Valley Forge Car Accident Attorney
Car accidents are all too common these days, including here in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. If this is something that has happened to you, be sure to hire a Valley Forge car accident lawyer with the right expertise to guide you through the next steps.
The busy roads surrounding Valley Forge include Freeway I-76 (also known as Schuylkill Expressway), PA Route 23, and PA 252. Chances are you use one or more of these routes every day. Unfortunately, nowadays, roads we rely on like these are becoming more and more busy, which means a high likelihood of accidents.
If you’ve had the misfortune to have a car accident in Valley Forge or surrounding areas, your first priority will be to ensure that anyone affected is safe and that their injuries are attended to.
Once the shock of your accident has worn off a little, turn your mind to hiring a Valley Forge car accident attorney who will accompany you through the legal process of getting the compensation you deserve. That’s where Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers comes in, dedicated to fighting your corner and ensuring that justice is served.
Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Gets You the Compensation You Deserve
When you’ve suffered a car accident, it’s not a case of simply getting on with your life once your medical issues have been treated. Your injuries may be serious enough to change your life for good, leaving you with expensive medical bills to cover.
They may also result in a loss of income and the cost of repairs to your new car, or even a new vehicle. And that’s not to mention the emotional stress around your accident, especially if you suffer from flashbacks.
There are many reasons why you may be entitled to compensation if you’ve been affected by a vehicle accident. These include compensation to cover:
- Medical expenses in the immediate aftermath of the accident and over the long term
- Loss of earnings now and in the future
- Permanent physical disability, including those that are obvious now and those that may arise in the future as a result of your injuries
- Ongoing pain from injuries sustained in the accident
- Emotional fall-out — for example, stress, depression, anxiety, and a feeling that you no longer enjoy life
- The emotional impact of losing a loved one in a car accident
- Damage to your property, or even its total destruction
So, if you’ve suffered injuries or damage or have sadly lost a loved one as a result of a car accident, consult a car accident lawyer in Valley Forge with the experience to guide you through the compensation process.
In fact, the sooner you consult the legal team at Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, the better. This means that physical evidence is more likely to be retained, and tracking down witnesses who have the details of your incident fresh in their minds will be easier. It also means that you will reach the settlement that you deserve sooner, bringing closure to your ordeal.
What to Do After a Car Accident in Valley Forge?
No one wants to think they might be involved in a car accident. But if you’re prepared, you’ll be able to handle the experience more confidently.
Here’s a plan you can use in case you’re ever involved in a car accident:
Keep Safe
As long as your and any other passengers are not seriously hurt, move to a safe area away from traffic, like the side of the road where you can wait for help.
However, if someone is seriously injured, don’t attempt to move them unless it’s strictly necessary to avoid further harm.
Turn on your hazard lights to indicate to other road users that you require help and to make them aware if you are blocking the road. You can also use flares if it’s dark.
Call the Police
Call the police and wait for them to arrive.
If anyone involved in the accident is hurt, call 911 for assistance.
Don’t leave the scene of the accident — this could mean that you end up facing criminal charges for hit and run.
The only exception to this would be if no injuries have been sustained and everyone involved agrees that you can simply swap insurance details.
Gather Information
Gather all the information you need to pass on to your insurance company and the police. This will include:
- Driver and passenger names
- License plate numbers
- Make and model of cars involved
- Insurance information from the other party
- Witness contact details
It’s also important to take notes if you can about what happened. Also, take pictures of the scene on your cell phone.
Be sure to keep the contact information of any police officer who arrives to deal with the incident.
Call Your Insurance Company
You should call your insurance company as soon as you can after the incident. Give them as many details as you can, such as, the location of the accident and the sequence of events.
Keep a Note of the Treatment
It’s important to keep a note of any treatment you receive as a result of the accident. This could be treatment received in the hospital or visits to a physical therapist sometime afterward to help deal with continuing issues.
Be sure to save any bills relating to treatment or prescriptions, and make a note of any work time lost as a result of your treatment.
Be Discreet
Be careful what you disclose about your car accident to others. This is especially important when it comes to discussing the accident with the other party’s insurance company — you don’t want them to talk you into accepting a lower amount of compensation than is right.
For further guidance, speak to a trusted Valley Forge car accident lawyer to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
Be Prepared
Sadly, car accidents are now a common occurrence and can happen to anyone. No matter how safe a driver you are, it’s best to take these measures to prepare yourself just in case you are involved in an accident:
- Keep important paperwork, like your vehicle registration and insurance documents, health plan, and contact information, on hand.
- Always travel with a fully charged cell phone.
- Take pictures of your car in its current condition so you can clearly see the damage incurred after an accident.
- Along with a camera or cell phone to take pictures, keep an accident kit in your vehicle containing first aid supplies, road flares, jumper cables, a flashlight, notebook and pen, a fire extinguisher, and a tire puncture repair kit.
Types of Car Accidents Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Handles
Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers handles a wide variety of car accidents. These include the following:
Head-On Collisions. In 2022, there were 4,586 head-on collisions in Pennsylvania, with 153 of these resulting in fatalities. This makes this type of collision one of the most lethal accidents recorded.
Rear-End Accidents. Rear-end crashes were the third most likely type of crash to occur in the state in 2022, accounting for 22,465 incidents.
Wrong Way Accidents. Wrong way accidents can occur when a driver goes the wrong way down a one-way street or simply drives on the wrong side of the road. In some cases, this can result in serious injuries or death.
Distracted Driver Accidents. Even though the number of deaths on the highway in Pennsylvania went down last year, fatalities in distracted driver crashes reached a 10-year high, making this one of the most dangerous types of accidents.
Fatal Car Accidents. A glimmer of hope is that the overall number of fatal car accidents was down in 2022.
Hit-and-Run Accidents. These are when at least one individual involved in a crash leaves the scene of the incident before volunteering any help or information to the other people involved. It can also refer to accidents where the driver fails to report the incident.
Sideswipe Accidents. This is when the sides of two vehicles impact. They can be caused by negligent or dangerous driving, or when one of the drivers is not paying sufficient attention to the road.
Full-Tort vs. Limited-Tort Insurance in Pennsylvania
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, it’s important to understand the difference between full-tort vs. limited-tort insurance.
In Pennsylvania, you can choose between limited-tort and full-tort insurance.
As per Pennsylvania Statutes Title 75 PA.CSA Vehicles § 1705, a limited tort or no-fault insurance policy (also known as personal injury protection or PIP) limits the right to seek compensation from the at-fault driver. You may only claim for financial loss related to your accident, such as costs relating to medical treatment or loss of wages. You are still able to register a claim if the accident was your fault.
The same legislation says that with full tort coverage (also known as tort insurance), you have an unrestricted right to claim compensation for injuries from the other driver. While this can be a more challenging process, you could recover damages that cover not only your monetary loss but other areas as well, like emotional suffering or pain.
But with full-tort insurance, you can only make a claim that relates to a percentage representing the other driver’s fault. So, if the damages amount to $100,000 but the other driver was considered to be 75% at fault, then you’d receive $75,000.
It also means that you can’t file a suit against the other driver if your proportion of fault is considered to be larger. This applies to personal injury only — you can still file a claim for property damage in this case.
Whichever insurance policy you have, it makes sense to consult with your local Valley Forge car accident lawyer to understand what you could gain from a claim.
How Comparative Negligence Laws May Impact Your Claim
If after consultation with your car accident lawyer you decide to go ahead with a claim, know that your case will be subject to Pennsylvania’s car accident laws.
For example, Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations says that you only have two years from the accident to start your lawsuit relating to personal injuries or damage to property incurred in a car accident.
Meanwhile, personal injury law stipulates that you must fulfill four criteria to file a personal injury case. These are:
- That the person you are claiming against owed you a duty of care
- That the said duty of care was breached
- That this breach was the cause of the accident
- That the person filing the case was hurt in the accident
Comparative fault laws in Pennsylvania impact how much damages you can claim for, depending on how much at fault you were for the accident. Pennsylvania operates a “modified comparative negligence” system, also known as the “51% rule.” This means that as long as the other driver is deemed to be at least 51% at fault for the accident (more so than you, in other words), then you can go ahead with the claim.
However, as we’ve seen in the previous section, you’ll only get compensation proportionately, according to how much the other driver was to blame.
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Dealing with the aftermath of a car accident and its long-term effects can be challenging and emotionally draining.
Fortunately, if you reside in Valley Forge, PA, area, there are many local resources to help you through this time.
One of the first things you will need to do is seek medical care to treat your immediate injuries, worsening of any pre-existing condition as a result of the crash, or any issues that arise over the longer term.
The Valley Forge locality is well-equipped with quality medical care, thanks to Penn Medicine, which offers a wide selection of hospitals, outpatient centers, and home care and telehealth services to help you with any short- and long-term medical issues arising from your accident.
If you require some extra support, reach out to Penn Therapy. They can offer you the rehab you need after a physical injury. Your therapist will devise a customized treatment plan to help you with any lasting effects from injuries sustained in your accident. And because they’re the official therapy provider for Penn Medicine, you can be assured that you’ll receive quality, joined-up care.
In practical terms, you’ll also need to get your car fixed following your accident. KDS Automotive offers car repairs and servicing for the Valley Forge area and is a company you can rely on. This family-owned company has been in business since 2010.
Or head to Ott’s Auto Center and Body Shop, another family-owned local business that puts customer service at the heart of everything they do. Entrust Ott’s with your collision repairs and know that your vehicle will be in the safest of hands.
Contact Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation
Tyler Wilk of Wilk Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers is your go-to Valley Forge car accident lawyer. He is committed to serving the people of Valley Forge, helping them to secure the compensation they deserve following a car accident.
With many successful cases behind him, you can be confident that Tyler Wilk will do his very best to help you get a sense of justice and closure. Reach out today for a free consultation to know more.
In addition to Valley Forge, our legal team serves many other locations including West Chester, Philadelphia, Coatesville, Downingtown, Pottstown, Kennett Square, Berwyn, Phoenixville, Devon, Exton, Frazer, and more.