Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer

It can, but there’s a good chance it won’t. Only about 4-5% of personal injury cases make it to trial. The rest settle – meaning that both parties agree to a solution privately.

But, just because the odds of going to trial aren’t high doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be prepared. Hiring an injury attorney with trial experience is the best way to do that.

This means that your Philadelphia personal injury lawyer will have the skills necessary to try a case before a jury. And, it also means that you can show the other side you’re really serious about your case.

There are a lot of different things that can influence how long your injury case takes from start to finish. Is liability clear? Are you being blamed? How long will it take you to make a full recuperation? Is the insurance company willing to negotiate?

You have a say in how lenghty your case is, too. Are you okay with settling for less to get cash in your hands now? Or, do you want to maximize your recovery? If so, it might extend – and even require a jury trial.

Ultimately, it’s important to discuss this with your injury lawyer. Know that they’ll do everything in their power to get you the remuneration you need as fast as they can without sacrificing value.

The decisions you make after an accident in Philly that result in an injury can have a huge impact on your claim or lawsuit. Here’s what you should (and shouldn’t) do if you want to maximize your recovery.

• Report the accident right away – you’ll want the details documented for future reference
• Exchange information with other parties, but don’t apologize or admit culpability
• Seek medical attention as soon as you can – prompt care can help to establish a causal link between the accident and your injury
• Answer basic questions, but refuse to provide a recorded statement to an insurance provider
• Contact an accident attorney with the experience, resources, and reputation to help you achieve the results you need.

For more than 3 decades, our personal injury lawyers have helped accident victims just like you navigate the difficulties and challenges that can arise after an accident.

Call our law firm for help making the tough decisions and getting the compensation you deserve today. We will explore the possibility of filing a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf.

Most – but not all – accident cases in Pennsylvania are based on the tort of negligence. Basically, means that one person gets harmed because another person was careless.

While only an experienced attorney can tell you if you have a case, you might have a legitimate claim if:

• Someone else owed you a duty of care.
• That person breached this duty of care, by not acting like a reasonable person would under the circumstances.
• The person’s conduct caused you to suffer an injury.
• You’ve suffered damages.

These are the four elements of negligence – and each must be established in order for you to establish liability and get compensation in a personal injury case.

Yes – as long as you’re not mostly to blame. Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative fault system with a 51% bar to recovery. Under the law, your right to receive compensation disappears when you’re assigned more than half of the blame.

Sharing some but not most of the blame will also affect your financial award. Your damages will be reduced in direct proportion to your degree of liability. If you are assigned 40% of the blame, your damages will be reduced by 40%. (You’ll also be liable for 40% of damages sustained by other parties.)

Insurance companies love to blame the victim, even if there’s little-to-no evidence to back up their allegations. It’s always in your best interest to have an attorney representing you – especially when the other side is trying to point fingers.

Your personal injury attorney can disprove or minimize the impact of any claims that you share fault – and protect your ability to recover compensation in the legal process.

Personal injury claims arise after accidents and injuries caused through negligence, intentional misconduct, or unlawful conduct. You may have a valid claim in if you were injured by another party through little-to-no fault of your own.

Most injury claims are based on negligence, including those related to motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, workplace accidents, medical malpractice, and other cases. You may have a negligence case if another party injured you due to a failure to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances.

Some injury cases are based on intentional misconduct. You may have an intentional tort claim if you were assaulted or otherwise injured intentionally by another party. You could also have a case based on strict liability, which results when a party violates a safety law and causes harm. Dog bites and product defects offer two examples.

The best way to determine whether you have a personal injury claim a is to consult an experienced injury law firm like Zavodnick & Lasky. Contact us to schedule a free case consultation to learn more about your rights after an injury.

It depends on the extent of your injuries.

The value of your specific claim or lawsuit will depend on the answers to questions like these:

• What kind of accident were you involved in?
• How severe are the injuries you’ve sustained?
• Are you temporarily or permanently disabled and unable to perform your activities?
• How much will it cost to replace or repair damaged property?
• How has the accident affected you mentally and emotionally?
• Has the accident interfered with your ability to enjoy your life?
• Have you endured pain and suffering due to your injuries?

Don’t let insurance companies tell you what your case is worth. They certainly don’t have your best interests at heart.

Our experienced injury accident attorneys do. We work with experts so that we get the valuation process right –  setting you up to get the amount you are entitled to.

There are two types of damages that might be available to you after an accident. These are compensatory damages and punitive damages.

Compensatory damages are paid to compensate you for your injuries, suffering, and costs after an accident. These awards are actually broken down into two distinct categories: economic awards and non-economic awards.

Economic damages are paid to compensate for the calculable and verifiable financial costs of an accident. These include:

• Medical expenses (e.g., ambulance service, hospitalization, surgery, medical devices, medication)
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• The cost of replacing or repairing damage to property
• Lost wages and income
• Temporary and/or permanent disability
• Reduced earning capacity, and
• Funeral and burial expenses.

You are entitled to seek economic damages for both present and future costs.

Non-economic damages are paid to compensate for the intangible, subjective, and highly-personal consequences that an accident might cause. These include:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, and PTSD
• Disfigurement
• Scarring
• Loss of consortium, and
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

There are many factors that can affect how an unintentional injury will affect a person. So, these damages tend to be difficult to value in terms of dollars are cents. The value can vary substantially from one case to another. It’s critical to enlist the help of qualified experts and specialists during the valuation process.

Punitive damages have one singular purpose: to punish the defendant for conduct that is particularly bad. In Pennsylvania, punitive damages can only be awarded when it’s established by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s conduct was malicious, willful, wanton, extreme, or outrageous.

Punitive damages are typically not available in all personal injury cases. Rather, they’re reserved for when an extreme remedy is necessary.

Our personal injury team will carefully review your case and identify any and all damages that might be available to you. Then we’ll work hard to secure maximum compensation on your behalf.

We serve all neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia, including:

• Ambler (19002)
• Ardmore (19003)
• Bella Vista (19147)
• Bristol (19007)
• Callowhill (19123)
• Cedar Park (19143)
• Chestnut Hill (19118)
• Chinatown (19107)
• Doylestown (18901)
• East Passyunk (19148)
• Fairmount (19121)
• Fishtown (19125)
• Germantown (19144)
• Graduate Hospital (19146)
• Jenkintown (19046)
• Kennet Square (19348)
• Kensington
• Logan Square (19103)
• Manayunk (19127)
• Market East (19106)
• Media (19063)
• Midtown Village (19107)
• Mt. Airy (19119)
• New Hope (18938)
• North Broad (19122)
• Northern Liberties (19123)
• Old City (19106)
• Pennsport (19148)
• Phoenixville (19460)
• Powelton Village (19104)
• Queen Village (19147)
• Rittenhouse Square (19102)
• Skippack (19426)
• Society Hill (19016)
• Spring Garden (19130)
• Spruce Hill (19143)
• University City (19139)
• Washington Square West (19107)
• Wayne (19080)
• West Chester (19380)