When dealing with the aftermath of a car accident, never go it alone. Our lawyers can represent you, talk to insurance companies for you, help you know what your case is truly worth, and fight for full compensation.
Insurance companies often have their best interest in mind, but our lawyers are legally required to have your best interests in mind. Never settle for less than your case is worth. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, we can even take your case to court.
For help, call our car accident lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm today at (215) 709-6940.
What to Do If You Were Injured in a Car Accident?
In the days after a car accident injury, you may be wondering what happens next. Generally, you will be focusing on your recovery and following up with doctor’s appointments as needed, all while seeking compensation for your injuries. But you should always work with a lawyer on this process:
Getting Medical Treatment
Your injuries could range in severity, and you might need anything from surgery to rehabilitation. Make sure to save all medical bills and seek out all the care you need.
Getting care creates records of what injuries you faced. It also shows your injuries were serious.
Missing any care along the way might make it seem like you are making your injuries worse or that they are not all that bad if you did not need the care after all. Make sure to follow up with all care to avoid jeopardizing your claim.
Insurance Companies
In Pennsylvania, some benefits come from your insurance policy and others come from the defendant’s. However, both insurance companies might be unwilling to pay you the full value.
Not knowing the value of your case can make it hard to negotiate, and insurance companies might try to take advantage of you. Never sign anything or accept any money without checking with your car accident lawyers first.
How We Can Help
Our lawyers can value your case, talk to insurance for you, and fight to get you the maximum compensation the law allows. This will help to pay for all of your needs.
If the insurance companies are unwilling or uncooperative, we can take them to court and fight for damages there.
The Process of a Car Accident Lawsuit in Newtown, PA
If your car accident case gets to court, there are three major stages of the case our lawyers will be able to walk you through.
Preliminary Stages
At the beginning of the case, our lawyers handle filings and complaints with the court. We will also write motions and make arguments to help eliminate unfair evidence and potentially get concessions that reduce what ultimately needs to be proven at trial.
There could be hearings you want to attend, but appearances can be waived for most of these stages. That means you can stay home or in the hospital recovering while we go to court for you.
Discovery
During the discovery stage, parties exchange and collect evidence. It is here that both parties will take depositions.
During a deposition, witnesses come into the office to testify on the record about what happened. Through this testimony, we can probe how strong the case is and potentially convince the defense to settle on the strength of your evidence.
However, settlements that are unfair should be rejected, and we can fight it out at trial.
Trial
At trial, we present the best evidence and arguments we have. We can obtain medical records and other evidence to present in your case. You can testify on the stand, and we can call other relevant witnesses, too.
Then, we get to argue your case in closing arguments to fight for maximum compensation.
Trials can take a few days, depending on the complexity of the facts, the number of experts, and the number of witnesses needed. From there, payment should be issued within about a month if we win your case.
Is a Car Accident Lawyer Expensive?
Our attorneys primarily get paid from the winnings in your case. This is called a “contingency fee” arrangement, meaning that our payment is contingent upon you winning in the first place.
With this setup, injury victims can get lawyers more easily since there is nothing to pay at the beginning. It also ties our fee to our success and means we only get paid if you do.
Typically, our fee is a percentage of your winnings, meaning the specific amount will vary. A contingency fee arrangement is not valid until signed, so make sure to review this with our attorneys during your free case review.
Damages for Lost Wages After a Car Accident
When you get hurt in an accident – even if the crash had nothing to do with your job – it might affect your ability to work. If this lasts for a limited time, you might have faced lost wages for a few weeks or months, but if it lasts indefinitely, your lost earnings will skyrocket.
We will account for lost earnings in your claim, including past and future lost wages.
You might be able to work with accommodations or at a less physically demanding job, potentially for a lower wage. A disability might even stop you from working at all. In either case, we can project your expected wages going forward to see how much you lost from your expected pre-injury wages.
Damages for Pain and Suffering After a Car Accident
Pain and suffering and other “non-economic damages” account for the harms that have no monetary value. These can include emotional distress or feelings of loss, fear, and embarrassment, to name a few.
Often, these damages are calculated based on the severity of your injury. One method assigns a multiplier ranging from 1.5 to 5 to apply to the rest of your damages. Another chooses a per-diem value for your suffering and pays that for each day you are affected.
Reach Out to Our Car Accident Lawyers for a Crash in Newtown Today
Call our car accident attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm for your free case review by dialing (215) 709-6940 today.
