Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Portland and Multnomah County, Oregon

October 12, 2026  ·  By Kaith Sheikhly, Oregon personal injury attorney  ·  Law current as of October 3, 2026 (ORS 2025 Edition)

Sheikhly Law helps people hurt in crashes and other accidents in Portland, Gresham and the rest of Multnomah County. Our office is in Beaverton, at 4260 SW 110th Avenue, Suite A. Attorney Kaith Sheikhly offers a free first consultation in English or Arabic. Call (971) 545-8622 or contact us.

Injury cases we handle for Portland and Multnomah County residents

Sheikhly Law focuses on personal injury cases. A personal injury case is a claim for money after someone else's carelessness hurts you. Car crashes are the most common kind. They can include injuries to drivers, passengers, people walking and people on bikes. Learn more on our personal injury page and our rideshare and delivery accident page.

Kaith Sheikhly was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 2018. He speaks English and Arabic. Our staff also speaks Arabic.

What's local about an injury claim in Portland and Multnomah County

Portland crosses three counties

Most of Portland is in Multnomah County, which also includes Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview, Wood Village and Maywood Park, according to the Oregon Blue Book. But Portland is also listed as a city in Washington County and in Clackamas County. That matters because Oregon law says an injury lawsuit is filed in the county where the injury happened or where a person being sued lives or, for a business, regularly does business (ORS 14.080(1)–(2)). A crash with a Portland address is not always a Multnomah County case. The exact location of your crash, and where the other driver lives, decide your options.

Where a Multnomah County case is heard

Most injury claims begin with insurance, not a lawsuit. If a lawsuit is needed in Multnomah County, it goes to Multnomah County Circuit Court. The Oregon Judicial Department lists two courthouses: the Central Courthouse at 1200 SW 1st Avenue in downtown Portland, and the East County Courthouse at 18480 SE Stark Street. The court, not you, decides which courthouse hears your case.

Getting your police report

Which agency wrote your report depends on where the crash happened. The Portland Police Bureau says new report requests go through the City of Portland's public records request page (portland.gov/public-records). You can also mail a Uniform Public Records Request Form, with a check or money order, to the Portland Police Bureau Records Division, 1111 SW 2nd Avenue, Room 1126, Portland, OR 97204. The Bureau says the City generally does not accept records requests by phone or email, and that all public records requests require payment.

Gresham Police has its own online police reports and records request form on the City of Gresham's website.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office takes requests through the Multnomah County Public Records Center portal; choose the Sheriff's Office from the list of departments. The Sheriff's Office patrols unincorporated Multnomah County and, by contract, cities including Fairview, Troutdale and Wood Village. A crash in Troutdale, for example, is usually a Sheriff's Office report, not a city police report.

Recordings of 911 calls are not part of the police report. In Portland, they come from the Portland Bureau of Emergency Communications, which takes requests through the City's Public Records Center portal. Ask early.

The police report is not the same as the report you may have to file yourself with the Oregon DMV. Our guide on what to do after a car accident in Oregon explains the DMV report.

Hurt by a city vehicle, a TriMet bus or a city street

The City of Portland, Multnomah County and TriMet are public bodies under the Oregon Tort Claims Act (ORS 30.260(4)). Before you can sue a public body, you generally must give notice of your claim within 180 days of the injury, or within one year for a claim based on a death (ORS 30.275(1)–(2)). The law allows notice in a few ways, but formal written notice is the safest course (ORS 30.275(3)). The deadline to file a lawsuit against a public body is generally two years (ORS 30.275(9); ORS 12.110(1)). For a death claim, that is shorter than the three years that generally applies against a private party (ORS 30.020(1)). There is also a cap on what you can recover; see Oregon's current tort claim limits.

The City of Portland's own claims page says: "Claimant must submit a claim within 180 days of the incident." It also says any claim against the City must be in writing, and to allow at least 45 days for its liability team to investigate. The City uses an Auto Liability Claim Form when a city vehicle caused the injury, and a General Liability Claim Form for other injuries, such as a fall on city property. Claims go to the City's Risk Management office.

TriMet's MAX Blue, Green and Red Lines all meet at the Gateway/NE 99th Ave Transit Center, and the Blue Line runs east through Gresham Central Transit Center to its last stop at Cleveland Ave, according to TriMet. If TriMet, or a TriMet bus or train operator, may be at fault for your injury, the same notice deadlines apply: 180 days, or one year for a death claim. If another driver caused the crash, you may also have a separate claim against that driver with its own deadline, so it is worth giving TriMet notice early even if you are not sure who is at fault.

Portland's High Crash Network

The Portland Bureau of Transportation names "the 30 streets and intersections with the most serious crashes" as its High Crash Network. The City's list includes 82nd Avenue, 122nd Avenue, Powell Boulevard, Division Street, Burnside, Sandy Boulevard, Foster Road, Glisan, Halsey and Stark.

Not every road in Portland is run by the City. State highways are run by the Oregon Department of Transportation, so the agency in charge can differ from one road to the next. Write down the exact block or intersection where you were hurt. It can matter for records, for who may be responsible, and for which notice deadline applies.

What to do right now if you were hurt in Portland or Multnomah County

• Get medical care and follow your treatment plan.
• Call your own insurer and ask about Personal Injury Protection (PIP), the part of every Oregon auto policy that pays early medical bills no matter who caused the crash.
• Check whether you must file a DMV crash report within 72 hours. See what to do after a car accident in Oregon.
• Request the police report from the agency that responded.
• Write down the exact location and whether a city, county or TriMet vehicle, or a city street or sidewalk, was involved.
• Mark two dates: 180 days for notice to a public body, or one year for a death claim (ORS 30.275(2)), and two years for most injury lawsuits (ORS 12.110(1)).
• Partly at fault? You may still have a claim. Ask us about it.

Not every injury needs a lawyer. If your car was damaged but no one was hurt, you can often handle it with the insurers on your own. If you are hurt, fault is disputed, a public body is involved, or an insurer has denied your claim, a free consultation can help you decide. Call (971) 545-8622 or contact us. Consultations are available in Arabic.

How to Reach Us

Our office is in Beaverton, not Portland.

Sheikhly Law, LLC
4260 SW 110th Ave, Suite A
Beaverton, OR 97005
Phone: (971) 545-8622
Email: contact@sheikhly.law
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The first consultation is free, in English or Arabic, and can be in person, by phone or by video.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to come to Beaverton to meet with Sheikhly Law?

No. Sheikhly Law's office is at 4260 SW 110th Avenue, Suite A, in Beaverton, and we also meet clients by phone or by video. The first consultation is free and is available in English or Arabic. Call (971) 545-8622 or use the contact form at sheikhly.law/contact.

Is my Portland crash case filed in Multnomah County?

Not always. Under ORS 14.080(1)–(2), an Oregon injury lawsuit is filed in the county where the injury happened or where a person being sued lives or, for a business, regularly does business. Portland is listed as a city in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties. A Multnomah County case goes to Multnomah County Circuit Court, which has a Central Courthouse at 1200 SW 1st Avenue in Portland.

How long do I have to file a claim against the City of Portland?

Usually 180 days. Oregon law generally requires notice of a claim against a public body, including a city, within 180 days of the injury, or within one year for a claim based on a death (ORS 30.275(1)–(2)). The City of Portland's claims page states that a claimant "must submit a claim within 180 days of the incident" and that the claim must be in writing. The deadline to file the lawsuit itself is separate: generally two years, including for death claims (ORS 30.275(9)).

How do I get a Portland police report for my crash?

The Portland Police Bureau says requests go through the City of Portland's public records request page, or by mailing a Uniform Public Records Request Form with payment to the Records Division, 1111 SW 2nd Avenue, Room 1126, Portland, OR 97204. The City generally does not take records requests by phone or email. If Gresham Police or the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office responded, each has its own request process. Have your case number ready.

This page is general information about Oregon law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different — talk to a lawyer about your specific situation.