Wexford Car Accident Lawyer

Top-Rated Car Accident Attorney in Wexford, PA

Have you been injured in a car accident in Wexford, Pennsylvania? Whether you were hurt in a T-bone car crash at the intersection of Manor Road and Glendale Street or in a rear-end collision on Perry Highway, you shouldn’t have to pay for the consequences of someone else’s negligence.

When drivers run a red light or negligently change lanes without signaling, they are liable for any injuries resulting from their poor decisions. A car accident lawyer like those at SMT Legal can help you pursue damages from the person who hurt you. Your chances of collecting a substantial settlement are much greater with the help of an attorney.

If you’ve been hurt in a car crash in Wexford, contact SMT Legal for a free consultation today.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Wexford, Pennsylvania?

Here are the steps to take after a car accident in Wexford, Pennsylvania:

• Move your car to the side of the road if possible, but do not leave the accident scene, as this would violate Pennsylvania’s hit-and-run law.
• Call 911 so you can tell the responding officer what happened and get whatever medical care you need.
• Exchange information with the other driver. Under Pennsylvania law, you must provide your name, address, and registration number. On request, you must also show your driver’s license and proof of insurance.
• Collect contact information from any eyewitnesses to the accident. Later, your lawyer will collect statements from them to support your case.
• If you can, take photos or video to document the injuries you’ve suffered, the damage to your vehicle, road signs and traffic signals, and road conditions. These will all prove valuable evidence for your case.
• Get medical assistance as soon as possible. Make sure to see a doctor even if you don’t think you’re badly injured. Injuries are often worse than they seem, but it can be difficult to prove that your injuries were a result of the accident unless you seek medical care immediately.
• Contact a Wexford, Pennsylvania, car accident lawyer immediately.

One thing you should avoid doing after a car accident is to talk with the insurance company without the help of your lawyer. The insurance adjuster may seem sympathetic, but, in reality, their goal is to find some reason to deny or minimize your claim. It’s not easy for an untrained person to avoid saying something that the insurance company can use against them. It’s best for your attorney to handle all conversations with the insurance company.

What a Car Accident Lawyer Can Do for You

A skilled car accident lawyer can handle many tasks you would otherwise have to do yourself. For example:

• Your lawyer can investigate the accident by reviewing the police report, taking statements from eyewitnesses, examining your medical records, reviewing any photographs or video footage, and consulting with experts.
• Your lawyer can determine the true value of your personal injury claim, including all your medical expenses, lost income, and other losses.
• Your lawyer can send a demand letter to the insurance company and handle all communications with them for you.
• Your attorney can negotiate for a settlement, pushing the insurance company for maximum compensation.
• If the insurance company doesn’t offer a settlement that covers all your losses, your attorney can file a lawsuit and vigorously represent you in court.

A lawyer with extensive car accident experience will have done all these things many times before and will know how to counter every insurance company tactic in pursuing compensation for you. Your chances of successfully standing up to the insurance company are much higher with the help of a lawyer.

Insurance Coverage in Pennsylvania

The compensation you can receive in a car accident in Pennsylvania may depend on how much insurance coverage you and the other driver are carrying. You can choose different levels of coverage, but the minimum levels, according to the Automobile Insurance Guide, are:

• $5000 medical benefits for your injuries and those of anyone covered by your insurance policy.
• $15,000 liability for bodily injury for a single person.
• $30,000 bodily injury liability for a single accident.
• $5000 property damage liability.

If your losses exceed the insurance coverage the other driver carries, you may be able to file a claim with your uninsured or underinsured motorist’s coverage to make up the difference. This coverage is optional, so you’ll need to check your policy to see if you purchased it.

Full Tort and Limited Tort

Pennsylvania is a no-fault state for car accidents. This means that each driver in an accident files a claim with their own medical payments coverage insurance first. That coverage will pay for medical expenses up to the coverage limit, regardless of who was at fault for the accident.

In Pennsylvania, a vehicle’s owner has two options for purchasing insurance. They can purchase “limited tort” insurance or “full tort” insurance. Limited tort insurance is usually less expensive. If you have limited tort insurance, once your medical payments coverage is exhausted, you can seek compensation for your medical expenses (but not pain and suffering) from the at-fault driver’s insurance company unless your injuries meet specific “serious injury” thresholds.

However, you can carry “full tort” insurance instead, giving you the unrestricted right to sue the other driver for your losses from the accident, regardless of the seriousness of your injury. With this coverage, you can pursue compensation for pain and suffering as well as all your other accident-related losses.

Compensation in Pennsylvania Car Accident Claims

If you were injured in a car crash caused by someone else, you could seek compensation for:

• Medical expenses
• Lost income
• Future lost earning capacity
• Disfigurement
• Pain and Suffering
• Property damage

Your lawyer and the at-fault party’s insurer will negotiate to reach a settlement in your case. If no appropriate settlement can be reached, your case will go to trial. Once the court determines who was at fault, they will also calculate the amount of damages they will award for your losses.

However, you can still obtain compensation for an accident if you were partly at fault. Pennsylvania has a modified comparative negligence law. Under this law, you can collect compensation from the other at-fault party unless you were more than 50% at fault. However, any compensation you obtain will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault for the accident.

For example, suppose you were driving 10mph over the speed limit when the accident occurred, but the other driver was intoxicated and driving 30 mph over the speed limit when they hit you. If the court finds you 15% responsible for the accident, it will reduce your compensation by 15%.

Although this law is only binding on court decisions, insurance companies adhere to it, as well. If they believe the court would find you 15% at fault for the crash, they will reduce any offer of compensation by 15%.

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Contact a Wexford, Pennsylvania, Car Accident Lawyer Today

If you’ve been in a car accident in Wexford, Pennsylvania, and are now struggling with severe injuries, SMT Legal can help you. We handle all kinds of personal injury cases in Wexford and the surrounding area, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, and collisions between vehicles and pedestrians.

We know how hard it is to cope with major injuries after a car accident, and we are devoted to ensuring that our clients do not have to face that struggle alone.

Call SMT Legal today for a free consultation. We’ll talk about your Wexford car accident and discuss your options.