If you’ve been hurt in a vehicle accident in Philadelphia, you’re probably unsure how to move forward. Serious injuries can present overwhelming challenges like expensive medical bills, multiple missed work days, and vehicle damage. The good news is that an experienced attorney can help you overcome these difficulties.
The personal injury lawyers at Spear Greenfield can evaluate your auto accident case and fight to recover the payout you deserve! Our vehicle accident lawyers in Philadelphia can use their legal experience and knowledge to guide you through the claims process. Schedule a free consultation with us today to find out if you’re eligible to pursue compensation.
Compensation You Could Receive With an Attorney’s Help
Most car accident victims aren’t aware of the extensive amount of damages they can get from a claim. Depending on how the collision has impacted your health, financial standing, and other aspects of your life, you could receive compensation for a number of different losses, including:
Medical Expenses
These include costs for future and past medical bills. The compensation you receive can pay for rehabilitative services, office visits, surgeries, general treatment, and prescription medication. It may also cover your ambulance transportation and hospital bills.
Lost Wages
If you’re recovering from a serious or even a mild injury, you could miss a significant amount of work days. Your absence could impact your ability to earn a living and pay important bills. Fortunately, a Philadelphia vehicle accident attorney can reimburse your lost wages.
Loss of Future Earnings
If your injuries have resulted in long-term damage or a disability, you may not have the physical capability to continue working in your chosen field. If that’s the case, a lawyer can request payment for your lost future earnings.
Property Damage
Car accidents often cause considerable vehicle damage. They can also damage other personal belongings in the vehicle, like laptops, cell phones, and other valuable possessions. The money you receive from a claim can help you replace damaged items and pay for auto repairs. If your car was totaled, these damages might even cover a replacement vehicle.
Pain and Suffering
Depending on the type of injury you’ve suffered, you could be experiencing severe discomfort or chronic pain. Dealing with physical suffering can be extremely challenging, especially if it starts to affect your quality of life. If car accident injury pain is impacting your life, these damages can give you the financial support you need to cope with it.
Mental Distress
The trauma of getting in an accident and sustaining severe injuries can lead to a great deal of emotional pain. If the collision has impacted you so much that you’re experiencing mental or emotional distress, you deserve to be compensated.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Some accident victims are left with disabilities and psychological issues that affect their ability to enjoy life. If your injuries stop you from getting the most out of life, our vehicle accident attorneys in Philadelphia can request these damages.
Punitive Damages
Although this type of compensation is rare, a judge can sometimes order punitive damages. These damages aim to punish at-fault drivers for reckless offenses like drunk driving. An attorney from our personal injury firm can determine whether or not punitive damages are appropriate for your situation.
Types of Vehicle Accidents You Can File a Claim For
At any given moment, several different types of vehicles may share the same road. That means there are just as many vehicle accidents you could potentially sustain an injury in. The lawyers at our firm have served Philadelphia for over 30 years, and in that time, they’ve seen countless types of accidents.
Our team can help you file a claim for any of the following types of collisions:
- Car accident
- Motorcycle accident
- Truck accident
- Bicycle accident
- Pedestrian accident
- Public transportation accident
- Taxi cab accident
- Uber or Lyft rideshare accident
Philadelphia Vehicle Accident Lawyer Near Me (215) 273-9636
Understanding Negligence in Vehicle Accident Cases
Drivers must stay alert and follow traffic laws. This requirement ensures their own safety and the safety of other drivers. When drivers disobey the law or are not alert, they act negligently. Negligent drivers can cause dangerous accidents and serious injuries, sometimes permanently affecting the lives of those involved.
Negligent actions by drivers are generally grouped into two categories:
- Dangerous driving: Dangerous driving occurs when a driver does not follow the rules of the road. Examples include reckless or aggressive driving, speeding, unsafe passing, failure to follow street signs, improper lane changes, failure to obey street lights, drowsy driving, and driving under the influence.
- Distracted driving occurs when a driver ignores the road. Common distractions include using a cell phone, eating, searching for an item in the car, and speaking to other passengers while driving.
If a dangerous or distracted driver has injured you, you can seek justice and financial compensation through legal action. A vehicle accident claim can be submitted as the first step in holding a negligent driver responsible for medical bills, suffering, and other losses.
After an accident, it is important to explore your legal options. Schedule a free consultation with our Philadelphia vehicle accident attorneys to learn more about your case and get the information you need to make the best legal decision.
Proving Negligence in a Vehicle Accident Case
Your attorney must prove negligence to get you the compensation you need to recover from your injuries and financial losses. To do so, your lawyer must present evidence linking your injuries to the other driver’s negligent actions.
Useful evidence can include medical records, police accident reports, pictures or videos of the accident scene, and witness statements. Your attorney may also work with an accident reconstruction expert trained to identify the cause of a collision based on evidence from the crash scene.
Evidence collection is often challenging because most evidence is not always easily available. An experienced Philadelphia vehicle accident attorney can gather and present the evidence necessary to prove negligence.
Filing an Insurance Claim for a Collision in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has a no-fault law for all traffic accidents except for commercial and motorcycle collisions. That means all parties involved in a crash generally pursue compensation from their personal injury protection (P.I.P.) insurance policies, regardless of who caused the accident.
However, the financial compensation you can receive from a P.I.P. policy is limited. P.I.P. policies won’t pay for losses like pain and suffering, reduced earning capacity, or disability. If you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury that requires expensive medical care, your P.I.P. plan might not offer enough compensation to pay all your bills.
If that’s the case, you may be able to seek damage from the negligent driver via a civil suit. However, it’s important to know that your type of tort insurance may limit the damages you can receive from a lawsuit. In Philadelphia, drivers are given a choice between the two following types of tort insurance:
Full Tort Insurance
Full tort coverage often comes with higher premiums but affords better protection than other options. With a full tort plan, you can seek payment for physical pain and suffering, among other economic and non-economic damages, from the driver who caused your accident.
Limited Tort Insurance
Limited tort plans often have lower premiums, as they don’t offer as much coverage as full tort insurance. With limited tort coverage, you won’t be able to pursue losses like diminished quality of life or pain and suffering. This coverage is great for reimbursing out-of-pocket medical expenses and other economic losses.
Understanding how your insurance plan affects your right to compensation can be confusing. Contact our Philadelphia vehicle accident lawyers if you have questions about your insurance or case. They’ll offer legal counsel and determine your best course of action.
We Can Deal With Stubborn Insurance Adjusters
If your attorney determines that filing an insurance claim is the right choice for you, they’ll have to negotiate a settlement with your provider. Unfortunately, most insurers won’t include all of the compensatory damages you’re owed in their initial offer.
Our experienced car accident attorneys are familiar with auto insurance company tactics. We’ll present the facts of your case and demand that insurers offer maximum compensation for your losses.
Time Limit for Car Accident Lawsuits in Pennsylvania
If a vehicle accident lawyer from our team in Philadelphia advises you to file a personal injury lawsuit, you’ll need to do so before Pennsylvania’s filing deadline. According to Pa. C.S.A. §5524, you have two years from the crash date to submit a civil suit.
Failure to abide by the statute of limitations could prevent you from receiving fair compensation. Contact our personal injury law firm today to ensure your suit is filed on time. If we agree to take on your case, our experienced car accident lawyer will work hard to meet important deadlines.
Common Types of Injuries We Can File a Claim for
Since all vehicle accidents vary in severity, so do resulting injuries. While some wounds are instantly apparent, others can take several days to surface. It’s crucial to have a doctor examine you immediately after the accident.
Our vehicle accident lawyers have helped Philadelphians recover from several different injuries. Some of the most common injuries that result after an accident include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (T.B.I.)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- Scrapes, cuts, and bruises:
- Neck and back damage
- Joint damage
- Burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal bleeding:
- Knee trauma:
- Loss of bodily function
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Fatal injuries
Recovering Compensation for a Loved One’s Fatal Injuries
We offer our sincere condolences if someone close to you has suffered fatal injuries in a car crash. Losing a spouse or family member can be incredibly hard. To help you through these challenging and stressful times, our team can help you file a wrongful death suit.
If your lawsuit is successful, you could be awarded any of the following damages:
- Inherited end-of-life medical bills
- Funeral and burial costs
- Loss of inheritance
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
How to Find the Right Vehicle Accident Lawyer for Your Case
If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident, you must make the most of your insurance claim or lawsuit. A successful case could replace thousands of dollars worth of losses, so you’ll want to choose your attorney wisely.
When selecting a lawyer, make sure to ask them the following questions:
- Have you handled my type of case before?
- Have you ever been accused of attorney misconduct?
- What are the likely outcomes of my case?
- What is your strategy for my case?
- How will you keep in touch with me?
- What fees will I be charged?
- What do I have to do to help you with my case?
An attorney who offers thoughtful and satisfying answers to all the questions listed above is probably the right choice for your case. If you want to go the extra mile to ensure your lawyer is top-notch, ask them to see their previous case results. If they’re hesitant to provide that information, they might be hiding a lack of skill or a poor track record.
At our firm, we have no problem sharing the outcomes of our past trials. Our personal injury attorneys have secured countless impressive verdicts and settlements in previous cases. We’ve also received several testimonials from our clients, who were overjoyed with the results we delivered.
Why You Should Choose Spear Greenfield
The team at Spear Greenfield has the experience and work ethic necessary to secure maximum compensation. Our personal injury lawyers have represented Pennsylvania and New Jersey victims for decades. We prioritize client needs and are not afraid to dedicate the time and effort that your case deserves.
Our accident lawyers will look out for you when no one else does. At other firms, lawyers often try to settle early and move on to the next case. We regularly take our cases to court at our firm because we believe you should receive the maximum time and resources needed to get the best award.
When you work with our team, you’ll benefit from the following perks:
We Treat Clients Like Family
When clients sign on, we welcome them into our firm with open arms. Our clients are treated like family from our first meeting and case review until a verdict is reached. We prioritize clients by giving careful attention to each case and fighting relentlessly for the highest amount of awarded money possible.
Our Service Goes Beyond Legal Duty
Our vehicle accident attorneys from Philadelphia are always eager to go beyond their normal duties to lighten the burden of a serious accident. We’ll even handle details like scheduling doctor’s appointments for injured clients.
We Won’t Charge You If We Lose Your Case
We underhand how financially stressful it can be to recover from a serious car accident. That’s why we offer our services on a contingency fee basis. In other words, we won’t charge you until we’ve secured compensation for your losses.
Once we secure your compensation, your attorney will take a portion of it for the services they’ve provided. You won’t have to cover your attorney’s fee out-of-pocket if we lose your case.
We Offer Free Consultations
If you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle collision, you might be unsure about what to do next or how to seek damages. Our lawyers can meet with you for free to discuss your accident and determine your best course of action moving forward.
Vehicle Accident FAQs
We’ve assembled the following F.A.Q.s regarding vehicle accident injury claims to help you understand the process.
What do I Do Immediately After an Accident?
In the aftermath of an accident, you should first assess yourself for injuries and determine if anyone needs help. If your car is drivable, move it to a location where it is not impeding traffic.
You should also collect insurance and contact information from the other driver and any potential witnesses. Use your phone to take photos of the scene, vehicle damage, and your injuries.
Do I Need to Call the Police After a Vehicle Accident?
Pennsylvania law requires drivers to report an accident to the police whenever an injury or death occurs. You must also contact the police if a vehicle has been damaged so badly that it’s no longer operable. Contacting the police can also be advantageous for you, as their accident report can be used to support your claim.
Should I Seek Medical Treatment After a Vehicle Accident Even If I Feel Fine?
Most medical professionals and vehicle accident attorneys advise seeing a doctor immediately after a crash, even if you don’t think you are hurt. Injuries such as whiplash may not be felt immediately after an accident, so getting checked out is important.
It might also be harder to prove negligence against the other driver if you wait too long to seek treatment. It is better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to your health.
What If I Think the Accident Was at Least Partly My Fault?
Never admit fault or apologize to anyone at the accident scene. Such statements could be used against you during the claim settlement or lawsuit. Even if you are partially at fault, you may still be entitled to receive damages. Pennsylvania follows the rule of modified comparative negligence, meaning you could still receive a reduced payout.
How Can I Help My Attorney Collect Evidence?
The more evidence your Pennsylvania vehicle accident lawyer gathers, the more likely you’ll win your case or successfully defend yourself if the other party sues you.
Besides taking photos of the scene and your injuries, supply the contact information of any witnesses who can support your claim to your attorney. If you see a doctor, they can also provide documentation regarding your injury.
Should I Speak to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company?
While you should report the accident to your insurance company, you are under no obligation to provide a statement or speak to the other driver’s carrier. Even if the accident isn’t your fault, the claims adjuster could trick you into saying something that hurts your case.
They may also attempt to pressure you into accepting a quick settlement that is far less than you may receive via the legal process. It’s typically better to let your insurer’s adjuster or your vehicle accident lawyer handle this task for you.
How do I Know If I Have a Case?
When it comes to auto accidents, no two cases are alike. Many factors can contribute to the cause of a crash, and the outcome can have wide-ranging consequences.
The most prudent step is to contact an experienced vehicle accident attorney to discuss your unique situation. Your lawyer can help you determine if pursuing legal action makes sense. An attorney can also take charge of the settlement process or file a lawsuit on your behalf.
How Long does an Accident Injury Case Take?
When it comes to resolving an auto accident case, there is no average time frame. If the other driver is clearly at fault, you may be able to reach a settlement with the insurance company in several weeks or a few months. Conversely, if several vehicles were involved in the crash or the cause of the collision is unclear, you could be facing a lengthy lawsuit.
In the case of a civil suit, you’ll need to wait until the court sets a trial date and sit tight while the process unfolds. Due to the uncertain time frame, you should contact a vehicle accident lawyer as soon as possible. Your lawyer will keep you updated throughout your entire case and let you know when an end is in sight.
Contact Our Reliable Auto Accident Attorneys Today
Automobile accidents can leave victims with serious injuries, wage losses, and property damage. Fortunately, our vehicle accident lawyers in Philadelphia can help injured drivers and passengers get the compensation they need to afford quality treatment, support themselves financially, and pay for auto repair. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
Spear Greenfield’s founding partner, Rand Spear, Esq., has served the wrongfully injured for over 30 years. Throughout his career, he has gained an incredible amount of legal knowledge, built a highly reputable firm, and changed thousands of lives. If you want full compensation for your auto accident, we highly suggest you adopt our famous slogan and “Demand Rand.”
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