Car accidents can dramatically impact your quality of life, not only for the physical injuries they can inflict but also for the emotional and financial burdens that follow. Our compassionate and seasoned personal injury attorneys at DelVecchio & Miller, LLC, have years of experience guiding our clients through the recovery process and legal aftermath of collisions that took place within Bethel Park.
If you have been injured in a car crash that wasn’t your fault, call our car accident lawyers serving Bethel Park today at (412) 434-1400 for a free consultation. We’ll discuss your case and your best options for obtaining the compensation you need.
Even the best drivers can get into freak accidents—but your actions after the collision itself will help you, your legal standing, and your financial future the most. Ensure your safety and that of any of your passengers by turning on your hazard lights and getting to the side of the road. Especially if your accident occurred on Library Road or Bethel Church Road, both high-traffic areas, make sure that there is no oncoming traffic while you get yourself and your passengers out of the vehicle.
If the accident caused an injury or fatality or damaged a vehicle beyond operation, Pennsylvania law mandates that you report the collision. However, it’s always a good idea to alert authorities, both to report the incident and request medical help. Should you choose to pursue an insurance claim to cover the accident later, the medical record and the police report will help your case.
Exchange information with the other driver, including names, addresses, phone numbers, driver’s license numbers, and insurance information, and take photos of any vehicle damage, road conditions, and any visible injuries.
Finally, get medical care if you have not done so already. Here are some major hospitals and trauma centers in the area:
UPMC Mercy in Uptown Pittsburgh/Hill District
UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland
UPMC Montefiore in Oakland
UPMC Magee-Womens in Oakland
In Pennsylvania, when buying insurance coverage, you can choose between full tort and limited tort coverage.
If you selected full tort coverage, you can sue the at-fault driver for both economic injuries, which includes medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, and non-economic damages like pain and suffering, regardless of the severity of your injuries.
However, if you chose limited tort coverage, you can only sue the at-fault driver in cases of severe injury, such as those resulting in permanent disfigurement, death, or impairment of a bodily function. Under limited tort, you will likely find it more challenging to pursue compensation for pain and suffering.
Additionally, if you miss Pennsylvania’s two-year statutory period for filing a car accident lawsuit, you will likely forfeit your right to collect compensation through the courts. Missing this deadline also means losing your leverage against the insurance company to make an appropriate settlement.
Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence law means that any compensation you receive will be reduced in proportion to your percentage of fault. Additionally, if you were more than 50% at fault, you wouldn’t be entitled to any compensation at all.
Drivers in Bethel Park often drive while distracted by using their phones, recalibrating their GPS systems, or even talking with passengers in the case of Uber or Lyft accidents. These distractions can cause rear-end collisions, side-swipes, and other common types of accidents.
Some drivers speed or engage in otherwise reckless driving, which can endanger themselves and others on the winding roads that lead into South Park or on the busy corridors that connect to Pittsburgh. In more tragic incidents, speeding can cause injury or death to children and pets who wander into the roadway in Bethel Park’s residential areas.
Additionally, Pittsburgh has seen unpredictable weather, especially in winter: rain, snow, sleet, hail, and other inclement conditions can create hazardous roads, especially on some of the hilly or poorly maintained streets in Bethel Park.
After your car accident, if you want to receive monetary compensation to cover your damages, you will need to contact the insurance company of the at-fault driver to file a claim. Keep the following steps in mind to protect your rights while talking to the insurance provider:
Avoid admitting fault, even if you believe you caused a part of the accident. The insurance company will use this admission against you later when determining liability.
Watch your words. The primary goal of the insurance adjusters is not to help you claim maximum compensation but to minimize the amount of money that they need to pay you. In some cases, the company may try to get you to volunteer unnecessary information or speculate as to the cause of the accident so they can use your words against you.
Hire an experienced car accident attorney to handle your claim. They can work to secure a payout that matches the severity of your accident and help protect your interests while dealing with insurance companies. They can also collect evidence, file your paperwork on time, and represent you in court if necessary.
In many car accidents, victims seek monetary compensation to cover their injuries, immediate medical care, and ongoing rehabilitative costs. If your injuries cause you to miss out on work and therefore lose income, you can also file a claim to cover these lost wages, as well as any future earnings that a long-term injury might affect.
Though harder to calculate, if you selected full tort coverage, you can seek monetary compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering or loss of consortium—a seasoned personal injury lawyer can help you calculate the dollar amount you should ask for in these instances.
Finally, in some rare cases, the court might want to punish the at-fault driver for cases of egregiously reckless behavior. In these instances, the judge will award you with punitive damages, with the intent of punishing the driver for their actions and deterring any future instances of recklessness.
Our lawyers who serve Bethel Park are dedicated to the relentless pursuit of the compensation our clients deserve. Our results speak for themselves, and we’ll put the same determination that earned those results into the work we do for you.
If you get into a car accident in Bethel Park and need legal guidance to file an insurance claim, contact our seasoned car accident lawyers at DelVecchio & Miller, LLC. We have helped many clients claim the compensation that they deserve for their Bethel Park collisions and put them on the road to recovery.
Call our office at (412) 434-1400 or fill out our online contact form for a consultation. We serve clients throughout Allegheny County, Beaver County, Fayette County, Washington County, Westmoreland County, Greene County, Mercer County, and Lawrence County.
To find our office, follow the instructions below:
Take I-279 S towards Pittsburgh
Take exit 1B for I-376 E/US-22 E/US-30 E
Take exit 71A for Grant St
Turn right onto Grant St
Turn left onto Boulevard of the Allies
Destination will be on the right
Take I-376 W towards Pittsburgh
Take exit 71A for Grant St
Turn left onto Grant St
Turn left onto Boulevard of the Allies
Destination will be on the right
Take I-376 W towards Pittsburgh
Take exit 71A for Grant St
Turn left onto Grant St
Turn left onto Boulevard of the Allies
Destination will be on the right
Take I-376 E towards Pittsburgh
Take exit 69C for Boulevard of the Allies
Merge onto Boulevard of the Allies
Destination will be on the right
