In the far south of Oregon, close to the California border, Klamath Falls is a rural Oregon community that has seen great changes over the past generation. Founded in the early 20th century, it was long a center of the region’s timber industry. That influence survives today, with a number of timber and forest-products companies listed among the major employers of the town’s 21,000 people. But it says something about 21st century America that one of Klamath Falls’ largest employers is now the Sky Lakes Medical Center.
This development reflects the ever-growing importance of medicine as an economic sector here in Oregon and elsewhere around the nation, and the decline of the timber industry in parts of the West. Klamath Falls played a notable role in that decline, finding itself at the center of several controversies pitting the federal government and the Environmental Protection Agency against local logging, irrigation and agricultural interests from the 1980s onward.
As the seat of Klamath County, Klamath Falls is also the headquarters of Oregon’s 13th Judicial District, one of 27 that make up the state court system. The Klamath County Circuit Court at 316 Main Street in Klamath Falls is the center of legal activity for the county. In dealing with county and state courts, as well as other aspects of our legal system, it is important to be able to call on experienced legal advisors, such as those available through Kaplan Law LLC through their office at 50 SW Pine St #302 in Portland. Call (503) 226-3844 to schedule an appointment, including a free initial consultation.
Kaplan Law is committed to using our courts in the way the framers intended: as an institution that levels the differences between rich and poor, powerful and powerless. In an area like Klamath Falls, where potentially dangerous occupations such as trucking and logging dominate the local economy, this takes on special importance. Oregon Department of Transportation data indicate that the state saw over 1000 heavy truck crashes in 2010, up from just 935 the previous year. Of those 2010 crashes, 649 involved Tractor-Trailers or Semi-Trailers. Those accidents alone led to 242 injuries and 25 deaths. Across a number of categories the numbers are similar, and similarly alarming:
| 2009 | 2010 | |
| Injuries | 358 | 408 |
| Deaths | 29 | 43 |
| Hazmat Crashes | 12 | 26 |
| Hazmat Spill/Release | 2 | 6 |
When confronting the complex legal and human aftermath of these sort of accidents it is important to have the assistance of an attorney who knows the ins and outs of our state’s complex laws governing truck crashes and industrial accidents. It is at times like these that the expertise offered by Kaplan Law LLC can be invaluable.
The Kaplan Law LLC’s office is located at 50 SW Pine St #302, Portland, OR 97204. Telephone (503) 226-3844.