Car accidents are not only expensive, but they can also cause severe injuries that might affect your life and health for a long time. If another driver caused the accident, they should be made to help you with your financial burden. An attorney can help you begin a personal injury lawsuit to claim fair financial compensation.
After a car accident, your primary focus should be on getting emergency help. Call 911 and have the police and ambulance sent to your location. Once you have gotten the help you need, contact an attorney to discuss beginning legal action against the other driver. Be prepared to explain how the accident happened to your lawyer. If you are unsure, we can figure it out together by examining the evidence, including photos, videos, witness testimony, and more. We also need evidence of your damages, which may include economic costs in addition to non-economic injuries.
Get started with a free case evaluation from our car accident lawyers with Cardamone Law by calling (267) 651-7945.
What to Do Following a Car Accident
Following a vehicle accident, you should do your best to remain calm and get help. If your vehicle is in the middle of the road, try to get to the shoulder or somewhere else that is safer. You or someone else at the scene should call 911 and seek emergency help immediately.
As you wait for emergency responders, including the police and medical personnel, try to document the scene and exchange information with other drivers and witnesses. Our car accident attorneys need details from others at the scene so you can file an insurance claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance and contact witnesses about providing statements or testimony.
After you speak to the police and go to a hospital for treatment, call a lawyer to discuss your potential case. You may be entitled to significant damages to compensate your injuries, and the person who caused the accident should be held responsible.
How Car Accidents Occur in Lehigh Valley
Car accidents can happen in numerous ways, and the details of what happened may heavily influence your case against the other driver.
In the Lehigh Valley, it can be difficult to get around without a car, so most people drive whenever they need to go somewhere. On top of that, the way that roads and streets are laid out makes it difficult to get around without taking major highways. As such, accidents on highways are common.
Highway accidents tend to be severe as they often involve higher speed limits. Vehicle damages and physical injuries may be greater, and your damages might be higher than normal.
To avoid highways, many people choose to take back roads, but this can also lead to serious accidents. Since fewer people take back roads, drivers may be more inclined to let their guard down.
Wherever your accident happened, it may have been caused by driver negligence. Such negligence often includes ordinary traffic violations like running red lights or ignoring signs. It may also involve speeding or driving while distracted.
Damages Available in a Car Accident Civil Case
Car accidents tend to lead to painful injuries, expensive bills, and other losses that may be difficult to measure. Our legal team can help you account for all these losses and damages so that everything is compensated fairly.
Your economic damages may be quite high if the accident came with significant financial expenses. Chief among these expenses may be your medical bills. Serious injuries may require costly treatment. These costs may be even higher if your injuries require long-term care that lasts beyond the duration of the trial.
Other economic damages may include lost income if your injuries prevent you from returning to your job. If you lost property in the accident, like your car in an auto accident, you may claim the value of repairs.
Non-economic damages are arguably trickier to assess because they are normally not measured with proof of monetary costs. Your physical pain, psychological injuries, emotional distress, trauma, humiliation, and the overall reduction of your quality of life should be examined as part of these damages.
Handling Insurance After a Vehicle Accident in Lehigh Valley
Vehicle accidents are commonly handled through insurance. Pennsylvania operates under a no-fault auto insurance system, allowing drivers to choose between full tort coverage and limited tort coverage. Your coverage may determine whether you are free to pursue personal injury claims.
The law under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705(a)(1) explains that full tort insurance allows you and other household members covered by your policy to seek financial compensation through a personal injury lawsuit if you choose to.
On the other hand, limited tort coverage restricts you and covered household members from pursuing a personal injury lawsuit unless you can prove you have a “serious injury,” as defined by law.
Review your insurance policy with your attorney. Some drivers only need to file an insurance claim to get the compensation they need. If you need to take further legal action, your attorney can help you determine what steps to take.
How Long Do Car Accident Civil Cases Take?
The time it takes to complete your car accident case is hard to say without reviewing the specific details of the accident. Even so, civil cases are not known to move incredibly fast, and you should be prepared to invest a significant amount of time into your case.
Cases with complicated circumstances tend to take longer to complete. More complex accidents with multiple drivers may take longer for the authorities to investigate. Additionally, the more drivers involved, the longer the case may take, as each driver may file their own claims.
Accidents that settle out of court may take less time, especially if the parties are cooperative and willing to compromise. Settlements are generally faster than full trials, but settlement negotiations may still take a bit of time. The more willing the parties are to compromise and cooperate, the more likely that the settlement will be finalized sooner.
Contact Our Lehigh Valley Car Accident Lawyers Now
Get started with a free case evaluation from our car accident lawyers with Cardamone Law by calling (267) 651-7945.
