figure out all of the potential dangerous surrounding your child.   However, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has authored checklists to assist parents in determining if their child's daycare is safe..  
  • If you are looking to determine if your INFANT's childcare provider is safe Click Here.
  • If you are looking to determine if your TODDLER's childcare provider is safe Click Here.
  • If you are looking to determine if your PRESCHOOLER's childcare provider is safe Click Here.

If your child, or someone you know, has been injured at a daycare or by a childcare provider call Portland Personal Injury Attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658. Call Ross Law for your free case evaluation.  Ross Law takes most personal injury cases on a contingent fee basis.  LEGAL STUFF,  PLEASE READ:  Please note the tips above are not an exhaustive list and you must do your own due intelligence in trying to determine if a daycare provider is a good fit for your child. Also, Ross Law does not have a relationship or affiliation with the agencies or entities noted in this article.  Please contact them directly if you have any questions or concerns about their web-site(s) or, policies, or procedures. 

Sexual Assaults and Taxis-Be Careful Portland

I have previously written about young women that have been sexually assualted and raped by Uber and Lyft drivers.  However, Uber and Lyft drivers are not the only drivers to be concerned with, Taxi Cab drivers can take advantage of a vulnerable person resulting in rape, robbery, and assault. 

This is not a new thing.   In law school my wife clerked at the San Francisco District Attorney's office.  She worked on a terrible case where a San Francisco cab driver picked up a young intoxicated woman from a nice area of town.  The driver then drove the woman to a secluded area and brutally raped her.  He then put her in the trunk of the taxi cab and dumped her body in seedy area of town.   I remember that case, because I had never thought how vulnerable an individual can be when we accept rides from strangers.  Sure the drivers may be "professionals" and may have passed a background check, but that won't weed out all of the bad apples.

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Do not sit in the front seat of a Taxi if you are riding alone with the driver!

Recently here in Portland Oregon another young college student was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver.   The story is similar to the case in San Francisco.  The young intoxicated woman was trying to get home.  The cab driver saw her and offered to take her home.  The cab driver then claimed his GPS wasn't working, so he asked her to get in the front seat so she could provide him directions to her home.  She complied with the driver's wishes, and the cab driver began to drive around for a very long time.  Then he sexually assaulted her.   The young woman will be emotially scarred for life and the driver only ended up getting 10 years in prison. (Oregonian Story)

Portland is a friendly city, so sometimes we have a false sense of security.  However it is important to remember you need to be cautious when using taxi cabs and ride share programs.  Do not get in the front seat with the driver if you are alone.  Always have a cell phone with you and text someone when you get in the vehicle and let them know when you expect to arrive home.   Remain vigilant, and remember the cab company or rideshare company may have been negligent when they hired this person.  

If you have had the horrible experience of being sexually assaulted in a taxi cab, uber car, or lyft car please call Jeremiah Ross at Ross Law LLC to discuss your victim's rights and options. Jeremiah is always willing to discuss your rights as a victim and who may be accountable. The driver's employers may be culpable, so it is important to discuss your case with an attorney to hold everyone accountable and prevent sexual assaults from occuring in the future.   Please call Portland Victim's Rights attorney Jeremiah Ross at  503.224.1658. 

HOW AUTO INSURANCE COMPANIES DETERMINE WHAT YOU PAY

A recent Consumer Reports article highlights the need for Insurers to become more transparent as to how they arrive at insurance quotes. 

According to the article, insurance companies judge you based on your socio-economic factors more than your driving  habits.    Insurance companies are very secretive on how they arrive at insurance quotes.  Their quotes come from very complex formulas.  This results in a large price disparity between companies for the same coverage.

The article then rates how the big five insurance companies stack up for male and female drivers.

The results are as follows:

Allstate charges an average of $1570.00 for coverage.

Progressive charges an average of $1,414.00 for the same coverage.

GEICO charges an average of $1,177.00 for the same coverage.

State Farm charges an average of $1,147 for the same insurance coverage.

USAA charges the least amount, $817, for the same  insurance coverage.

There is no logic or rational for the large disparity in quotes for the same coverage.   Consumers should demand transparency in Insurance pricing formulas, so they can make educated decisions when choosing an Auto Insurer.

If you have questions about insurance coverage issues or you were injured and have a dispute with an insurance company, call Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658.  As a Portland Oregon Personal Injury Attorney and Consumer Attorney, he can assist you in your battle against the Insurance Companies.

Please remember this post is for informational purposes only .  It does  not constitute legal advice or create an Attorney Client relationship.

JURY AWARDS ROSS LAW LLC’S CLIENT OVER $157,000.00

Jeremiah Ross represented an elderly woman that was hit by a metal door as she attempted to enter the door.  The door hit the elderly woman and caused her to fall. The fall caused a fractured right femur. 

During the three day trial, the defense denied the door was dangerous, and argued that it was compliant with building codes.  The defense brought an expert to “educate” the Jury on this issue.

Jeremiah Ross argued that the code was the minimum standard and used an expert to show the dangerous layout of the door, and how easy it would have been to minimize the dangers.

The Jury sided with Ross Law LLC and awarded the elderly client over $157,000.00.

UBER, RIDESHARES, AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN PORTLAND OREGON

Uber has fought its way into the Portland Oregon ride share market, and did some interesting things to get there.  Riders can now download the Uber App and wait for a friendly Uber Driver to pick them up.   However, what happens when an Uber driver is not so friendly?

In December 2012  a young woman was sexually assaulted by a taxi cab driver in Portland.  The driver made some inappropriate comments to her, then groped her, and attempted to kiss her.  As you can imagine this is a terrifying experience for a young woman just trying to get home.  The woman wanted answers and filed a lawsuit alleging the cab company was negligent.  A Jury awarded the woman a substantial amount of money for the sexual assault.

This type of scenario has happened in Uber cars all around the country.  Uber drivers have sexually assaulted people, raped women, punched people, and even kidnapped people.

The articles below are just a small sample of the various Uber incidents around the country.

Driver Allegedly Kidnaps Drunk Woman in LA  (ValleyWag)

Woman Claims Uber Driver Kidnapped Rider (The Daily Beast)

Uber Driver Takes Riders on High Speed Chase (Washington Post)

Woman Says She Was Raped and Kidnapped By  Uber Driver(Jezebel)

Uber and the City of Portland have agreed the City will approvebackground checks.  However, that may not prevent sexual assaults, kidnappings, assaults, or felons getting behind the wheel.  In Houston an Uber Driver accused of raping a passenger had finished a 14 year prison sentence just three years prior to starting working as an Uber Driver.  In Los Angeles a felon had passed an Uber Background Check.  In Chicago a Felon was driving an Uber Car.  A  San Francisco Uber Driver accused of assaulting a passenger had a long criminal history.  Portland may have more stringent standards, or they may not.  We will not know until the first incident occurs.

Should the unthinkable happen and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, raped, or assaulted by an Uber or other Ride-share operator contact Jeremiah Ross and Ross Law LLC at 503.224.1658.  Jeremiah Ross is a Portland, Oregon Attorney and former prosecutor who will fight to get answers  and pursue a civil case on your behalf to hold people and corporations accountable for their actions.  Please remember this post is for information only.