Motor vehicle accidents injure or kill Americans every hour of every day. They are among the most common causes of devastating, life-altering personal injuries. On the roads and highways of Pennsylvania alone, tens of thousands of people are hurt and more than a thousand are killed each year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
A serious car accident can leave drivers, passengers, and their families dealing with challenging physical and medical issues, financial struggles, insurance questions, and the practical problems that come with a loss of independence. Car accident victims need legal representation right away – not only to assist with these issues, but also to preserve critical evidence that may be necessary to prove who was at fault in causing the accident. Securing aggressive representation promptly is critically important to protecting car accident victims and their right to obtain fair compensation for their injuries.
At Youman & Caputo, we represent people in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey who have been seriously hurt or who have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident. We aggressively fight for those whose lives have been turned upside down in an instant by the negligence of others on the road. Regardless of how the accident occurred, we will fight to obtain the maximum compensation available for our clients.
A car accident may be caused by an act of individual carelessness or irresponsibility, like distracted or drunk driving. An accident may also be the result of corporate misconduct, such as when a trucking company disregards federal safety regulations in order to increase its profits.
Cars share the road with all types of vehicles, and road hazards come in many forms. Vans, buses, motorcycles, and tractor-trailers all drive side-by-side with cars at high speeds, sometimes in conditions that can make an already dangerous situation even scarier.
Some of the most common types of motor vehicle accidents include:
Even low-impact collisions can cause long-term, debilitating, and costly injuries and health problems. But when enormous vehicles, high-speeds, or hard impacts are involved, those injuries can permanently limit a person’s mobility, restrict the ability to work, and diminish the capacity to enjoy life as the person once did.
The financial, practical, and emotional challenges of recovering from an accident can take a toll on whole families, and those who lose a loved one in a senseless car accident face enormous burdens of their own.
In addition to a sudden and tragic loss of life, some of the most common car accident injuries include:
Hiring a Philadelphia motor vehicle accident attorney may be the last thing on your mind after a serious car accident, but it is critically important to protecting your rights to hire an experienced accident attorney as soon as possible.
Since most firms, including Youman & Caputo, offer free initial consultations and collect no attorneys’ fees unless they recover compensation for you, there is no downside to speaking with an attorney about your accident injuries. On the other hand, not contacting a lawyer can leave your rights and your ability to be fairly compensated in peril.
As experienced Philadelphia catastrophic injury lawyers, we will take the appropriate steps from day one. We will thoroughly investigate and evaluate both the liability and damages aspects of your case, and we will aggressively represent your interests to maximize your recovery.
One of the most common mistakes accident victims make is to speak to and negotiate with insurance companies without an attorney. The insurance companies are trying to protect their interests, not yours. Knowing that you are vulnerable and facing financial challenges, the insurer may try to intimidate and pressure you into accepting a settlement significantly lower than what you are entitled.
You have enough to deal with; the last thing you need is a self-interested insurance company trying to strong-arm you into a quick settlement. Let us handle the insurance company and its lawyers while you focus on your health and your life.
Insurance companies leap into action as soon as they receive notice of the accident from their insured driver.
They have attorneys and investigators at the ready whose primary goal is to try to minimize the amount that the insurance company will have to pay to any injured party – or avoid any obligation to pay at all. Immediately after the accident, insurance companies and their lawyers start gathering evidence, including taking witness statements and photographs of the vehicles and the accident scene, obtaining videos from witnesses or surveillance cameras, and examining forensic data on cell phones, vehicles, and GPS systems.
Without a skilled auto accident attorney on your side doing the same thing for you, your ability to be compensated fairly for your injuries will be in serious jeopardy.
In addition to your claims against other drivers, you may also be entitled to collect money from your own insurance company after a motor vehicle accident. Uninsured Motorist Benefits (UM) and Underinsured Motorist Benefits (UIM) are insurance coverages that you purchase from your own insurance company to protect you and your family if the person(s) at fault in the accident does not have sufficient insurance coverage to compensate you for your damages.
Most states require insurance companies to offer or provide UM and UIM benefits to anyone purchasing liability insurance coverage, yet many people are unaware that they have a right to this coverage and the ability to collect these benefits from their own insurance company.
In addition, there are specific steps required to ensure that you do not waive these benefits or unknowingly disqualify yourself from receiving them. We know how to protect your UM and UIM rights and to make certain that you receive everything to which you are entitled from your own insurance company.
Youman and Caputo have secured or helped secure numerous recoveries in motor vehicle accident cases in their careers, including:
We understand the computer and forensic tools that are increasingly important in these cases and have worked with top experts in the fields of accident reconstruction and biomechanics to secure substantial awards for our clients.
Our motor vehicle and motorcycle accident lawyers in Philadelphia are able to obtain favorable settlements because we have a well-earned reputation as attorneys who are always prepared to go to trial. Whether the best result can be obtained at the negotiating table or in the courtroom, you can feel confident that your lawyers have taken every step to maximize the amount of compensation you will receive. Contact us online today to schedule your free initial consultation!
