Bethlehem Car Accident Lawyer

Many of the streets in Bethlehem are tight, with pedestrians everywhere.  Whether you are stopped in traffic on Wyandotte Street or cruising down Main Street, the chances of a crash are always present.  If you do get into an accident, our attorneys can help.

We fight for car accident victims and passengers, working to get them the damages they need from at-fault drivers.  Your insurance might provide some benefits after an accident, but the at-fault driver can be made to pay you for everything else.

For a free case evaluation, contact Cardamone Law’s car accident lawyers at (267) 651-7945 today.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Bethlehem, PA

Whether you are in the City of Bethlehem or Bethlehem Township, you face a mix of wide neighborhood streets, tight downtown roads, highways, and even backroads.  These roads often have different factors involved, but the following violations are common causes of crashes everywhere:

• Driver inattention
• Speeding
• Running a red light or stop sign
• Failing to yield
• Tailgating
• Drunk driving
• Distracted driving
• Texting while driving
• Tired driving.

Determining Fault in a Car Accident Case

Many of the common causes of car crashes listed above are explicit traffic violations, but that is not always needed.  For a driver to be held responsible for a crash, they usually need to violate a legal duty.

In most cases, the duty in question will involve a violation of a safety rule – usually a traffic law.  Our car accident lawyers can use any violation that causes your crash as the basis of your claim.

Alternatively, there might not be an explicit violation.  Instead, you can look to the duty to drive reasonably.  This is an objective standard that drivers need to follow at all times, and any unreasonable decisions behind the wheel can put them at fault.

This means that you might use something like texting while driving – an explicit traffic violation – as grounds for your case, or you could point to failing to check blind spots – a generally unsafe decision.

Does My Insurance Affect My Car Accident Case?

In Pennsylvania, we use a choice no-fault system.  This means you can choose between a more expensive “full tort” policy that guarantees your right to sue or a “limited tort” policy that limits when you can sue.

In most car accidents, your goal will be to get the at-fault driver to pay for your vehicle damage, injuries, lost wages, and pain and suffering.  However, if you have a limited tort policy, then you have to meet one of 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705(d)’s requirements before you can sue:

• A “serious injury” with permanent harm or a serious risk of death
• A crash with a drunk driver who serves ARD
• An out-of-state driver
• An intentional crash
• An uninsured driver.

In these cases, you can sue as if you have a full tort policy, which means there are no restrictions.

In either case, your insurance probably also has first-party benefits, including at least $5,000 for medical expenses.  These kick in regardless of who was at fault.

Your policy might also have additional coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage that requires you to pay a deductible, but you can recover damages above and beyond your coverage from the at-fault driver when you meet the standards above.

What if the Other Driver Does Not Have Insurance?

If the other driver has no insurance coverage, then you can sue them directly.  However, they might not be able to afford your damages.

Insurance is required because is that guarantees there is someone who can pay for a crash.  When at-fault drivers have no money or assets to cover your injuries, they might not be able to pay anything, and it might not make sense to bother suing them.

However, your insurance might have more first-party coverage to help.  UM/UIM is uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and a UM/UIM policy can kick in to cover what the uninsured driver cannot.

How to Report a Car Accident in Bethlehem

You should always report crashes immediately.  Call 911 and request that both a police officer and an ambulance come to the scene.

If your injuries are severe enough, the ambulance can take you to the hospital, and you can focus on recovery instead of the crash.  However, those well enough to stay at the accident scene should speak with the officer, report the details of the accident, and keep notes for themselves.

The officer’s notes will go into a police report we can obtain to help build your case.  However, you can write down a lot of the facts of the case yourself, potentially getting more details than the officer:

• Contact and insurance info for the other drivers
• Contact info for any witnesses
• Location of the crash
• Vehicles involved
• Injuries received
• Lighting and weather conditions
• Road conditions
• Any signs or traffic lights present
• Any other details about how the accident happened.

If the other driver tries to convince you not to call 911, you should do so anyway.  Reporting any accident with injuries is required under Pennsylvania law, plus the police report can help build your case and convince insurance companies the crash really happened.

How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Case in Bethlehem?

Never delay in talking to a lawyer, reporting the crash, and filing a claim.  While the law gives you up to 2 years to get your case filed, acting sooner can help your case.

The longer you wait to file, the more delay in damages you face.  Additionally, evidence like security footage might be overwritten, and witnesses might forget what happened unless our lawyers reach out to them quickly after a crash.

We can often put together a claim quickly, but do not wait until the last minute to contact our law offices about your case.  The more time we have to gather evidence and build a strong case, the better.

Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys in Bethlehem Today

For a free review of your potential case, call Cardamone Law’s Bethlehem car accident attorneys at (267) 651-7945 today.