Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

We recently had the occasion to represent a catastrophically injured woman who was struck by a lawncare and landscaping truck owned by an active Pennsylvania corporation. Believe it or not, the truck had minimal insurance limits of $15,000. The medical bills in this case were more than that in the first week alone. The landscaping and lawn care company that owned the trucks apparently had engaged in a careful asset transfer and after investigation, it was revealed that it was merely a shell corporation owning no property or having any assets. As we researched the background of the company, I noted that there were several lawsuits, liens, and judgments against the company and that the corporate President owned no property and that it was transferred many years ago to other family members for diminimus amounts. It also appeared upon searching UCC records that there were filings against the company and the individual by a credit corporation. Additionally, to add insult to injury, the President of the company had an interesting criminal background. In the tightened economy, our client did not have sufficient underinsured motorist coverage. Unfortunately, this scenario is becoming more and more common in the Philadelphia area with many people driving with no insurance or with "dark ages" minimal car insurance putting the victims of car accidents in a precarious position. It is more important now more than ever to contact your insurance agent and purchase a significant uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to protect you in such a circumstance. Unfortunately in this case after exploring all other avenues for recovery including highway defect and product liability, the client had very limited avenues to follow.

As 2010 comes to a close and the holidays are quickly approaching, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued loyalty, confidence, and trust, and wish you and your families a happy holiday season.

Christmas and the holiday season is generally about doing something extra for someone. At the Philadelphia catastrophic personal injury law firm of Reiff & Bily, we strive every day to make a difference in the lives of people who need our services. We have earned our reputation one case at a time. and we make a living by what we get for our clients but we really make and change lives by what we give.

May this holiday season wave a magic wand over your world and make everything softer and more beautiful.

Happy Holidays from Jeffrey Reiff, Raymond Bily, and our staff

In three separate Philadelphia car accidents on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, three men were killed when they were struck by cars. The first automobile accident and death occurred at Roosevelt Boulevard and Bridge Street in the Summerdale section of Philadelphia when a gentleman crossing the street was hit by a southbound Audi A6 sedan and dragged 100 feet. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide, involuntarily manslaughter, DUI, and other offenses. In the second accident, a 71-year-old man was fatally injured while crossing Cheltenham Avenue near Van Dyke Street in the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia. The third fatal accident occurred at 5:00 p.m. on Cottman Avenue and Dungan Road in the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of these 3 separate tragic car accidents.

Earlier the same evening, I left two Christmas parties where many people were drinking to the point of extreme glee and inebriation. Obviously many of these people would get in their cars and drive home on streets that were crowded at 9:00 or 9:30 on a cold Wednesday evening. While many feel that they are safe enough to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after having a few cocktails, Pennsylvania law recognizes that it is simply unlawful, stupid, and rightfully subjects one to severe criminal and civil consequences if someone is injured or killed. I urge all of our readers to utilize a designated driver if you are attending a Christmas party and intend to drink or have had a drink. For those other drivers or victims walking or driving on the roadways, be extra careful and drive or walk defensively as you never know who is behind the wheel of a vehicle and chance favors the prepared mind.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a Philadelphia car accident, please contact one of our experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation. If we decide to take your case, there will be a zero fee unless we make a successful recovery on your behalf. Contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.

If you are driving in Philadelphia and are in a car accident, it is safe to assume the odds are that the person who hit you does not have insurance or adequate insurance. One of the many problems people sustain when they are involved in an accident is loss of earnings and skyrocketing medical bills necessary for treatment. Now more than ever the experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily are seeing many cases where catastrophic injuries and deaths have occurred. Yet there is not sufficient insurance to pay for the medical bills and lost earnings due to the inability to work.

Not only that, if you proceed further against the assets of the offending driver, many times these assets are encumbered to the hilt placing the victim in a seemingly powerless position. Despite the fact that minimal insurance is required in Pennsylvania, greater than 50% of the drivers do not carry insurance. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not seem to be taking enough of a proactive stance to impose penalties for driving without insurance as well as increasing the mandatory minimum coverage from $15,000 to $35,000 which is standard in most other states.

If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver and do not have enough coverage under your own policy, it is important to contact a skilled and experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyer to look for other sources of recovery such as a highway defect and product liability. Recently we had a case where a woman was broadsided by a vehicle that ran a red light. The case had been discussed previously with two other attorneys who turned it down. However, we were able to further investigate the case and determine that the lack of side airbags on her vehicle caused her to sustain coma-resulting injuries, and hence, we are now pursuing an action against the manufacturer of the vehicle under a product liability theory of airbag non-deployment.

In this tough economic environment, it is important that you hire an experienced lawyer who thinks out of the box to fully investigate all avenues of recovery. Many times, beside taking the easy “A” avenue of recovery, the best car accident attorney will explore theories of roadway defect or product liability such as seat belt defect, non-containment or ejection due to use of non-laminated glass, or gas tank explosion.

Jurors once again spoke out against the dangers of 15-passenger vans by awarding $120 million dollars to the families of victims in a crash of a 15-passenger van in Colorado in October 2005. Two passengers were killed in the van rollover on Interstate 76 in Lochbuie, Colorado. The 15-passenger van did not have seat belts and was driven over 188,000 miles in 2 years. According to the testimony, the driver of the van lost control of the van, which then went over an embankment and rolled over.

As an experienced 15-passenger van rollover and SUV rollover lawyer who has represented victims and their families in similar instances, we applaud the courage of the jury for sending a message that these vans are simply death traps and too dangerous for the precious cargo that they transport.

If you or a loved one has sustained a catastrophic injury or wrongful death due to a 15-passenger van rollover or SUV rollover, please contact the experienced 15-passenger van and SUV rollover lawyers at Reiff & Bily for a free, no obligation consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com. Our record of success speaks for itself.

There is an old phrase that says “he or she who represents themself has a fool for a client.” Even as an experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice, car accident, and catastrophic injury lawyer, I would not dare to represent myself if I were involved in an accident. When one attempts to represent themselves, one becomes emotional and lose objectivity. In this difficult economy many people are attempting to represent themselves against insurance carriers trying to squeeze a few more dollars out. What these people fail to realize is that many of the best personal injury lawyers will not charge a fee unless they have a successful outcome and the best injury lawyers will normally advance all costs and expenses necessary for the successful prosecution of the case.

Recently, a client came to my office after she notified the carrier that she would accept a minimal dollar amount in a case that was worth (in the hands of a skilled and experienced catastrophic injury lawyer) at least 20 to 30 times her demand. Additionally, there was spoliation of evidence and a proper investigation was not conducted by the individual, really screwing up the foundation of the case. By the time she contacted our office, there was a minimal amount of time prior to the statute of limitations expiring and I had to make a calculated decision whether or not to get involved in representing this client and prosecuting her claim. Frankly, I decided it was not worth the effort and that if there was a problem, the client would probably not hesitate to blame me for the mistakes that she had made on her own in an attempt to save money. Not only did she cost herself a lot of money by representing herself, she is now having a difficult time convincing any other injury lawyer to take her case. One should easily understand the advantage of hiring an experienced lawyer who has handled thousands upon thousands of cases versus one attempting to go at it alone as a novice. Experience matters when it comes to a successful recovery.

The Pennsylvania serious injury law firm of Reiff & Bily has been representing thousands of victims of catastrophic injuries, medical malpractice and car accidents since 1979 with a successful track record. We are reviewed online by other attorneys as well as by clients with honest testimonials. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation, and of course, if we decide to take your case, we will represent you for free if we do not make a recovery on your behalf. We call this our no recovery, zero fee guarantee. Of course, we will not take a case if we do not think we can win it and henceforth, we are selective in the cases that we decide to accept.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police there were over 1,000 car crashes, 17 fatalities, and 348 injuries during the Thanksgiving holiday period from Wednesday to Sunday. 79 of the crashes were alcohol related. Additionally there were 41 DUI arrests, 783 citations for speeding, 7 child seat citations, 113 seat belt citations, and 670 other traffic related citations. The results indicate a significant increase in fatalities from last year to this year. Last year only 3 people were killed versus 17 killed this year and there was a 14% increase in injuries.

As a Philadelphia and Pennsylvania car accident lawyer, I am somewhat concerned due to the fact that when we are contacted by individuals who have sustained injuries in these accidents, the insurance policies were “iron age” minimal. We were recently retained by the family of an individual who sustained a coma as a result of a violent traffic accident caused by a young woman speaking on a cell phone. Unfortunately there were minimal policies on both sides and the medical bills and compensatory damages far exceed any availability of insurance coverage. Now more than ever, it is important to carry adequate insurance to protect you and your family from a catastrophic incident such as a car accident.

The Philadelphia car accident law firm of Reiff & Bily always offers a free, no obligation consultation for an insurance policy checkup or a free case evaluation if you or a loved one has been in a car accident. Please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.

As an experienced Pennsylvania car accident attorney, I am concerned about a trend among many of our clients who feel that in an effort to cut back on their expenditures take the bare minimum “iron age” era insurance policies in Pennsylvania. Thereafter when they are in an accident and their medical bills and lost wages scream way beyond the limits, they moan and groan about who is going to pay their damages.

Unfortunately, the law of Pennsylvania only requires minimum coverage in the amount of $15,000 for third party coverage and $5,000 for medicals. Obviously if one sustains a significant injury, those medical expenses will easily skyrocket past $5,000 almost quicker than it took to purchase the insurance policy. Additionally, if the individual has sustained a catastrophic injury and is unable to work and did not purchase underinsured motorist coverage then one can imagine the bills piling up with no avenue of remedy to follow.

In Philadelphia, almost 70% of the drivers have minimal coverage or no coverage at all which means that you literally put your life and assets at risk every time you drive on the streets if you are not properly insured with more than the minimum limits and you do not purchase uninsured/underinsured coverage. It is also important to recognize that one should always have full tort insurance.

As a special courtesy to all of our clients and potential clients, the experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers at Reiff & Bily offer a free insurance checkup which means that we will evaluate your policy for free and make suggestions based upon our experience in handling thousands of catastrophic incidents involving a car accident. Please feel free to contact us for a free consultation toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.