Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawsuits

Award-Winning Attorney for Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawsuits

Serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and all other counties in the Commonwealth.

Car accident lawsuits help injury victims recover fair compensation for pain and suffering, loss of income, and loss of opportunities after a car crash. You may have heard about large car accident settlements through the media and you’re likely wondering “How can I get a fair settlement for my car accident injury?”. The accident lawsuit filing process is complex and requires litigation experience and first-hand knowledge of Pennsylvania’s injury laws. 

How Can I File a Car Accident Lawsuit in Pennsylvania?

Filing a car accident lawsuit in the Pennsylvania courts is the first step in compensation recovery. Philadelphia car accident lawsuit attorney Jeffrey Harlan Penneys handles all Pennsylvania car accident lawsuits. 

If the car insurance company fails to respond in negotiations,  Jeffrey Harlan Penneys, Esquire is also an experienced trial attorney.

1-800 Injury Lawyer Jeffrey H. Penneys Esq. PA - Car Chain Accident

What Does a Car Accident Lawsuit Cost?

Sometimes a car accident lawsuit can be costly. Because of this, most personal injury lawyers will only take a case if the injuries are significant enough to justify the expenses that the attorney will have to spend to pursue the car accident claim. 

Claims only for property damage are usually not handled by a personal injury lawyer. In addition to your auto accident lawyer fees, there are court costs, expert witness fees, investigation charges, clerical labor, and other expenses. 

As your local Pennsylvania car accident lawyer, Ioffer a No Win, No Fee legal service, you only pay these fees if I win your court case, and then they are reimbursed out of your final judgment. 

Some legal expenses, such as copies, postage, and mediation fees, if any, are separate from the auto attorney’s contingency fee. Your medical costs may, in some cases, be paid by your health insurance and then be reimbursed out of the judgment.

Alternatives to car accident lawsuits include car crash mediation (voluntarily meeting with a trained mediator to attempt to resolve the dispute) and car wreck arbitration (an agreed-upon arbitrator hears the evidence and, judge-like, decides how to settle the dispute). 

If you’d like to avoid an auto accident lawsuit, but don’t know if it is appropriate, contact Jeffrey Harlan Penneys, Esq. to discuss whether the case can be settled or should be submitted to mediation or arbitration.

 

When Car Accident Claims Become Personal Injury Lawsuits

Let me be clear: My goal is to get a satisfactory auto accident settlement first. 

However, if negotiations between the car accident attorneys and the opposing insurance company fail, or if the Pennsylvania statute of limitations is rapidly approaching, auto accident lawyers are more or less obligated to file a personal injury lawsuit to protect your rights, with your permission, of course. If this happens, the lawsuit process begins. A trial date is usually set for a year from the date of the filing.

What is a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

A personal injury lawsuit is the civil action brought forward by an injured person against a person or entity they hold responsible for their injuries. The goal of the lawsuit is to recover financial  compensation for the costs accrued because of the injury, which may include medical care, pain and suffering, and lost wages.

During the pre-trial “discovery” phase, both sides exchange information about the car accident case. If the insurance company attorney is trying to show that you contributed to the accident or had pre-existing injuries, your private life and information may become part of the court record. 

Car accident lawsuits include: 

  • depositions
  • medical examinations
  • disclosure of documents relating to the case
  • interrogatories or requests for information from the other parties.
 

A personal injury lawyer who handles car accident cases will be skilled at the discovery process, as it is part of the trial proceedings. Car accident attorneys will file the motions to ask for discovery documents and conduct interviews of pertinent parties through the deposition process. 

You can trust me,  Jeffrey H. Penneys, Esq. to advise you of your rights and discuss any issues that come up in your case. Car accident attorneys are very skilled at negotiating claims to make sure all medical expenses and repair expenses are covered.

Discovery in Car Accident Cases

Discovery is the pretrial period during which lawyers from both sides of an auto accident case find facts and pursue evidence to back up claims. Information gathered during discovery must be shared by both sides of the personal injury case.

Interviewing witnesses is usually part of the car accident lawsuit preparation process. 

Car accident attorneys from both sides interview the drivers, witnesses, and other parties who receive information about your case from depositions. 

Who Is Present At Car Accident Lawsuit Discovery?

Lawyers from both sides will be present. Similar to a court proceeding, the witnesses swear to tell the truth and lawyers on each side are allowed to ask questions and make objections. A stenographer records everything that is said in a deposition and makes a transcript, which both sides can use as evidence at trial.

Discovery in Car Accident Lawsuit Cases 

Document production also is sought during discovery. Car accident medical bills, medical evaluations, statements of earnings, statements about other aspects of your case and other documents can be sought by each attorney during discovery. Information gathered can be used by either attorney during the trial process.

Having statements of witnesses at the scene of the accident in advance is useful because if a witness contradicts an earlier statement, the prior testimony can be used to establish inconsistencies in testimony. That is one of the reasons Jeffrey H. Penneys, Esq. as your personal injury attorney, will be present at all depositions and review all of the documents in your case in advance of trial.

Car Accident Cases Discovery Can Motivate Settlements

As the discovery process goes on, the insurance company will get a better sense of who was at fault for the accident as well as how serious the resulting personal injuries are. If the facts look bad for the insurance company, they may be willing to offer a higher settlement than they offered before the filing of our car accident lawsuit.

On the other hand, if I feel you are not a strong witness, I will be able to advise you if the insurance company would benefit by it in court and advise you to settle the case. 

Disclose your medical history to me before attempting a car accident trial; if the insurance company finds evidence of a prior injury in your medical history, they may have a better chance before a jury because it will be more difficult to claim that the personal injury resulted from the car accident.

Contact a Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer

Get Compensation For Pain and Suffering

All personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis meaning if there is no recovery, there are no fees.

Competent legal representation can also be an incentive for the insurance company to make an offer rather than risk a large jury verdict and an expensive trial against a good lawyer. Jeffrey Penneys IS that good lawyer they fear.