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Philadelphia Car Accident Attorney

Getting into a car accident in Philadelphia can be terrifying and stressful, especially if the accident wasn’t your fault. Between repairing your car, taking care of any injuries, and restoring your mental health, you’ve got a lot to deal with in the aftermath of an accident. The Philadelphia car accident lawyers here at Wilk Law are here to help manage the logistics for you, dealing with insurance companies and the like, so that you can focus on recovering from the accident and rebuilding your life.

Philadelphia County is home to many dangerous roads where accidents are common, including Interstate 676, the Delaware Expressway, the Schuylkill Expressway, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Our car accident attorneys in Philadelphia are highly familiar with all of these routes and have seen it all. You can count on our team to help get you any compensation you deserve after an accident. Read on to learn more about car accidents in Philadelphia and what our team can do to help.

Are There Many Car Crashes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

In any major city where there are a lot of motorists, including Philadelphia, you can be sure that car accidents will be relatively common. In fact, there were more than 8,700 vehicular crashes in Philadelphia County in 2022 alone. Of those, over 5,500 involved some sort of injury, and 134 were fatal. While you hope to never be involved in a car accident, chances are that you will be in at least one over the course of your life. With any luck, it will just be a minor fender bender that has minimal impact on your health and well-being and you won’t require the services of a Philadelphia car accident lawyer.

Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Philadelphia, PA

While car accidents can occur on any road at any time, there are some areas that tend to be more accident-prone than others. Philadelphia is home to four of the top 10 most dangerous roads in the state. In addition to the roads mentioned previously, Roosevelt Boulevard, Broad Street, Lehigh Avenue, and Bustleton Avenue are hot spots for car accidents. The area around Northeast Philadelphia Airport tends to be fairly dangerous as well. While you may not be able to avoid driving in these areas entirely, you can be on high alert when passing through.

Pennsylvania ‘No-Fault’ Insurance Laws

The state of Pennsylvania operates under a policy of “no-fault” insurance. What this means for you is that if you are involved in an accident that is not your fault, your own auto insurance policy will cover the costs of your medical expenses. If your expenses exceed the limits of your policy, the other driver’s policy will then cover any remainder. If it is determined that you had no fault in the accident, your insurance rates will not increase due to the claim.

Of course, in any accident, the fault assigned to each driver can be somewhat of a gray area, as both drivers are likely to claim that they were not at fault. This is where your Philadelphia car accident attorney can be particularly helpful. They can ensure that your medical bills are covered appropriately and that your rates don’t increase unnecessarily.

Determining Liability and Proving Negligence in Philadelphia Car Accidents

When it comes to getting compensation for your injuries and suffering following a vehicular accident in Pennsylvania, the state follows what is known as the 51% rule. In many accidents, both drivers share at least some of the blame for the crash. Insurance companies and personal injury courts will have to determine the level of fault of both parties before awarding any type of compensation.

For example, if it is determined that you held 25% of the blame for the accident and the other driver 75%, you might be eligible for some compensation. However, that amount would be reduced somewhat due to your level of fault in the accident. On the other hand, if you held the larger share of the blame, you could have to compensate the other driver.

How Our Philadelphia Car Accident Attorneys Can Help

While there is no rule stating you must hire a car accident lawyer in Philadelphia, not doing so places the insurance company at an unfair advantage. Insurance companies have teams of adjusters and attorneys working tirelessly to deny claims, delay claims, or settle claims for as little money as possible. Insurance companies are in business to make money, not pay it out to accident victims.

Insurance company adjusters and attorneys deal with claims every day. It is their job. If car insurance claims are also your job, maybe you can settle your car accident claim.

If you do not handle car insurance claims every day, do not know Pennsylvania car accident law backward and forward, and are unfamiliar with courtroom practices and procedures, you will benefit significantly from retaining a car accident accident attorney in Philadelphia.

Do not try to negotiate or litigate your claim. Let the legal team at Wilk Law take that burden off of you and your family so you can focus on healing. Our legal team will work diligently on your case from the moment you walk into our office until we either settle your claim in negotiations or receive a courtroom verdict.

Wilk Law puts its time, effort, and resources into building a trial-ready case for you. This entails the following, and more:

  • Thoroughly investigating your accident;
  • Identifying liable parties;
  • Interviewing witnesses;
  • Locating sources of compensation;
  • Hiring needed experts;
  • Reviewing your medical records and prognosis for recovery;
  • Determining your total losses;
  • Serving the insurance company with a compensation demand;
  • Negotiating a fair and just settlement on your behalf; or
  • Filing a civil lawsuit; and
  • Moving forward towards trial.

Contact Wilk Law to ask your car accident questions and discuss the car accident claims process. Wilk Law can make the difference in your car accident claim. Speak to one of our skilled Philadelphia car accident attorneys today.

What Is the Average Car Accident Settlement Amount in Philadelphia?

It is impossible to estimate what your settlement might be without knowing the full details of your specific accident. However, to give you a ballpark, the average settlement for an accident involving injuries is around $15,000, while for accidents that only involve property damage, it tends to be around $3,000. During your initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Philadelphia, they’ll be able to give you a more accurate idea of what you might be able to expect once they are more familiar with your case.

Types of Car Accidents Wilk Law Handles

Here at Wilk Law, our Philadelphia car accident lawyers handle a wide range of car accident types, including:

  • Speeding Accidents – Speeding can be involved in any type of car accident. When one or more drivers are driving too fast for the road conditions, it can make it more difficult for them to keep their vehicles under control, which can make accidents more likely.
  • Wrong-Way Accidents – Driving the wrong way on a road is highly dangerous and often results in accidents. Although most drivers don’t intentionally drive on the wrong side of the road, it can happen if they are unfamiliar with an area, not paying attention, or under the influence. 
  • Head-On Collisions – Head-on collisions made up about 4% of accidents in Pennsylvania in 2022, though they constituted 13% of fatal accidents. When two vehicles hit head-on, the relative speeds of each vehicle compound, which is why these types of accidents are particularly deadly.
  • Sideswipe Accidents – Sideswipes are involved in more than 7% of PA accidents, though less than 5% of fatalities. These kinds of accidents are more likely to cause vehicular damage than injury unless there is a subsequent collision with another vehicle or object.
  • Rear-End Accidents – Rear-end accidents are among the most common accident types, coming in at just shy of 20% of accidents in the state. These accidents are more likely to be minor and occur at lower speeds, making up only about 7% of fatal accidents. 
  • Hit-and-Run Accidents – Any type of accident can become a hit-and-run when one driver flees the scene after an accident. If possible, make note of the driver’s vehicle make and model, as well as their license plate. 
  • Pedestrian Accidents – Most common on surface streets, pedestrian accidents in Philadelphia can lead to serious injury or death, as pedestrians have no protection against large, heavy vehicles traveling at high speeds. 
  • Distracted Driver Accidents – While not the only cause of car accidents, the most common and cited cause of car crashes across the United States is distracted driving. Distracted driving happens any time a driver takes their focus away from the activity of driving. The three types of distracted driving are visual, manual, and cognitive and include things like texting and driving, eating, drinking, looking at the sound system or trying to find an object.
  • Fatal Car Accidents – Although fatal car accidents are not the norm, they can be devastating for the families and other loved ones of the victims. With improving roadway safety, we can hope our state can approach zero fatal accidents. 

Speeding and sideswipe accidents tend to be more common on expressways and interstates, while pedestrian accidents and rear-end accidents are more prevalent on surface streets, as you might expect. Of course, any type of accident can happen on any type of road, so it is important to always be vigilant while driving to stay as safe as possible.

Texting and Driving

It is important to note that texting is a visual, manual, and cognitive driving distraction and the number one cause of distracted driving accidents. This is one of the many reasons Philadelphia and all of Pennsylvania bans texting and driving.

A citation for texting and driving in Pennsylvania carries a fifty-dollar fine, plus court costs and fees. The violation does not go on the driver’s record, nor does it carry points.

The same is not true for commercial drivers. Texting and driving are recorded on a commercial driver’s record as a non-sanction violation. Whether a driver is commercial or non-commercial, the texting device’s seizure is unauthorized by Pennsylvania law.

Pennsylvania’s ban on texting does not include the use of a system or device integrated within a vehicle, such as a GPS or mass transit communications device found on a school bus.

What Are the Two Categories of Car Accident Injuries?

There are two categories of car accident personal injuries: impact injuries and penetrating injuries. Impact injuries are injuries that occur when the body collides with the car’s interior, while penetrating injuries happen when the body is cut or scraped of its skin.

Some of the most commonly cited impact and penetrating car accident injuries are:

  • Cuts and lacerations;
  • Fractures and broken bones;
  • Internal organ injuries;
  • Burns and smoke inhalation;
  • Whiplash and other neck injuries;
  • Knee injuries;
  • Spine and back injuries;
  • Paralysis;
  • Concussions;
  • Traumatic brain injury; and
  • Death.

Car accident injuries are not always bodily. Motor vehicle accidents also cause mental and emotional trauma. Some leave victims with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Call or contact Wilk Law today if you have suffered a personal injury due to a car accident.

Mistakes to Avoid Which Could Hurt Your Car Accident Case

In the aftermath of an accident, you are likely to be at least a bit shaken up, so it is perfectly understandable if some of the details slip through the cracks of your memory. However, even small mistakes can hurt your chances of getting compensation, so it is important to do everything you can to support your case. For starters, you should always see a doctor, even if your injuries seem minor. Some injuries can take days or weeks to fully show up, and you’ll want to have a trail of evidence that you have been receiving appropriate medical care.

You should also be sure to document everything at the scene of the accident if you are able to. Take pictures of the damage to both vehicles and of any visible injuries. Make note of any witnesses to the accident, and write down everything you are able to remember about how the accident occurred. Whatever you do, don’t readily admit any fault in the accident, even if you believe it was your fault. That is for your Philadelphia car accident lawyer, law enforcement, insurance companies, and the court to determine.

Finally, be incredibly mindful of what you post on social media, as it could be used against you. For example, if you claim that your injuries are making it difficult to work but then post about a trip to an amusement park where you rode roller coasters, it could damage your credibility and make it less likely that you would be eligible for any compensation. The same goes for what your friends and family post about you.

Understanding Damages and Car Accident Compensation

Compensation for a car accident claim may include physical, mental, and emotional injuries. In fact, car accident compensation takes an accident’s overall effect on the victim’s life into account.

Potential damages for a car accident claim may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Current and future medical expenses;
  • Prescriptions, medical devices, and equipment;
  • Property damage;
  • Lost wages;
  • Loss of earning capacity;
  • Psychological counseling;
  • Mental and emotional trauma;
  • Pain and suffering;
  • Loss of consortium; and
  • Wrongful death.

To learn about potential damages in your car accident claim, or to find out about specific types of care available for car accident injuries, call Wilk Law. Our car accident attorneys in Philadelphia are ready to meet with you and gladly answer your car accident claim questions.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thanks to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, Philadelphia, PA, is taking steps to make its roadways safer, including adding automated speed limit enforcement, more frequent posted speed limit signs, and narrower lanes. These initiatives are part of the broader Vision Zero plan to improve the roads with the highest accident and fatality rates. The ultimate goal is to bring the state to zero roadway fatalities.

If you have been involved in a car accident in Philadelphia, you have numerous resources available to assist you. For example, Philly Auto Repair and CK Auto Image provide mechanical repairs to ensure your engine runs smoothly after an accident, while A&M Auto Body can help restore your vehicle’s appearance. Rebalance Physical Therapy offers services to help you get your physical health back on track through targeted exercises to address your injuries.

Contact Wilk Law Today For a Free Consultation

Call Wilk Law today or call (855) 946-3678 and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Our Philadelphia car accident attorneys are here to help you with:

  • Pursuing any area of Pennsylvania car accident law;
  • Access to medical specialists and other car accident services;
  • Obtaining fair and just compensation for your injuries both now and in the future; and
  • Honest and reliable legal advice regarding your car accident claim.

At Wilk Law, we want to make you and your family financially stable again, so you can focus on recovering and returning to a more normal home life. Let us handle all aspects of your car accident claim and aggressively pursue any negligent parties for your injuries.

Some of the other locations our law firm serves includes West Chester, Coatesville, Pottstown, Downingtown, Phoenixville, Kennett Square, Berwyn, Devon, Exton, Frazer, and more.