Car Accident Lawyer in Chester, PA

The first thing anyone should do if involved in a car crash is to seek treatment from a medical professional. Your health and well-being are paramount.

If you or a family member or other person on your behalf is able, you should follow these general guidelines. It will protect you, make your case stronger and enable your car accident lawyer to better evaluate your case:

• Obtain copies of the police report and ambulance report

• Collect the names of all parties involved

• Collect the names of witnesses

• Call your car insurance company

• Obtain a copy of your medical records

• Journal all facts and details you remember about the accident

• Journal your medical treatment and condition

• Keep all doctor appointments and follow doctor’s orders for recovery and treatment

• Do not speak to the other party’s insurance adjusters

• Do not give a recorded statement to an adjuster or car insurance company

• Do not admit fault to any parties, witnesses, insurance adjusters, or others

• Stay off social media (no comments, photos, or updates on your status)

• Do not repair your vehicle until advised to do so by your Philadelphia car accident attorney

In any car accident case where the other driver was negligent, you are entitled to recover damages. There are numerous types of car accidents that can occur on the roadways of Chester, however, the common ones are:

• Head-on collision

• Side impact or T-bone crash

• Rear-end collisions

• Rollover accident

• Intersection crash

In any of the above crashes, a person may sustain serious injury or even death. There may be economic damages such as medical expenses and lost wages or non-economic damages like emotional distress or pain and suffering.

A car accident lawyer will evaluate your case, where and how it occurred, and advise you on how to build the strongest case and recover money for your serious injuries.

As an auto accident victim, you maybe have suffered severe or even catastrophic injuries leading to economic claims (lost wages, medical bills) or non-economic damages (emotional distress. Injuries for which you can recover damages include:

• Fractures & broken bones

• Brain injuries (TBI)

• Spinal cord injuries

• Neck and back injuries

• Whiplash

• Lacerations

• Burns

• Scarring

• Sprain, strains, and soft tissue injuries

• Mental or emotional anguish

• Loss of vision or hearing

• Amputation

• Paralysis

• Wrongful death claims

A car accident attorney will be best able to evaluate your case and determine, based on the facts and circumstances, what kind of personal injury claim you may have under Pennsylvania law for your physical pain and suffering, medical bills, medical treatment, and non-economic damages.

Motor vehicle accidents like any personal injury case are about “negligence.” Did the party who harmed you have a duty of care and did they breach that duty? That is the simple question for your auto accident attorney to answer when evaluating your case.

There may be more negligent parties in your case besides the person behind the wheel at the time of the Pennsylvania car accident. Philadelphia car accidents can be the result of the negligent conduct of others including:

• An automobile manufacturer or parts manufacturer. Was there a defect that contributed to the accident?

• A business. Was the other party operating the vehicle owned or controlled by a business that may have acted in a way that led to the crash?

• Government entity. Did roadway conditions contribute to the crash and what responsibility did a government agency have for that roadway?

• Bar/Restaurant owner. In a case where intoxication contributed to the crash, Pennsylvania law enables an injured party to hold a bar/restaurant owner liable if they served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person and that intoxication led to the accident.

Not all traffic accidents involve parties who are 100% responsible for the accident or the sustained injuries. There are many instances when multiple parties can share responsibility for a car accident. 

Pennsylvania is a “modified comparative fault” state meaning that as long as you are less than 51% at fault for an accident, you should qualify for compensation.

The insurance adjuster and the insurance company will do all they can to shift as much blame to you as possible in order to reduce or totally eliminate paying you your compensation.

The Philadelphia car accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman have handled many car accident cases. They can explain how Pennsylvania law works and how your level of responsibility will impact how much money you can collect for a car accident in Chester.

If you have been in a car crash, you may discover the harsh reality that many drivers do not have any insurance coverage or have underinsured motorist coverage. This can make recovering damages more difficult.

If you have been involved in a crash with an uninsured motorist or the other driver is unidentified, such as in a hit and run, then you will have to file a claim with your insurance company to pay for the damages.

A Pennsylvania car accident lawyer will need to prove on your behalf that the other driver was at fault and that they did not have auto insurance.

If you have been injured in a car crash caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve maximum compensation for your accident injuries, and someone needs to be held accountable for their negligence. An experienced personal injury attorney will thoroughly examine the available evidence in your car accident case to determine the exact cause of your accident. We will determine the identities of all potentially liable parties and work tirelessly to get you compensated for your injuries and financial loss. Our car accident lawyers will assist in all ways necessary to make your case including:

• Investigate the facts of your case

• Preserve evidence – Physical evidence often disappears or gets destroyed during the time that follows a car accident

• Obtain the other driver’s driving record

• Review photos of the cars involved in the accident, the crash scene, and tire marks

• Locate and question witnesses and interview any and all parties who can potentially back up your insurance claim

• Obtain a weather report for the date and time of the car accident

• Employ experts including medical and accident reconstruction

• Speak with the responding officer(s) and examine the officer’s police reports and any drawings and measurements

• Inspect the vehicles involved in the car accident for potential defects

• Review your medical records to determine the extent of your personal injuries

• Negotiate with the insurance company

• Appear at car accident settlement conferences and court dates

• Litigate your case in court at trial

Driving accidents often result in painful accident injuries, emotional suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, lost future earnings, and property damage—our car accident lawyers will fight to get you the compensation you need to move on. In the worst case scenario, the death of a loved one in a motor vehicle accident, an experienced accident lawyer will fight to get you death or survivor benefits.

Our experienced car accident attorneys in Chester can make sure that you do not miss any filing deadlines with either the court system or the insurance policy with your insurance company.