Car Crash Injury Lawyer

Car crashes are one of the most common causes of serious injuries in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If you have been injured in a car crash, it is likely that your world is spinning. An accident on the road can happen in an instant and often leaves the victim hurt, shocked and nervous. After the accident scene is cleaned up, the questions have only begun for most victims. Who will pay for your medical bills? How do you know whose fault the accident was? How are you going to recover what you have lost?

The personal injury attorneys at GSGB have 40 years of experience representing individuals and their family members who have been seriously injured in car crashes. At GSGB, you will have direct contact with a car accident lawyer as you are guided through your case and we do not get paid unless we are able to get you financial compensation. If you or your loved one has been injured in a car crash, call GSGB today for a free and confidential consultation with a personal injury attorney.

How do We Prove Who Caused the Accident?

The personal injury lawyers at GSGB will get to work right away to establish liability in your accident. Liability is the legal term for being responsible for causing the car accident. We work with investigators to photograph the scene of the accident, speak with all witnesses and obtain all relevant police reports.

Important Do’s and Don’ts for Car Accident Injuries

If you are injured in a car crash, there are some important things you can do right away to help your own case.

Do take photographs – Be sure to take photographs of the scene showing the damage to the vehicles involved in the accident as well as where the vehicles ended up after the accident on the road.

Do call the police – After the accident, be sure to call the police and let them know you are hurt. When they arrive on the scene, be sure to speak with the police and give them your account of how the car crash occurred.

Do seek medical treatment – In the moments after a car crash, people tend to feel a sense of shock and numbness. Often, it is only after this shock passes that pain from injuries starts to set in. If you are hurting from the car crash, be sure to get to the hospital and get medical treatment. Your injuries may be much more serious than you know.

Do call a car accident injury attorney as soon as possible – In addition to the pain from your injuries and the shock and nervousness of having just been in a car accident, you do not know what to do next. An experienced car accident injury attorney at GSGB will guide you through the process answering all of your questions and making sure your insurance is set up and your bills are paid.

Do not give a recorded statement – Insurance companies are quick to reach out to people with car accident injuries and put them on the record for a statement. With everything around you moving at a mile a minute, you may not have a clear head to give a recorded statement. Ask the insurance representative right away if the conversation is being recorded and then if it is, politely explain to them you are looking for an attorney.

Do not sign anything from the insurance company – Be sure you have an experienced car accident injury attorney review any documents that insurance companies have asked you to sign. You may be signing away your right to bring a case for pennies on the dollar without realizing it.

Do not speak to the other driver – If the opposing driver tries to talk to you at the scene or manages to obtain your telephone number after the accident, do not engage in conversation. As a safe bet, do not speak with anyone about the details of the accident. Rather, if you have a personal injury attorney, direct all communication to your attorney.

How are Your Medical Bills Paid?

When you are injured in a car crash, what insurance is primarily responsible for your medical bills is a complicated question. At GSGB, our car crash attorneys will sort through the varying circumstances that determine what insurance should be billed for your medical care.

If you are driving a car you own.

If you get injured in a car accident while driving a car that you own, then your auto insurance for that car will cover the first portion of your medical bills until it is exhausted. This is called First Party Benefits or PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage.

If you are a passenger in another car, but you own a car as well.

If you injured as a passenger in a car accident and you own your own car, once again, your auto insurance covering the car you own is responsible for paying your medical bills first until it is exhausted. Your PIP coverage follows the person, not the car that you are injured in.

If you are a passenger in a car, and you do not own a car, but you live with a family member who does own a car and you are covered under that insurance.

If this is the case, then your family member’s auto insurance covers the medical bills for your car crash injuries until they are exhausted. Though you are not the listed insured, you a relative residing in the “insured” home, so you receive PIP coverage through that insurance.

If you are a passenger in a car, and you do not own a car or live with anyone who owns a car.

In this case, it is the driver’s auto insurance that provides you with PIP coverage until it is exhausted.

What Happens if Your PIP Payments are Exhausted?

Because PIP coverage can be as low as $5,000.00, serious car crash injuries often exhaust the available coverage quickly. When the applicable PIP coverage is exhausted, your health insurance is next up to cover the medical bills for your injuries. Health insurance co-pays and deductibles can add up fast with serious injuries, but they can be recovered as part of your damages if you pursue a car crash lawsuit.

What Happens if You are Hit by a Car as a Pedestrian?

Car accidents involving pedestrians often lead to serious and traumatic injuries. In 2016, there were over 4,000 reported crashes in Pennsylvania alone with 172 fatalities. If you are hit while walking or jogging or riding your bicycle, your medical bills are paid for in the same priority as if you were in a car. If you are insured yourself, your PIP pays the first medical bills until it is exhausted. The same goes for if you live with a family member who owns a car. If you do not own a car or live with anyone who owns a car, then the PIP coverage of the car that hit you steps in and pays your bills until that coverage is exhausted.

Types of Car Crash Injuries We Have Handled

The personal injury lawyers at GSGB have handled thousands of car accident injury cases with a wide array of injuries including:

Traumatic brain injuries
Concussion
Crush injuries
Dislocated elbow
Dislocated shoulder
Fractured neck
Lumbar disc herniation
Radiculopathy, which is nerve disease
Broken hands
Crepitus of the fingers
Fractured wrist
Broken femur
Dislocated hip
Broken pelvis
Broken clavicle
Facial fracture
Facial scarring
Skin burns

What Types of Damages Can You Recover?

If you are injured in a car crash, you are entitled to be compensated for your damages. “Damages” is a legal term for everything you have lost as a result of the injuries you sustained in the car accident. The car crash attorneys at GSGB like to explain that you started your day before the car crash with your cup full, and you are entitled to have it be made full again. If you are injured in a car crash, you are entitled to recover the money you have paid or owe for medical treatment, as well as the money you may have to spend in the future for medical treatment; the money that you have lost or stand to lose as a result of not working or having to change jobs; as well as money for any property that has been damaged. In addition, you are entitled to be paid for your physical, emotional, and mental toll the injuries have had on your life. Including your pain and suffering, your embarrassment and humiliation and your loss of life’s pleasures.

Contact a Car Crash Attorney If You Have Been Injured

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a car crash, contact one of the experienced personal injury lawyers at GSGB for a free and confidential case evaluation. You have two years from the date of your accident to bring a lawsuit. Find out what your rights are today.

Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. GSGB has offices in Philadelphia, Wayne and Voorhees and serves clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.