Car Accident Lawyer FAQs
Q: Do I have to hire a lawyer if I’ve been hurt in a motor vehicle crash?
A: While you are not required to hire a car accident lawyer, it is an excellent idea to do so. Even if you have handled a property damage claim before, whenever someone suffers personal injuries in a motor vehicle crash, a claim can quickly become more complicated. On top of that, defense lawyers often train insurance adjusters and know how to get you to admit unsavory facts that can harm your claim. In reality, most adjusters are being helped by a defense lawyer without you even knowing it, including reviewing the facts, your injuries, and the law against what you have told the adjuster. It simply is not a fair fight to try to handle a personal injury claim with an auto insurance carrier because you are almost guaranteeing that you will receive less compensation than you are entitled to under Pennsylvania law. This is why it is always the best decision to hire an experienced car accident lawyer in Philadelphia like ours at HGSK.
Q: How much does a car accident attorney cost in Philadelphia, PA?
A: The cost of a lawyer can vary from firm-to-firm, but at HGSK, we know that you are facing high medical bills with lost wages due to another’s callous mistakes. This is why we offer FREE consultations and case evaluations to advise you of your rights. If we accept your case, we will conduct a full investigation into what happened to establish liability and your damages. We pay all upfront litigation costs such as expert fees, court costs, postage, and other disbursements with your case. This is only reimbursed after we recover compensation for you in a settlement, verdict, or arbitration award.
Similarly, our attorney’s fees are accepted on a contingency basis. This means we are only paid a percentage of what we recover for you and only after we recover it. That means that you can hire one of our car accident lawyers at HGSK for no upfront cost, no out-of-pocket expenses, and with no financial risk as we only recover a percentage of the recovery.
Q: What types of compensation may I be entitled to from a car accident in Philadelphia, PA?
A: Under Pennsylvania law, a victim of a motor vehicle crash is entitled to “damages” in a personal injury lawsuit. The term “damages” is the measure of relief that a victim can receive from a court. In bodily injury cases, that recovery is usually monetary compensation. There are many different grounds for monetary compensation in Philadelphia, PA, which include the following:
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Lost future earnings
- Loss of consortium with a spouse or family members
- Vehicle or home modifications
- Property damage
- Punitive damages for egregious or grossly negligent conduct causing your injuries
- Wrongful death damages such as burial costs and funeral expenses, and
- Other damages due to your motor vehicle crash that our experienced car accident attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, could recover for you.
Q: What is the difference between a full tort and limited tort policy in Pennsylvania?
A: Auto insurance in Pennsylvania is either full tort or limited tort. With a full tort claim, you can pursue your damages against the defendant regardless of your injuries. With a limited tort policy, you may only pursue the defendant for your medical bills and not for pain and suffering unless you fall into an exception. Some exceptions that allow you to seek pain and suffering include against a drunk driver, if you were a pedestrian, an out-of-state registered vehicle, riding in a commercial vehicle, the defendant is uninsured, or the accident resulted in serious personal injuries. If you are unsure what type of policy you have or whether your injuries meet the threshold to allow you to pursue pain and suffering against a defendant, ask our experienced car accident attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, for a FREE case evaluation.
Q: How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Philadelphia, PA?
A: The length of time to file a formal lawsuit in Pennsylvania is known as the statute of limitations period. This is a time limit set by the Legislature regarding your case. If you fail to file a lawsuit within this time limit, your claim may be automatically dismissed by the court. This means a judge or jury may never hear your claim or reach the issue of damages. The statute of limitations period depends on many factors, including the victim’s age, who the defendant is (private citizen versus municipality), or whether the injuries resulted in severe disability resulting in incompetency or extreme disability. Therefore, a decision on how long you have to file your lawsuit in Philadelphia must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Ask our experienced car accident attorneys to do that for you today during a FREE consultation. Do not delay; the time is much shorter than you may believe!
Q: Can I recover compensation after a Philadelphia car accident if I was partially at fault?
A: Yes, even if you were partially at fault for your auto accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Pennsylvania is a modified comparative fault state. This means that a victim’s proportional share of fault will reduce his or her total award. For example, if you are awarded $100,000 but are 30% at fault for causing the accident, you may still be entitled to recover $70,000. However, if your proportional fault is over 51%, you may be barred from pursuing a claim entirely.
Do you still have other questions for our car accident lawyers in Philadelphia, PA? Ask one of our experienced and compassionate team members at HGSK how we can help you by dialing (267) 350-6600 or by sending us a message through our “contact us” box available here.