After a Crash in Oregon — Official Resources
This is general information, not legal advice.
The official Oregon resources for after a crash. Start with the first-steps checklist (including saving your dashcam clip before it loops), then read the first card below — Oregon's deadline is the tightest in the country.
You have 72 hours to file with DMV
Oregon requires the driver to submit a Traffic Collision and Insurance Report to DMV within 72 hours when any of these are true: someone was injured or killed; damage to your vehicle is over $2,500; damage to anyone's property other than a vehicle is over $2,500; or damage to any vehicle is over $2,500 and any vehicle was towed from the scene.
You still have to file even if the police filed their own report. That's the part almost everyone gets wrong. If you don't file, Oregon law requires DMV to issue a suspension notice — and the suspension stands until the report is in.
The form can now be completed online, which is the fastest route. Details and the filing link are on Oregon DMV's collision reporting page. If you're past 72 hours, file anyway, as soon as you can. Keep your own copy of whatever you submit.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Every Oregon private passenger auto policy includes Personal Injury Protection — at least $15,000 per injured person — and it pays medical bills regardless of who caused the crash. Oregon isn't a pure no-fault state: PIP covers you right away, and you can still pursue the at-fault driver for what PIP doesn't reach.
Open the PIP claim with your own insurer early rather than waiting for fault to be sorted out. If your insurer denies or cuts off benefits, that's what the Division of Financial Regulation below is for.
Get the police report
The DMV report above is yours to file; the police report is separate and comes from whichever agency responded — Oregon State Police for highways, or the city police or county sheriff where the crash happened. Request it from that agency, with the date, location, and case number if the officer gave you one.
Hit-and-run
Call the police immediately — with a fled driver, the police report is the foundation of any claim. Your dashcam clip is the case: save it now and note the time and location. The 72-hour DMV report still applies to you. Your PIP coverage pays your medical bills either way, and uninsured-motorist coverage may apply on top — ask your insurer, and check your policy's own deadline for reporting a hit-and-run, which is often much shorter.
Find a lawyer
The Oregon State Bar Lawyer Referral Service — 503-684-3763 in Portland, or toll-free in Oregon at 800-452-7636, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You get an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for a maximum of $50. Panel attorneys are screened for disciplinary history and carry malpractice insurance.
Many attorneys handle crash injury cases on contingency — no fee up front, a percentage if you recover — so ask about that at the consultation. (The Bar's Modest Means Program is a separate low-cost option, but it only covers family law, criminal defense, foreclosure, and rental housing, not crash claims.)
Free legal help
OregonLawHelp.org is the state's free legal information site — a joint project of the Oregon State Bar, the Oregon Judicial Department, Legal Aid Services of Oregon, and the Oregon Law Center. It routes you to the legal aid office serving your county.
Insurance problems
Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation has consumer advocates who take insurance questions and complaints — file a complaint online, call 888-877-4894 toll-free, or email DFR.InsuranceHelp@dcbs.oregon.gov. They can't act as your attorney, but they can tell you whether your insurer is following Oregon law.
Driving without insurance yourself? You still have rights and steps worth taking — file the 72-hour DMV report if it applies, and lean on the free legal help listed here; it exists for exactly this kind of bind.
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Dashwatcher is a dashcam company, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice or a substitute for a licensed attorney. Reporting rules, deadlines, and programs differ by state and change over time; verify everything with the official source before you rely on it. Links go to government agencies, bar associations, and nonprofits. Dashwatcher receives no payment from any organization listed.
From the team at Dashwatcher.
Last verified: August 3, 2026