Usually, Oregon gives him 2 years from the crash date to file a personal injury lawsuit, but some deadlines are much shorter - 180 days for claims against a public body and 72 hours for some crash reports.

Here are the exceptions and edge cases that make it more complicated:

• If a city, county, or state vehicle or road crew may be involved: a claim against the City of Eugene, Lane County, ODOT, or another public body usually requires a formal tort claim notice within 180 days under the Oregon Tort Claims Act. Miss that, and the case can be lost long before the 2-year lawsuit deadline.
• If he was working when it happened: Oregon workers' comp has its own clock. He should give notice to the employer within 90 days of the injury. If he was hit near a flagger, lane shift, or heavy equipment while on the job, workers' comp and a third-party injury claim may both matter.
• If it was a road crash: Oregon law can require an Oregon DMV crash report within 72 hours if someone was injured, a vehicle had to be towed, or property damage meets the reporting threshold.
• If evidence is in someone else's hands: construction-season proof disappears fast - traffic control plans, flagger logs, dashcam video, work-zone photos, cone placement, and surveillance from nearby businesses on roads like Beltline, Coburg Road, or around active Eugene street projects.
• If he is undocumented: filing an injury claim does not equal reporting himself for deportation. Insurance claims are usually handled through insurers, employers, medical providers, DMV, and police records - not as an immigration filing. Waiting out of fear can cost him wages, medical proof, and legal rights.

If this just happened, he should report the crash, get medical care documented now, preserve photos and witness names, and identify whether any public agency or employer was involved immediately.