Today more than two-million inmates live in America’s prisons. According to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that gives the United States the largest incarcerated population in the world. Prisons in Oregon are overcrowded, understaffed, dangerous places. Inmate violence and overwhelmed prison medical care programs pose real hazards to incarcerated Oregonians. At the Richard Rizk Law Office,…
In its most recent data, Oregon received more than 80,000 reports of child abuse or neglect—more than 16,000 in Multnomah County alone—during fiscal year 2017. Authorities investigated almost 44,000 of those reports, and opened about 7,000 cases involving roughly 11,000 victims. When you leave your children in the care of another, whether at school or daycare, with…
Sure, e-scooters may make personal transportation more convenient in our traffic-heavy city. But how safe are e-Scooters, really?? In the weeks since scooter roll-out, already many have been hurt while riding these devices. Injuries should be of no surprise. E-scooter riders share narrow bike lanes with bicyclists and the same risks of travel in those lanes,…
Truck and bus accidents caused 4,440 fatalities and 119,000 injuries on U.S. roads in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s annual report. Large commercial trucks pose a danger to smaller passenger vehicles on the roadway. Due to the possibility of serious accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires every motor carrier to…
10 Lessons from my Decade as an Insurance Attorney & Claims Examiner By Richard Rizk Introduction In a far and distant land, I defended and shut down the very insurance claims you and your clients battle every day. From 1990 to 1996 I worked as Nationwide Insurance and Wausau Insurance in-house counsel. In that role…
Depending on the severity of your injuries, if you have been involved in a traffic accident while using your bike, it is important to take certain steps. Bike riders are required to follow traffic law, one of which is the requirement of reporting the accident to the authorities. If the bicyclist was at fault and…
Bikes are generally required to follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles. A major difference between bikes and cars, however, is insurance. Auto insurance is mandatory for road vehicles in Oregon, whereas the law does not require bicyclists using the road to carry insurance. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is built into insurance policies issued in…
In Portland, Oregon your auto insurance company is required to pay medical bills and certain other living expenses, such as ongoing lost wages, medication, and in home assistance care while you are recovering from a motor vehicle accident. This “no-fault” coverage is known as Personal Injury Protectionor “PIP”. PIP coverage is automatically included in every…
Insurance claims can be a complex process, Portland insurance claims lawyer Richard Rizk discusses Long Term Disability and Insurance issues. “The appeal letter is awesome! I recommend you (Richard Rizk) to anyone who has gone up against those big unethical insurance companies that unfairly strip people of their benefits. Thank you so much for your…
The Oregon Department of Insurance and Finance (ODI & F) regulates the business of insurance in Oregon. If you are a beneficiary of a life insurance policy and have been denied benefits, perhaps you have come to realize that there is little ODI & F can or will do to help you resolve your contested life insurance claim….