Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer

It’s easy to understand that you might want to rest and take some time to get back on your feet after your accident. However, you will lose the right to recover valuable compensation if you don’t act quickly. The state of Pennsylvania limits the amount of time accident victims have to file an injury claim for damages.

While the time limit can vary, you’ll typically have up to two years to file a civil lawsuit. You could have more or less time, depending on the specific circumstances of your individual case. However, that tends to be the exception, rather than the rule. When you hire a lawyer shortly after an accident, you can rest assured that your case will be filed in a timely manner and that your right to compensation will be preserved.

When you get hurt in an accident in Philadelphia, you might be contacted by an insurance company right away. Adjusters aren’t doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Rather, they’re trying to resolve your claim for damages before you can get an attorney involved in the process. Why? Because they know that this is a turning point in every injury case.

When you’re represented by our attorneys, insurance companies are forced to play by the rules. They can’t rely on their manipulative tactics or scare you into accepting a lowball offer. We simply won’t stand for it. For years, we’ve gone head-to-head with some of the biggest and most powerful insurance companies in Philadelphia – and won. So, the last thing an insurance company wants is for you to hire a lawyer – especially the lawyers at Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky LLC. 

After an accident, no one will want to take responsibility. So, they’ll point fingers. They might even point them at you – even if there’s little-to-no evidence to suggest that you’re at fault. If you don’t fight back, you could wind up losing out on extremely valuable compensation AND being forced to pay those other victims for their injuries.

Pennsylvania has modified comparative negligence rules. What does that mean, and why is it important? In very simple terms, more than one person can share responsibility for an accident in Pennsylvania. Sharing blame can affect your ability to recover compensation. If you share more than 50 percent of the blame, you’ll be prohibited from getting any money, at all. If you share 50 percent of the blame or less, your damages will be adjusted to reflect that. 

When you hire our attorneys, you can rest assured that we’ll stand up and do everything in our power to stop these tactics from working. If you did play a role in the accident, we’ll work diligently to minimize it. The less responsibility you share, the higher your financial settlement or award can be.

When an insurer can’t deny a claim in good faith, it will still try to limit the amount of money it has to pay. They’ll rely on experts, algorithms, and formulas to arrive at an incredibly low settlement offer.  So, you really don’t want to let insurance companies decide what your injuries and personal injury case are worth. When you hire our attorneys to take the lead on your injury case, you can level the playing field and give yourself the best opportunity to get all of the money you deserve.

Our law firm appreciates the value that experts can bring to the table. So, as we investigate, build, and value your case, we’ll turn to any experts who might be able to provide beneficial insight or information. We’ll listen to doctors, psychologists, and vocational experts as we attempt to understand the extent of your injuries and how they might affect your life. This information will be fundamental in figuring out precisely what your case is worth.

When we’re ready to begin negotiations, we’ll be armed with facts, solid evidence, and expert-backed testimony. That’s a combination that helps us to regularly secure maximum compensation for our clients.

Compensatory damages are paid to compensate you for your injuries, suffering, and costs after an accident. These awards are actually broken down into two distinct categories: economic awards and non-economic awards. 

Economic damages are paid to compensate for the calculable and verifiable financial costs of an accident. These include:

• Medical expenses (e.g., ambulance service, hospitalization, surgery, medical devices, medication)
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• The cost of replacing or repairing damage to property
• Lost wages and income
• Temporary and/or permanent disability
• Reduced earning capacity, and
• Funeral and burial expenses.

You are entitled to seek economic damages for both present and future costs.

Non-economic damages are paid to compensate for the intangible, subjective, and highly-personal consequences that an accident might cause. These include:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, and PTSD
• Disfigurement
• Scarring
• Loss of consortium, and
• Loss of enjoyment of life.

There are many factors that can affect how an unintentional injury will affect a person. So, these damages tend to be difficult to value in terms of dollars are cents. The value can vary substantially from one case to another. It’s critical to enlist the help of qualified experts and specialists during the valuation process.

Punitive damages have one singular purpose: to punish the defendant for conduct that is particularly bad. In Pennsylvania, punitive damages can only be awarded when it’s established by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s conduct was malicious, willful, wanton, extreme, or outrageous. So, punitive damages are typically not available in all personal injury cases. Rather, they’re reserved for when an extreme remedy is necessary.

Our Philadelphia personal injury team will carefully review your case and identify any and all damages that might be available to you. Then we’ll work hard to secure maximum compensation on your behalf.

Worried that you can’t afford a personal injury lawyer? That’s not the case when you call Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC. Why? Our legal team works on a contingency basis. In the simplest possible terms, this means that you don’t owe us any money unless we win your case. You pay nothing until we recover a settlement offer or financial award on your behalf.

When we win, our law firm will collect a pre-agreed upon percentage of your financial recovery. This arrangement allows you to get the help you need without the burden and stress of up-front legal fees. Give our no win, no fee Philadelphia personal injury lawyers a call today to learn more about our fee structure.

No two personal injury cases are the same. How long your personal injury case takes ultimately depends on the decisions you make. You could realistically have a case that only lasts a few days if you decide to accept an early offer from the insurance company.

However, if you decide to fight for more money than they’re offering, chances are the case will take longer to resolve. In that case, things like investigations, determinations of fault, consultations with expert witnesses, and back-and-forth negotiations can take time. Call our Philadelphia personal injury law firm for more information.

Could your case go to court? Yes. However, the vast majority of personal injury lawsuits don’t.

Defendants and plaintiffs in these matters tend to settle privately before a trial is necessary.

Trials can be particularly time-consuming and expensive – and insurance companies don’t always fare well in front of a jury – so out-of-court settlements are pretty common. If you’re concerned about going to court, speak to our injury lawyers about your case. 

Quite possibly, yes. While some states bar victims from recovering compensation if they contribute to their accident, Pennsylvania does not. Instead, Pennsylvania has modified comparative negligence rules. Simply put, you can recover compensation for your accident-related damages as long as you’re not primarily at fault. Your claim will only be barred if you share more than 50 percent of the blame.

While sharing fault won’t necessarily stop you from recovering money, it will affect how much you can ultimately get. Your financial award will be adjusted downward to compensate for your contributions to the accident. For example, sharing 30 percent of the blame will mean that your damages will be reduced by 30 percent.

Always seek the assistance of a Philadelphia personal injury attorney after an accident, especially if you might be blamed by other parties. Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC will work to minimize your role. We know that the less fault allocated to you, the greater your financial recovery can be.