Subway accidents and injuries are more frequent than you may think. While New York is the location for the majority of mass transit injuries each year, totaling nearly 100 subway deaths in 2013 alone, SEPTA subway accidents also occur.
SEPTA, standing for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, liability insurance allows those injured on SEPTA subways the ability to recover damages. The following reviews the steps for filing a claim if injured on SEPTA subway.
Ask for a SEPTA Incident Card
If the subway accident was severe enough to cause injuries to multiple passengers, then it’s likely that some opportunists who were not involved in the accident may try to benefit from SEPTA payouts. As such, SEPTA incident cards are handed out to those who are actual victims.
Before you can file a claim, you will need to fill out one of these cards, which will confirm your presence on the subway at the time of the incident. Fill out the card immediately and give a copy to the driver or other SEPTA authority.
Seek Medical Care
If you’ve been injured, it’s important that you seek medical care. If you don’t have proof of receiving medical care, substantiating your injuries will be very difficult. Make sure you keep all medical records and bills associated with the accident.
Not only should you document your medical care, but you should also record any other facts relevant to the crash.
- Names of witnesses to the accident
- Date of the crash
- Specifically how your injury happened
- Anything else you can remember surrounding the accident’s occurrence
Know the Statute of Limitations
When someone files a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania, s/he must do so in two years’ time. However, because SEPTA is an entity of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for making known your intent to file shortens to six months. Learn about more steps to take if you were injured while waiting for a bus or train.
Hire an Attorney
You need to act quickly when filing a SEPTA claim. If you don’t, your claim may not even be heard, let alone paid. To help you act in a timely and efficient manner, you need an attorney who knows SEPTA law, understands sovereign immunity statutes of limitations, and will work hard on your behalf.
At Cordisco & Saile LLC, our attorneys can offer you all of the above and more. To get in touch with us today to learn more about filing a claim after an injury occurred on a SEPTA subway, contact us at 215-642-2335 today.
