Personal injury lawyer help in New Matamoras, OH

If you live in or near New Matamoras (population about 1,135) and you were hurt in an accident that was not your fault, this page is the starting point. It explains Ohio's personal injury rules as they apply to Washington County residents: the two years filing deadline, the modified comparative negligence (51% bar) rule, how auto insurance works here, where cases are filed and what injured people can recover. It also explains how to request a free claim review.

Our role is simple: you describe what happened in New Matamoras using the free claim review form, and your request may be shared with participating attorneys or legal services partners who handle that type of matter in Ohio. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney, and everything below is general legal information to help you make a decision, not legal advice about your specific situation.

Federal crash records (NHTSA's FARS) list no fatal crash coded to New Matamoras itself from 2020 through 2024. That can mean none happened inside the community, or that nearby crashes were recorded under Washington County rather than the town.

Across Washington County, the records show 30 fatal crashes and 31 people killed in those five years; the roads with the most were State Route 7 with 10, State Route 339 with 3 and I-77 with 2.

The Washington County guide ranks the county's roads and communities.

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF), national data files downloaded from NHTSA on November 3, 2026. A crash counts for a road under the trafficway the reporting agency recorded; the same street with and without a route number is one row, and a route recorded without a street name keeps its own row; roads with fewer than two fatal crashes are not listed. The 2024 figures are NHTSA's first release for that year and may change in its Final File.

How to cite these figures: Ask Legal Matters, "Fatal crashes in Washington County, OH, 2020-2024," compiled from NHTSA FARS (2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF)), https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/ohio/new-matamoras/, checked November 3, 2026. Downloads and method: https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/data/.

In Ohio, a driver in a crash on a public road must stop and give their name and address, the owner's name and address and the vehicle's registration number to anyone injured, to the other driver or owner, and to any police officer at the scene (Ohio Rev. Code 4549.02). If an injured person cannot take that information, the driver must notify the nearest police authority and stay until an officer arrives.

Who must report

The driver of a vehicle in a crash on a public road or highway, who must stop and give their information

Report to

Anyone injured, the driver or owner of any damaged vehicle, and any police officer at the scene; if an injured person cannot take the information, the nearest police authority, and stay until an officer arrives

Deadline

At the scene, before leaving; within 24 hours to the city or village police or the county sheriff for crashes off public roads where the information was not given, and for damaged property whose owner cannot be found

Driver's form

Optional Uninsured Accident Report, only to report that another driver or owner was uninsured, within six months (BMV 3303)

Copy of the crash report

Ohio Department of Public Safety crash retrieval (the investigating agency keeps the official report)

Sources: Ohio Revised Code 4549.02; Ohio Revised Code 4549.021; Ohio Revised Code 4549.03; Ohio Revised Code 4509.06; Ohio BMV: Uninsured Accident Report (BMV 3303); Ohio DPS: crash retrieval. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.

Different attorneys handle different claims, so identify the type of accident early. New Matamoras shares its court and its Ohio rules with the rest of Washington County; the detailed guides below, apply equally to accidents in New Matamoras.

• Car Accident claimsCar Accidents
• Truck Accident claimsTruck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accident claimsMotorcycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accident claimsPedestrian Accidents
• Slip and Fall claimsSlip & Fall
• Workplace Injury claimsWork Injuries & Workers' Comp
• Medical Malpractice claimsMedical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death claimsWrongful Death

Ohio generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10(A)); medical malpractice is different (one year (Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.113(A)), which a written notice to the provider can extend by up to 180 days). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Washington County Court of Common Pleas will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in New Matamoras is to get legal advice early.

Ohio follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). In plain terms, you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Washington County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a crash in New Matamoras, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Ohio requires drivers to carry only 25/50/25 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Washington County cases.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in New Matamoras are typically filed in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Washington County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Washington County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in New Matamoras are generally covered by Ohio workers' compensation, administered through the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Report the injury to your employer immediately, as Ohio's Bureau of Workers' Compensation advises — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within one year. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

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