Allentown Car Accident Lawyer

The physical pain of a car accident is only the beginning. Soon after, the financial pressure begins to build. Medical bills arrive, you might be unable to work, and an insurance adjuster is calling with a low settlement offer that feels like an insult. Whether your accident happened on the busy intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Hamilton Street or elsewhere in Allentown, you shouldn’t have to bear the financial burden of someone else’s mistake. An experienced Allentown car accident lawyer can step in to handle the insurance companies and ensure your claim is taken seriously.

At Leonard Hill — Personal Injury Lawyers And Car Accident Lawyers, we have spent our careers holding people and businesses accountable for the harm they cause. We are prepared to stand up to powerful insurance companies and fight for the full compensation you deserve. Reach out to our team to discuss your case and protect your financial future.

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Why Choose Us for Your Allentown, PA Car Accident Claim

When you’re recovering from an injury, choosing the right legal team is one of the most important decisions you can make. You need a firm that not only understands the law but also understands what you and your family are going through. At Leonard Hill — Personal Injury Lawyers And Car Accident Lawyers, we build our practice on a foundation of trust, communication, and a relentless pursuit of justice for our clients.

Our attorneys bring over 50 years of combined legal experience to every case we handle. We have dedicated our careers to helping people injured by the carelessness of others. We know the tactics insurance companies use to minimize payouts, and we are prepared to counter them effectively.

Here’s how our approach can benefit your Allentown car accident claim:

• Personalized Attention: You are not just a case number to us. We take the time to listen to your story, understand your goals, and keep you informed every step of the way.
• Honest Communication: We believe in being direct and straightforward. We will give you a clear assessment of your case and set realistic expectations from the very beginning.
• A Focus on Results: Our primary goal is to secure the maximum compensation available for your injuries. We meticulously prepare every case as if it will go to trial, which often puts us in a stronger position to negotiate a favorable settlement.

We are committed to helping you navigate the legal process with confidence, allowing you to focus on what matters most—your health and recovery.

Should I Accept the First Offer from the Insurance Company?

After an accident, you will likely be contacted by an insurance adjuster from the at-fault party’s insurance company. They may seem friendly and concerned, and they might even make a quick settlement offer. While it can be tempting to accept the money, especially when bills are piling up, the first offer is rarely the best one.

Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. Their goal is to resolve claims for the least amount of money possible. The initial offer is often a calculated attempt to close your case quickly, before you realize the full extent of your injuries and financial losses. It may not account for future medical treatments, long-term lost wages if you can’t return to work, or the significant pain and suffering you have endured.

Accepting a settlement offer means you waive your right to pursue any further compensation for that accident. If you later discover your injuries are more severe than you thought or require ongoing care, you cannot go back and ask for more. An Allentown car accident attorney can help you assess the true value of your claim by considering all your current and future damages. They can handle the negotiations for you, protecting you from the pressure to settle for less than you deserve.

Laws that Affect Car Accidents in Pennsylvania

Handling a car accident claim in Pennsylvania involves understanding a few key state laws. These rules can significantly affect your ability to recover compensation and the overall strategy for your case. An attorney can help you understand how these complex laws apply to your specific situation.

Pennsylvania’s “Choice” No-Fault System

Pennsylvania operates under what is known as a “choice” no-fault insurance system. In a basic sense, “no-fault” means that your own auto insurance policy covers your initial medical bills through Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits, no matter who caused the accident. This is designed to get your medical expenses paid quickly.

The “choice” part is where it gets more complicated. When you buy car insurance in Pennsylvania, you must choose between two options for your right to sue:

• Limited Tort: This option typically has lower premiums. If you choose Limited Tort, you can sue the at-fault driver for all your economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages. However, you give up the right to sue for non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, unless your injuries are considered “serious.” A “serious injury” is defined by law as a personal injury resulting in death, serious impairment of body function, or permanent serious disfigurement.
• Full Tort: This option usually comes with higher premiums. By choosing Full Tort, you retain the unrestricted right to sue the at-fault driver for all damages, including pain and suffering, regardless of the severity of your injury.

The choice you made on your insurance policy has a major impact on your car accident claim. A lawyer can review your policy to determine your rights and explain your options.

Pennsylvania’s Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Cases

In Pennsylvania, there is a strict deadline for filing a lawsuit after a car accident. This deadline is called the statute of limitations, and for personal injury cases, it is generally two years from the date of the accident. This means you have two years to formally file a lawsuit in court.

While two years might seem like a long time, building a strong case takes time. It involves gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, consulting with medical professionals, and negotiating with insurance companies. If you miss the two-year deadline, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case, and you will lose your right to seek any compensation for your injuries. It is crucial to speak with an attorney well before this deadline approaches to protect your legal rights.

Pennsylvania’s Comparative Negligence Standard

What happens if you were partially at fault for the accident? Pennsylvania follows a legal rule known as modified comparative negligence, sometimes called the 51% rule. Under this standard, you can still recover compensation from another at-fault party as long as your share of the blame is not greater than theirs (i.e., you are 50% or less at fault).

Here’s how it works: the court will determine the percentage of fault for each party involved. Your total compensation award will then be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you are found to be 10% at fault for an accident and your total damages are $100,000, you would be able to recover $90,000. However, if you are found to be 51% or more at fault, you are barred from recovering any compensation at all. 

Insurance companies often try to shift as much blame as possible onto the injured person to reduce or deny their claim. An attorney can fight back against these accusations and work to prove the other party was primarily responsible.

How Our Lawyers Prove Negligence in Allentown Car Accident Cases

To succeed in a car accident claim, you must prove that the other party was negligent. In legal terms, negligence means that someone failed to act with the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised under the same circumstances, and this failure caused you harm. Proving negligence involves establishing four key elements.

Your legal team will work to demonstrate that:

1. Duty of Care: The other driver owed you a legal duty to operate their vehicle safely and follow traffic laws. This is a duty every driver on the road shares.
2. Breach of Duty: The driver breached this duty. This can happen in many ways, such as speeding, texting while driving, running a red light, driving under the influence, or making an unsafe lane change.
3. Causation: The driver’s breach of duty was the direct and proximate cause of the accident and your resulting injuries. You have to show that your injuries would not have occurred but for the driver’s actions.
4. Damages: You suffered actual damages as a result of the accident. These include economic losses like medical bills and lost wages, as well as non-economic losses like pain and suffering.

To establish these elements, we gather and analyze all available evidence, which may include police reports, photos, and videos from the scene, witness statements, cell phone records, and data from the vehicle’s “black box.” We may also work with accident reconstruction professionals to piece together exactly how the crash occurred and prove the other driver was at fault.

Compensation Available in an Allentown, Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawsuit

The goal of a personal injury claim is to secure compensation, known as damages, to help you recover financially from the losses you have suffered. This compensation is intended to restore you, as much as possible, to the position you were in before the accident. In Pennsylvania, damages are generally categorized as economic, non-economic, and, in rare cases, punitive.

An experienced  car accident lawyer can help you identify and calculate all the damages you are entitled to, which may include:

Economic Damages: These are the tangible financial losses that have a clear monetary value.

• All past and future medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, medication, and assistive devices.
• Lost wages from time missed at work while recovering.
• Loss of future earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to your job or require you to take a lower-paying position.
• Property damage to your vehicle and other personal items.
• Out-of-pocket costs, such as transportation to medical appointments.

These damages can be proven with documents like medical bills, pay stubs, and repair estimates.

Non-Economic Damages: These damages compensate you for the intangible, personal losses that are harder to quantify.

• Pain and suffering, which includes physical pain and discomfort.
• Emotional distress, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD resulting from the trauma of the accident.
• Loss of enjoyment of life, if your injuries prevent you from participating in hobbies and activities you once loved.
• Scarring and disfigurement.

Placing a dollar value on these losses is complex and often requires the skill of a seasoned attorney. 

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Contact Our Experienced Allentown Car Accident Lawyers

The road to recovery after a car accident can be long and difficult. The legal team at Leonard Hill Personal Injury Lawyers And Car Accident Lawyers is here to provide the support and advocacy you need during this challenging time. We are committed to holding negligent parties accountable and fighting for the full and fair compensation you deserve.

When you work with our firm, we will handle all the legal details so you can focus on healing. We will:

• Conduct a thorough investigation into your accident to gather crucial evidence.
• Manage all communications and negotiations with insurance companies on your behalf.
• Work with medical and financial professionals to accurately calculate the total value of your claim.
• Aggressively advocate for your best interests, whether at the negotiating table or in the courtroom.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Allentown, contact us today at (215) 567-7600 or through our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let us listen to your story and explain how we can help you down the path to recovery.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY