Allentown Car Accident Lawyer
- Common Causes of Allentown Car Accidents
- Common Car Accident Injuries
- What Types of Compensation Am I Entitled To For My Car Accident?
- Can I file a car accident lawsuit?
- Should I settle my car accident case?
- What do I do after a car accident?
- How Cordisco & Saile Can Help
- Contact an Allentown Car Accident Lawyer Today
The Allentown car accident attorneys at Cordisco & Saile have extensive knowledge of Pennsylvania personal injury law and the specifics of the roadways and transportation systems that make up the Allentown and Lehigh County infrastructure.
If you need a car accident lawyer, choose Cordisco & Saile to benefit from this award-winning legal team’s skill, professionalism, and network of expert witnesses in Allentown.
Common Causes of Allentown Car Accidents
In the United States in 2020 alone, nearly 4.7 million cars were involved in accidents. In 2021 in Pennsylvania, on average, 191 people were involved in a car accident daily.
Lehigh County was one of Pennsylvania’s ten counties with the most reported traffic crashes, at 4.1 percent of the state total. With 2.9 percent of Pennsylvania’s population, Lehigh County saw 2.3 percent of the traffic crash fatalities and 4.4 percent of the state’s injury crashes.
Car accidents in Pennsylvania are almost always caused by driver error, but a number of additional factors may also contribute to a crash. The most common causes of car accidents include:
- Speeding
- Impaired driver
- Distracted driver
- Drowsy driver
- Tailgating
- Hazardous weather conditions
- Road work zones that create dangerous conditions
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Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can cause a range of injuries, from minor to severe. Some of the more common injuries caused by car accidents include:
- Whiplash
- Concussion
- Burns
- Soft tissue damage
- Broken bones and torn ligaments
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Dismemberment
- Death
What Types of Compensation Am I Entitled To For My Car Accident?
If you have been in a car crash and experienced a physical injury, property damage, or emotional distress, you should be compensated accordingly. The amount of compensation you are entitled to depends on your injuries, who was at fault, and insurance coverage, among other things.
You can find out more about the compensation you may be entitled to by scheduling a meeting with a Lehigh Valley car accident attorney.
Establishing Liability
When it comes to suing someone in court, the driver who caused the accident is usually the one held liable. Pennsylvania is a comparative negligence state, which means that regardless of whether you are partially liable, as long as the other driver was mostly at fault (at least 51 percent), you can still be awarded damages.
For example, a jury might determine that the other driver was partially at fault when they improperly turned left into oncoming traffic and hit you. However, the jury might also find that you were partially at fault because you were speeding at the time of the accident.
If the jury determines that you were 20 percent at fault for speeding and the other driver was 80 percent at fault for turning left into traffic, and you had $10,000 in damages, your damages would be reduced by 20 percent, and you would be awarded $8,000.
In some cases, the car accident may have been caused by a defect in a vehicle. In those cases, the vehicle manufacturer and the manufacturer of the defective vehicle part (as well as others distribution channels) may be liable for your injuries under product liability.
What About Insurance Coverage?
Insurance coverage in Pennsylvania is complicated. Pennsylvania is a no-fault insurance state for personal injury, meaning that your own insurance provides coverage for personal injury (injuries to your person) regardless of who was at fault in the accident.
However, Pennsylvania is unusual in that drivers cannot buy no-fault insurance as is customary in no-fault insurance states. Instead, Pennsylvania drivers can choose to opt out of full no-fault insurance by choosing between full tort or limited tort coverage:
- Full tort. If you have full tort insurance coverage, you have coverage for all medical bills, monetary losses (things you can easily put a dollar amount to, such as out-of-pocket expenses), pain and suffering, and other non-monetary losses.
- Limited tort. If you have limited tort insurance coverage, you have coverage for medical treatment and other monetary losses but not for non-monetary losses.
Pennsylvania no-fault insurance is limited to personal injury. If your car was damaged in the accident in Allentown or Lehigh County, the insurance company of the driver at fault covers the loss.
Can I file a car accident lawsuit?
If your damages from a car accident were significant and insurance did not fully cover your losses, you may wish to file a lawsuit against the other driver or other potentially liable parties.
Don’t delay in deciding whether to file suit, as Pennsylvania has strict time limits for filing. For personal injuries or property damage in a car accident, you have two years from the car accident to file your suit under the state’s statute of limitations.
If you decide to file a lawsuit and you are awarded damages, you’re required to reimburse your insurance company for any payments for losses that were part of your award. For example, if your insurance company paid medical bills that a jury awarded you damages to cover, you will have to pay that portion of your award to your insurance company.
Your insurance company may also take the lead in any lawsuit in a process known as subrogation.
Should I settle my car accident case?
A lawsuit can be time-consuming and emotionally difficult. If you can reach a fair settlement with the other driver or their insurance company, it may be more efficient and cost-effective than taking your case to trial.
Nearly all tort cases, including car accident cases, end up settling before trial. The average car accident settlement depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the victim’s injuries, the evidence of fault, and insurance coverage.
What do I do after a car accident?
At Cordisco & Saile, we’ve represented many Allentown car accident victims. Whether your motor vehicle accident occurs on Interstate 78, Route 22, or one of the other busy Lehigh Valley roads — some of which see more than 40,000 motorists a day — the advice for what to do after a car accident is the same.
To protect your health and your finances after a car accident in Allentown, follow these steps:
- Call the police
- Collect evidence
- Seek medical attention
- Report the accident to your insurance company
- Follow-up with medical care
- Keep written records
- Contact an attorney
When speaking to witnesses and the other driver to collect contact information, don’t say anything that might be interpreted as an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. Stick to the facts until you have spoken to an attorney.
How Cordisco & Saile Can Help
The attorneys at Cordisco & Saile LLC have experience with all sorts of personal injuries in Allentown, from slip-and-fall cases to truck accidents.
Our legal team can help you with the following:
- Evaluating your case. Find out how much your car accident case may be worth and who may be liable for your damages. An attorney can help you gather evidence and investigate who may be at fault.
- Dealing with insurance companies. Insurance companies can be confusing if you don’t have experience with them. Legal representation can help you contact the right employees and departments, understand insurance lingo, and reach a fair settlement with your insurance company.
- Taking your case to trial. Although most car accident cases settle before trial, not all do. Cordisco has experienced trial attorneys who can build a strong case for you.
Contact an Allentown Car Accident Lawyer Today
When it comes to a car accident in Allentown, Pennsylvania, you need attorneys who have the experience and determination to fight for you. Contact the compassionate attorneys at Cordisco & Saile LLC today.
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