Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Many times after a Pennsylvania car accident, a client will come to my office claiming that his insurance agent told him that he purchased “full coverage.” When I review the policy or contact the agent, unfortunately many times the insured has not purchased “full tort” coverage and claims that the difference between full tort and limited tort insurance coverage was not explained to him by his agent. Representation by an insurance company or agent that you are getting “full coverage” does not necessarily mean that you actually have full coverage when you are in a car accident. Many times insurance companies pay their agents a higher commission and have other incentives for selling a limited tort policy instead of a full tort policy which provides minimal coverage. Customers often purchase insurance from the agent and are told they have “full coverage” and they are many times presented with waivers that they never read listening to the insurance agent’s sales pitch claiming they are buying “full coverage” but “limited tort.”

When you purchase a limited tort policy, you give up the right to receive compensation for pain and suffering if you are injured in a car accident in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania car accidents can lead to injuries and long-term disabilities that last for months and even years and until you are in an accident, you may not recognize the pain and suffering that you will go through. People unfamiliar with limited vs. full tort threshold chose limited tort basically because the insurance agent tells them it will save them a few dollars which is really only approximately 10 to 15% on the premium or they feel that they will never be injured in an automobile accident. If you buy limited tort insurance, you sacrifice full protection for you and your family members who are covered under your insurance policy. Limited tort puts you and your family at risk in your own car but even applies when you or your children are injured as passengers in someone else’s car or as a pedestrian. Of course there are exceptions to limited tort but they are strictly interpreted against the insured. If you purchase full coverage insurance, which many people mistake as full tort coverage – beware of the consequences.

If you would like a free insurance policy review, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com for a no obligation, no fee consultation.

Five Killed In Motorcycle Accident! These are headlines, that have every motorcycle enthusiast observing a moment of thought, prayer, compassion, and sorrow for the victims and the families involved in yesterdays Penn Township, Pennsylvania tragedy. Sunday’s accident on Route 72 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania involved a van and 6 motorcyclists, 5 of whom were killed.

In Pennsylvania, summer is upon us and so is the increase of motorcycle ridership on our streets and highways. Every week, the experienced Philadelphia motorcycle accident law firm of Reiff & Bily receives phone calls from motorcyclists who are catastrophically injured and unfortunately, from the families of individuals who were killed as a result of a motorcycle accident. According to news sources, so far this year Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has recorded 27 motorcycle deaths alone. That is an average of 2 deaths per week since the beginning of spring, and that is in just one of the states 67 counties.

The Pennsylvania motorcycle accident law firm of Reiff & Bily is committed to protecting the rights of motorcyclists. If you or a loved one has been involved in a motorcycle accident, contact one of our experienced Philadelphia motorcycle accident lawyers for a free no obligation consultation to fully evaluate your rights and options at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

A California jury awarded $15 million dollars to the parents of daughters who died in a fiery 2004 automotive crash in a vehicle that had been recalled for safety reasons but not repaired by the car rental company. On October 7, 2004, a Chrysler PT Cruiser was rented at an Enterprise agency. One month prior to the car rental, Daimler Chrysler sent out a safety recall notice for 435,000 PT Cruisers from 2002 through 2005 with a notice stating that the power steering hose could leak resulting in a vehicle fire.

The vehicle occupied by the deceased victims had been rented four times since the recall. Enterprise manager, Mark Matias stated that before the accident, he was not aware that the PT Cruiser was recalled and furthermore stated that the Enterprise corporate philosophy was “You’ve got to keep booking because you don’t know when you are going to get the car back. But then of course, you run short on vehicles and if all you have are recalled vehicles on the lot, you rent them out. It was given, the whole company did it.” The expert retained by the plaintiffs concluded that the deceased lost steering due to a power steering fluid leak. Not so surprisingly, Enterprise argued that the crash was due to the victims’ driving.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer who has successfully handled other automotive product liability claims involving manufacturing defects, we believe that it is extraordinarily important that car rental companies be held accountable for the consequences of their actions. When one rents a car from a car rental company, you have every right to expect that the company has complied with all safety and recall conditions and that the vehicle you are renting is safe to be driven without risk of harm or damages.

If you or a loved one has been involved in serious Pennsylvania car accident, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

When you purchase a policy of insurance and spend your hard earned dollars, you expect that by paying those premiums every month you should be guaranteed the necessary help when you most need it. More and more I am noting that insurance adjusters are misrepresenting coverage, as well as denying benefits based on outright falsehoods. It is unconscionable and becoming more widespread.

Recently I was retained to represent a man who was rear-ended by an intoxicated driver. My client and his passenger required extensive medical treatment and yet his own insurance company who was responsible for medical payments told him that his vehicle was not covered under the policy even though my client had a letter to his agent registering the vehicle at least six months prior to the accident and had a policy noting that the vehicle was covered. Of course my client was from a small town in upstate Pennsylvania and perhaps the insurance adjuster thought that he could take advantage of this gentleman. Unfortunately, the denial of my client’s medical benefits and property damage claim forced my client to enter into litigation due to the fact that the company by the actions of its agents, servants, or employee adjuster failed to live up to their contractual commitments to their insured. In the immediate case, the insurance adjuster tried to blame his actions on the agent and the agent, of course, pointed the finger to the insurance adjuster.

The bottom line is that no matter what type of warm and fuzzy feeling you get from insurance television commercials, trust me the insurance companies are not your friends. Truthfully, your insurance company is nothing more than a business and its relationship with you is nothing more than a business relationship and the only way they can make a profit is to keep costs down. Therefore, there is an incentive to pay you late, little, or nothing when you file a claim. In a report prepared by The American Association for Justice, a former Allstate adjuster Jo Ann Katzman reported, “We were told to lie by our supervisors. It is tough to look at people and know you are lying.” For more information, see an article by David Dietz and Darrell Preston, “The Insurance Hoax”, Bloomberg News 2007 or “The Ten Worst Insurance Companies in America” published by The American Association for Justice.

You need to be smart and savvy to deal with your insurer and you have to fight back and thwart the aggressive and abusive tactics by insurance carriers. The experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily have engaged in tens of thousands of fights against insurance companies and are not afraid to put on the boxing gloves to place you on equal footing. Our record of success speaks for itself. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please contact one of our experienced car accident lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Recently an article was posted in the York, Pennsylvania Daily Record. It stated a sobering fact known to this avid motorcycle rider and Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney. Namely, motorcycle “benefit rides” and riders with long groups may be fraught with hidden dangers. The article cited the unfortunate death of art teacher Terry Fleagle, 41, who died when the bike she was a passenger on collided with another motorcycle during a benefit ride. According to the York Daily Record, this was the second recent local incident of people dying in a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident while participating in a benefit ride. The other death occurred when police officer Michael C. Weigand, Jr. of Adams County, Pennsylvania died when his bike was struck during a benefit ride.

The danger of traveling in a long group of motorcyclists is described as the “whip” effect. Basically motorcyclists at the head of the pack pick up speed and get away from those in the back who then accelerate to catch up and can be caught by surprise by sudden slowing or stops. If you are in the back and try to keep up some times you are not paying full attention to the other drivers on the roadways and they are sometimes not paying attention to you rather than focusing their eyes on the lead group.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com. Remember please be aware of the dangers of riding in large groups with motorcycles as chance favors the prepared man.

The Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee voted 11 to 2 to forward to the full Senate a Bill that would increase jail time for reckless drivers who injure or kill. It also would allow a party in a civil suit arising for a motor vehicle accident to argue for a specific sum of money for all damages including pain and suffering. The Bill passed the House 117 to 72 last month. Not surprisingly, the Pennsylvania Insurance Federation is fighting this legislation claiming that allowing a suggestion of specific damage sums would drive up jury awards and auto insurance rates.

As a Philadelphia car accident lawyer and a proud member of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, I contend that this provision would enable juries to reach a fair decision on damages. The Bill was named to honor a Pennsylvania Police Sergeant Michael C. Weigand killed in 2008 when an out of control motorist hit him while he was escorting a motorcycle benefit ride. For more information, see House Bill 2246.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced car accident lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595.

Summer is upon us and as an experienced Philadelphia personal injury and Pennsylvania car accident attorney since 1979, we have seen an increase in claims involving children when school season is over. Children are typically injured in bicycle accidents, swimming pool accidents, and car accidents while being transported to camps or summer programs. As a matter of fact in 2008 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 9.2 million children had visited emergency rooms for unintentional non-abuse injuries during the summer season. Accidents are one of the leading causes of death among children with approximately 12,000 fatalities a year.

Parents and physicians normally concern themselves with the objective physical injuries. As an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney, I have seen and investigated situations involving post-traumatic stress in families of children who have been in car accidents. Typically the symptoms happen after traditional trauma care when the children return to their homes from the emergency room or hospital and begin to have nightmares.

The accidents that typically kill young children are car accidents and drownings. I recommend the website maintained by the CDC Injury Center for suggestions on keeping your family safe (cdc.gov/injury/podcast.html#hrs). Every parent has an obligation to protect their child from dangerous injuries. Some steps to be observed are parental supervision at swimming pools, use of seat belts in vehicles, and in this experienced car accident lawyers opinion, keeping your children out of 15-passenger vans while being transported to camp or summertime activities.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, swimming pool accident, or other trauma inducing incident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania car accident and injury lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer since 1979, I am astounded by the hardball unreasonableness taken by many insurance carriers if and when the claimant has a definitive and objective injury.

I recently had a discussion with an insurance adjuster regarding a client who sustained a fracture of her left foot, was treated for six months, and was casted. Believe it or not, the initial offer from the adjuster to this client was in the amount of $2,500 to $3,500 max. Not only was this offer most offensive, but it forced the client to litigate her claim. Any experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyer would value this claim with at least a ten or twenty fold multiple

According to a recent survey conducted by a major news network, the hardball game is being played by car insurance companies with increasing frequency. This recent trend of “play hard” is a strategy adopted and imposed by two of the largest insurance companies in the country, namely State Farm and Allstate. According to a CNN poll, the results of this strategy have been extraordinarily profitable for the insurance companies, but have caused harm to consumers. When they tell you, “You are in good hands,” maybe they are only giving you part of the hand, the middle finger.

What I have learned after 31 years as a Philadelphia car accident lawyer with a very successful track record is that if you disagree with an insurance company, fight back. Don’t let a lowly insurance adjuster insult you. You only get one bite at the apple and it better be a big one. You can contact an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney who will take your case on a no recovery, no fee basis and pay the attorney a small percentage of the recovery. CNN spoke with Roxanne Martin of Santa Fe who sustained injuries to her back and neck on minimal impact. Allstate initially offered her a minimal settlement. Yet when she took control of her own destiny, a jury awarded her $167,000.

We recently completed a case where the initial offer was $10,000 and the case was resolved well into the six figures. The truth is that car accidents have a devastating impact on one’s life and it never makes sense to haggle with an insurance adjuster for several months. They have selfish interests to maximize profits and minimize the value of your valid claim.

Put an experienced team of lawyers on your side and place yourself on equal footing with your insurance company. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania auto accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

I have been an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979 handling tens of thousands of car accident claims and unfortunately have dealt with significant amount of tragedies involving teenage drivers. It is inevitable that most of us will have to deal with a teenage driver with cross currents of maturity factors, safety features, and other issues and concerns. I am currently working on a case where a 17-year old child was presented by his father with a souped-up sports car and 4 days after he obtained his license he took the car on a joy ride which catastrophically injured a 17-year passenger who will have permanent reminders of the accident for the remainder of his life. So then, what is a concerned parent to do?

First of all, this experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer recommends enrolling the child immediately into a driver safety program or reputable driving school. If you choose to purchase a car for your child, please obtain a car with anti-lock brakes and the newest safety features possible and make sure the car is thoroughly inspected. In the last 5 or 10 years, there have been tremendous advances in crash protection and you can check the website for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (www.iihs.org) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.safercar.gov) to determine crash results and models that you are considering. Both sites post results going back to the 1990's. Look for a car with front, side and head protection airbags, anti-lock brakes, and electronic stability control. These are all lifesaving features which are worth extra money when considering the value of the precious cargo in the car.

As an experienced rollover accident attorney, I highly advise against purchasing an SUV or a vehicle with a high center of gravity or a sport’s car. It is best to secure a vehicle with a 5 star safety rating and of course, always remind your child never to text or use a cell phone while driving and never, ever, ever drive while drinking. Also stress the importance of seat and shoulder belts.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please feel free to contact one of our experienced car accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

It was with great interest that I read a story written by Carole Tarrant on Sunday, May 30, 2010 in the Roanoke Times. Ms. Tarrant writes about a situation that I have been aware of for at least 20 years as an experienced Pennsylvania truck and car accident attorney and as a driver familiar with Pennsylvania Interstate 81. Specifically, big rigs and truckers seem to dominant Interstate 81's stream of traffic. The author noted that large trucks crowd you out, cut you off, run up your rear, and go way too slow scaling the steep mountains. Trucks seem to easily outnumber cars on Route 81. Many people have been catastrophically injured or killed on Route 81 in catastrophic truck accidents. So much so that roanoke.com decided to create a forum of reporters to compile and interpret the wealth of traffic data concluding that I-81 is unusual due to its high percentage of truck traffic and because the outcomes of accidents when trucks are involved happen to be especially poor.

As our law office has investigated many truck accidents on Interstate 81, I applaud the efforts of Carole Tarrant and her team at roanoke.com and The Roanoke Times for their investigative series seeking facts behind fears of Interstate 81 and bringing the same to the public’s as well as lawmakers’ attention.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck or trailer accident in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania truck and trailer accident attorneys for a free no obligation consultation. We have a successful track record for 31 years and are committed to the safety of drivers on the roadways of Pennsylvania. Please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or at 1-800-421-9595.

As an experienced Pennsylvania SUV and van rollover attorney, I wish to direct your attention to a very important website run by Patrick James. The website is the American Center for Van and Tire Safety. I urge you to visit their Facebook page. As an experienced 15-passenger van accident lawyer who is very familiar with the dangers of 15-passenger vans and the catastrophic injuries and tragic deaths that they cause to unsuspecting individuals, I urge all of you to never ride in any of these vehicles or allow your children to ride in them. For more information visit the above site, or our homepage for more information on the dangers presented by these awful vehicles. If you or a loved one has any questions involving the safety of 15-passenger vans or have a loved one who has sustained catastrophic injuries or death as a result of being a passenger in one of these vans, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com for a no fee no obligation consultation. We have the experience and tools necessary to hold the wrongdoers and manufacturers of these vehicles accountable for their actions.

If you ask any experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney or Philadelphia car accident lawyer what your case is worth, an honest and experienced attorney will tell you that each case is unique and dependent upon multiple circumstances and variables. Many times at our initial meeting, a client will ask “Do you have an idea of what my case is worth?” and although they are normally frustrated when I give them an honest answer, I am always surprised to learn that many times some attorneys will promise a certain amount of money which is honestly impossible to guarantee or estimate as each case is unique. I analogize the situation to having a suit tailor-made or buying one off the rack at J. C. Penney.

An experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyer will evaluate all aspects of the case and adjust the strategy accordingly as the case progresses. Each case contains so many non-inclusive details that will potentially affect the case valuation. These circumstances are specific to the person and the injury but it can change during the processing of the case. The idea of compensatory damages is to fully compensate one for their injuries and pain and suffering sustained as a result of the incident. Quite simply, I like to tell my clients that prior to the incident, they were functioning as a whole person or a whole “pie” and that after the accident, a piece of the pie has been taken away and the defendant would be obligated to pay for the value of that “slice of pie.”

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According to a recent report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of staged automobile accident claims has risen in recent years allegedly due to nationwide economic hardship situations. Questionable claims are up 46% from 2007 through 2009. Typically a staged car accident involves drawing an unsuspecting motorist into a collision and then filing a claim. Other examples include parties intentionally colliding with each other to file property damage and medical claims resulting in the loss of money to the insurance carriers which typically gets passed on to other drivers. One common scenario involving staged accidents many times results in fatalities or catastrophic injuries as a result of violent collisions and staged accidents. The states reported to have the most staged car accidents are Florida 3,306, New York 16,080, California 1,619, Texas 792, and Illinois 743. Prominent cities for staged accidents are New York City, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, and Houston.

As an experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer since 1979, I have no tolerance for insurance fraud or staged accidents. Consumers should visit www.nicb.org to review the site's library of valuable theft and fraud awareness information as well as examine specific brochures describing staged accident fraud.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau headquartered in Des Plaines, IL is the nation’s leading non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting, and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft. Insurance fraud is a crime to be taken seriously. Help prevent it.