While car accidents are a part of life, serious accidents can turn a victim’s life physically and financially upside down. If you’ve been injured in a car accident in or around Doylestown, you’ll want the advice and guidance of a Doylestown accident attorney who understands the legal system, the insurance industry, and has built a solid reputation of fighting for their clients. At Silver & Silver, our experienced car accident attorneys have over 40 years of experience fighting diligently for our clients so they can get the compensation they need and deserve to heal and move on.
Do Modern Pressures Excuse Carelessness?
Modern life puts us all under constant pressure and time constraints. Many distracted drivers feel justified in multitasking behind the wheel. Stress puts others on edge and pushes them to drive faster and less carefully than they should. Impaired drivers get behind the wheel every day, not considering that they might be putting other lives in danger.
While some may see these careless actions as just part of modern living, the law calls it something else – negligence. And if that negligence hurts someone else, the law can hold the at-fault person liable for it.
The Physical and Financial Burden of Car Accidents
In 2019, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a report detailing the societal costs of traffic accidents. In 2019 alone, the nationwide cost of motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and fatalities was $340 billion. And while that figure might seem difficult to wrap your head around, this figure is made up of hundreds of thousands of human lives and their cumulative physical and economic suffering.
If you’ve been involved in a serious car accident, you may be facing your own physical and financial burdens. At the very least, it will be the cost to repair or replace your vehicle. But if you’ve been injured, you’re looking at ambulance and emergency room bills, doctor’s bills, medications, and hospital and surgery costs. You won’t be able to work while you heal. You may have to undergo weeks or months of physical therapy and follow-up doctor visits. And if the accident results in catastrophic injuries, it can change the very trajectory of your life.
Who pays for this? That depends.
Car Insurance and Your Accident
Nobody expects to be in a car accident. Unfortunately, it’s not until you’ve been injured in an accident that you may be faced with the reality of not having adequate insurance.
In Pennsylvania, we are considered a “choice” insurance state, and, as a driver, you have the option of purchasing a fault-based or no-fault car insurance policy. While there are advantages and disadvantages to each, in the context of a serious accident and severe injuries, it can come down to a very important distinction: with no-fault insurance, you won’t be able to hold the at-fault driver liable for your damages except in limited cases.
How Do You Handle an Insurance Claim if You Have No-Fault Insurance?
No-fault insurance is just that – your policy covers the costs of your injuries regardless of who was at fault. If you have a no-fault insurance policy, you will file a claim with your own insurance policy after an accident. The only time you can hold an at-fault driver liable for your injuries is if they are significant or for your economic damages.
What if You Have Fault-Based (Full Tort) Insurance
With fault-based insurance, you have more options to get compensated for your injuries. You can file a third-party claim with the at-fault driver’s liability insurance, or you can sue the at-fault driver for negligence in court. Unlike no-fault insurance, you may also sue the at-fault party for any non-economic damages, such as your pain and suffering.
Does this all seem confusing? It is. And the last thing you want to do is navigate an insurance claim while trying to heal from a serious injury. This is when it’s important to have the representation of an experienced Doylestown accident lawyer to ensure you get fairly and adequately compensated.
How Can You Benefit From Hiring One Of Our Car Accident Attorneys in Doylestown
After a car accident, getting the compensation you deserve for your injuries can be far more complicated than you may appreciate. Hiring a car accident lawyer in Doylestown can be invaluable to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
A skilled accident attorney will:
- Handle your insurance claim – You deserve a fair settlement, but insurance companies don’t usually offer the most comprehensive settlement without some significant negotiation. In fact, it’s to their advantage to pay out as little as possible. An experienced attorney understands this and also knows the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying fair settlements.
- Help determine if you have a case against the at-fault driver – Not all accidents will be entitled to compensation from another driver. Your car accident attorney will evaluate your case to determine all possible sources of compensation.
- Help determine the value of your claim – What is your claim worth? Your accident lawyer will determine the value of your claim and pursue everything you are legally entitled to ensure that you won’t pay needlessly out of pocket.
- Help prove your injuries – Getting fairly compensated means you will need to prove the extent of your injuries and that they were the direct result of the accident. Your attorney will collect the police report, interview witnesses, and thoroughly investigate the accident to gather evidence supporting your claim.
- Negotiate a fair settlement – An experienced car accident lawyer should be a skilled negotiator who can match the skills of any insurance adjuster. Armed with solid evidence, your attorney should be able to prove your case and negotiate the best possible settlement.
- Represent you in a lawsuit – Sometimes, a fair settlement can’t be reached. In this case, your car accident attorney will represent you in court to continue to fight for fair compensation for your injuries.
Our Experienced Car Accident Attorneys in Doylestown
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in or around Doylestown, don’t navigate it alone. At Silver & Silver, our Doylestown car accident attorneys will not give up until we recover the compensation you and your family deserve. You never pay legal fees unless we win. Call us at (610) 658-1900 to schedule a free consultation, or fill out our online contact form, and we will contact you.
Disclosure:
This website is designed to provide only general information. The information presented on this website is not formal legal advice. You should not rely on any general information from any source for making legal decisions. Each legal matter is unique and requires specific attention from a qualified and experienced attorney. Unless a representation agreement has been signed with the Law Offices of Silver and Silver, we are not your legal representatives.