Despite most motor vehicle collisions being preventable, each year in Pennsylvania there are roughly 80,000 people injured and another 1,100 wrongfully killed in crashes. This is a life-changing event for most people involved in a car accident, trucking wreck, or other motor vehicle crash. But with the inability to work and overburdening medical bills, it can also be a life-changing event for their family too. This is particularly true if victims suffered permanent, disabling, or catastrophic personal injuries. Oftentimes these types of injuries only magnify the lost wages and medical bills becoming more unmanageable for a family. We understand this at Silver & Silver, which is why our auto accident lawyers in Ardmore, PA fight against some of the largest insurance companies and defense law firms to recover the compensation victims and families truly deserve.
This includes compensation for the following:
- Pain and suffering – both past and future pain and suffering
- Medical bills – all expenses from the past ambulance and emergency room visit, to surgery, follow-up appointments, and physical therapy both schedule and in the future
- Lost wages – due to the auto accident, disability, appointments, and other factors related to the crash
- Lost future earnings – if unable to return to the same line of work and you must take a lower-paying job, the difference in pay between the old salary and the new salary
- Loss of consortium – compensation for the loss of relations, society, and affection between spouses, or between members of a family like parents and children
- Medical equipment – braces, wheelchairs, walkers, hoists, chairlifts, and other ambulatory assistance devices
- Home or vehicle modifications
- Punitive damages – in rare but egregious cases of gross negligence, misconduct, and other actions that shock the conscious and are morally reprehensible, and
- Any other damages our car accident lawyer in Ardmore at Silver & Silver could recover for you.
Motor Vehicle Crash Liability in Pennsylvania
To recover compensation for any of the above damages, you will need to prove that the defendant was liable for the crash. A Silver & Silver auto accident lawyer in Ardmore can help you establish liability in one of several ways.
The most common way is through a negligence cause of action, or claim. This can be done by proving that a defendant failed to exercise reasonable care in the use or operation of his or her motor vehicle. This typically means actions like drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving, and running a red light could all result in a finding of negligence.
Another common way is to prove that a defendant violated a Pennsylvania statute that was meant to protect you from the harm that occurred. Again, a defendant’s actions like driving drunk or speeding also violate Pennsylvania law and can be used to establish liability.
Handling Auto Insurance
All types of insurance can be complicated, and auto insurance is one of the most complicated areas, but our Silver & Silver car accident attorneys in Ardmore have both the knowledge and experience to handle complicated auto insurance claims in Pennsylvania. This includes knowing what is required and what is not required under the law.
No-Fault Insurance
States follow either “at-fault” or “no-fault” insurance laws. An “at fault” state means a victim turns to the at-fault driver for compensation. This can be complicated if liability is not clear or hotly contested.
But other states, like Pennsylvania, have “no-fault” insurance laws. This means that a victim turns to his or her insurance carrier for compensation. Generally, claims are paid quicker to avoid harsh financial consequences on a victim of another’s negligence.
Minimum No-Fault Insurance Coverage
Under Pennsylvania law, all motorists must have an active insurance policy for any motor vehicle on the road. This coverage must satisfy the minimum requirements set by the law. The current minimum requirements are the following:
- $15,000 for bodily injury liability (BIL) per person involved
- $30,000 for total BIL coverage in an accident (all people involved)
- $5,000 for property damage liability (PDL) per collision
- $5,000 for first-party medical benefits per crash (for the policy-holder).
Full Tort versus Limited Tort Coverage
Auto insurance policies can be either “full tort” or “limited tort.” The difference is important. If you have limited tort coverage, you may only be allowed to recover economic damages (medical bills and lost wages) but usually not pain and suffering. However, in serious injury cases, your Silver & Silver auto accident attorneys could recover pain and suffering even for limited tort policies.
With full tort policies, you can bypass Pennsylvania’s no-fault laws and seek pain and suffering damages against a defendant. This is true even if your damages are less than the requirements of limited tort policies.
Injured in a Car Wreck? Silver & Silver Can Help You
If you or a loved one were injured in an auto accident, contact our auto accident lawyers at Silver & Silver as soon as possible. Our experienced auto accident attorneys in Ardmore, PA, can advise you on your rights under Pennsylvania law and what options you may have based on your insurance policy. We offer FREE consultation by calling 610-638-7255 or use our convenient “contact us” box available here.