Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

As an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney, I am somewhat concerned that Pennsylvania has one of the lowest state minimum insurance requirements for car insurance in the nation. What this means is the amount of insurance necessary to keep one legal. Although Pennsylvania is a major northeastern state, I ask you to compare a small sampling of the following states by state auto insurance minimums.

Alaska................50/100/25
Arkansas.............25/50/15
Kansas................25/50/10
Maine.................50/100/25 (one of the poorest states in the country)
Minnesota............30/60/10
North Carolina.......30/60/25
Wisconsin............25/50/10

In fact, as far as I can determine, only two states have limits lower than Pennsylvania – Ohio and Oklahoma. One thing is for certain, that in this tightened economy, the minimum amount of car insurance that is necessary to be maintained in Pennsylvania (15k) is totally inadequate even if you are involved in the most minimal car accident. While there has been a lot of debate and talk from politicians about raising Pennsylvania’s state minimum insurance limits and doubling it, it seems that the insurance companies are fighting this because in this experienced car accident attorney’s opinion, they are simply getting away with murder by limiting their exposure. In the last few years many bills have passed in neighboring states including Maryland and Wisconsin which increased the minimum rates to 50/100/15. Believe it or not, minimum coverage levels can be raised with minimal cost to the policyholder.

I recommend to all my clients that they obtain much more than the minimal limits, and of course, always check full tort automobile insurance if operating a vehicle in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I have seen all too many cases where someone is struck by an uninsured vehicle or a vehicle carrying the minimum limits, and if they had not purchased, underinsured motorist coverage then they are left to pay all of the outstanding medical bills and other financial liabilities resulting from the accident out of their own pocket. Quite frankly, this defeats the purpose of insurance. As Louis Pasteur once said chance favors the prepared mind, and anyone realistically in touch with today’s environment should contact their insurance agent and load up with proper car insurance.

The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily offer a free, no obligation consultation and would be glad to give you a free insurance checkup. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Philadelphia or Pennsylvania car accident, we always a no recovery, zero fee guarantee which means we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

To our dear clients, friends, and family,

On this holiday of Thanksgiving, we want to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our clients, friends, and families whose lives we have touched and whose lives have touched us. We can only hope that we will continue to strive to keep all of our clients satisfied by the way we practice law. We recognize that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little bit extra. Our lawyers and staff continuously strive for excellence in everything they do and recognize that the price of greatness is responsibility and understanding. We recognize that sometimes it is difficult to remain sane in an insane world and that everyone needs help from everyone.

Thank you for your courtesies, patience, and confidence, and for recognizing that litigation can be and is often a stressful process. We thank you for allowing us to become part of your family. Most importantly, we thank you for allowing us to serve you.

With the utmost appreciation and thanks,

Happy Thanksgiving

Jeffrey Reiff
Raymond Bily
And Staff

Obviously whenever you place a casino near highways, there is going to be more congestion and traffic. Add to that mix the fact that many of the casinos serve a lot of alcohol to their visitors often to the point where patrons become intoxicated. Last year, the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily had been retained to represent several individuals who were seriously injured as a result of accidents that happened at or near casino locations whereupon the operator of one of the vehicles was in an extremely intoxicated state. One of the accidents resulted in permanent and debilitating injuries for our client and we had filed an action for negligence against the offending driver together with a Dram Shop action against the casino for serving a visibility intoxicated patron.

In Pennsylvania, the Dram Shop liability laws hold alcohol servers responsible for the harm that the intoxicated patron causes to other people. In our case, the driver of the other vehicle was found to have a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit, and in fact, admitted that he had been over-served at the casino. When I spoke to those who lived down the street from the casino, they told me yes, the roads are extraordinarily congested and yes, they are seeing more and more problems on the roadways. So whenever you are in the location of a casino, beware, drive defensively, and be careful of those driving inattentively.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Pennsylvania car accident, please call the Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Many SUV and 15-passenger van rollovers are precipitated by a tire failure. Recently 10 people were killed and many others catastrophically injured in two separate 15-passenger van rollover crashes involving church groups when the rear tires failed causing the vehicles to lose control and rollover multiple times.

As an experienced Philadelphia 15-passenger van and SUV rollover lawyer who has handled many tire failure and rollover cases, it is my personal opinion that the 15-passenger van is the most unsafe vehicle on the road. If you, a friend, or a loved one must travel in one of these vehicles, it is important to check the tires and check the pressure before each use following the manufacturer recommended tire size and pressure to avoid the loss of control, blowout, or possible rollover. It is also important in any vehicle that you drive to avoid using old spare tires. Even unused tires weaken with age. Tire failures often lead to catastrophic consequences.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a vehicle rollover caused by tire failure and have sustained catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, please contact one of our experienced Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyers at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

Believe it or not, only about 20% of judgments are satisfied in the United States. As an aggressive practicing Pennsylvania personal injury and Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have been involved in many cases where the insurance coverage was not enough to fully compensate my client or victim.

When this situation occurs, we carefully perform an asset investigation of the defendant and any and all responsible or potentially responsible parties. Many times, we are able to find assets to collect against. Many defendants think they are shrewd and carefully hide their investments, get involved with fraudulent transfer of assets, and have substantial amounts of cash. A careful and skilled attorney should conduct discovery and depositions carefully searching out sources of additional recovery and not take the defendant’s attorney’s word for it. I am fond of saying that my clients get one bite of the apple and that bite better be the biggest and whoever represents you must insure that no stone is left unturned when it comes to maximizing the recovery.

Wreck chasing is an epidemic in Philadelphia and other major cities in the United States. Wreck chasers are bad for everyone because they really only care about one thing – themselves. Here is the deal. Tow truck drivers or wreck chasers monitor police radios, gather the information, and speed to the scene in an effort to solicit business for a body shop or lawyer. To many lawyers and body shops this is the only way they are able to get clients. Obviously this is such a profitable business that a wreck chaser was killed a few weeks ago in Philadelphia. In a fight with another wreck chaser over a potential client, the wreck chasing business has become riddled with arson, gun shots, and murders.

Tow trucks are generally the first people to get to car accidents, even before the police get there, and their sole aim is to solicit a case for a body shop or lawyer where they will receive a percentage of the take. Obviously they will promise just about anything to get you to go with them in a well polished speech when the victim is at their emotional worst. In fact, there is even a reality show on TLC that premiered Oct. 28. The show Wreck Chasers is a reality show revealing the notorious, aggressive behavior of tow truck drivers. When a wreck chaser tries to select a lawyer for you, think to yourself if I needed heart surgery would I let this man recommend the best doctor. Use common sense and do your own homework when selecting a Philadelphia car accident lawyer. Look for someone with years of experience and a track record of success.

If you have been involved in a serious automobile accident, do your research carefully and select an experienced lawyer with a successful track record, not who the wreck chaser recommends. Some times many victims make the wrong decision and pay a permanent price. The Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily offer a free, no obligation consultation with a zero fee guarantee. Contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

As an experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyer for 30 plus years, I am very much aware that insurance companies are stepping up investigative and surveillance activities. As I have already written, they are thoroughly combing social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Zoom or YouTube. Many defense law firms have been told by insurance companies to set up special investigation units in an attempt to throw roadblocks in the way of people seeking to recover insurance claims.

Private investigators and company investigators are being utilized to conduct video surveillance and field interviews of neighbors. Believe it or not in a recent case, we were aware of a client who claimed he could not have sexual relations with his wife and yet the insurance company followed him to a motel where he was seen entering and exiting a hotel room with a woman other than his wife. Obviously this put an extreme damper on settlement negotiations of this case. To make matters worse, the insurance adjuster threatened that the client’s wife would learn of this situation and videos due to the fact that there was a joint claim for loss of consortium and companionship, including but not limited to lack of sexual relations. The bottom line is if you wish to protect your benefits and be successful in the prosecution of your claim, always remember the Louis Pasteur quote, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident or premises liability lawsuit or other serious accident, please feel free to contact one of the experienced catastrophic personal injury lawyers at Reiff & Bily for a free, no obligation consultation.

In the case of McMillen v. Hummingbird Speedway, Inc., the Court of Common Pleas of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania held that information posted on Facebook, MySpace, and other social network sites are not considered confidential. In fact, the Facebook policy in Section 3 regarding “Sharing Information on Facebook” notes “some of the content you share and the actions you take can show up on your friends’ homepages and other pages they visit.”

Even after you remove information from your profile or delete your account, copies of that information may remain viewable elsewhere to the extent that it has been shared by others, it was otherwise distributed pursuant to your privacy settings, or it was copied or stored by other users. You should understand that information may be reshared or copied to other users.

When you post information on another person’s profile or comment on another user’s post, that information will be subject to the other user’s privacy settings. It is further stated that “Facebook’s operators may disclose information pursuant to subpoenas, court orders, or other civil or criminal requests if they have a good faith belief that the law requires them to respond. They likewise reserve the right to share information with companies, lawyers, courts, or other government entities “when we have a good faith belief that it is necessary to prevent fraud or other illegal activity, to prevent imminent harm or protect ourselves or you from violating our Statement of Rights and responsibilities. The Court concluded that no person choosing MySpace or Facebook as a communications forum could reasonably expect that communications would remain confidential as both sides clearly expressed the possibility of disclosure.

The Court further held that where there is an indication that a person’s social network sites contain information relevant to their prosecution or defense of a lawsuit, therefore, and given the Koken case, admonition of the Court should allow litigants to utilize all rational means for ascertaining the truth and the law’s general dispreference for allowance of privilege access to those sites should be freely granted.

In short, in Pennsylvania you may be required to provide your username and password to defendant and opposing counsel in litigation and the Court will most likely order you to provide the information and take steps not to delete or alter existing information. This experienced Pennsylvania serious injury and Philadelphia car accident lawyer advises his clients to be careful about what they post online.