Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Over the last few months, the experienced Philadelphia car accident attorneys of Reiff & Bily have received much more than the normal amount of calls involving people leaving the scene of a car accident after they struck a pedestrian or another vehicle.

Last Saturday night, two people were struck when a car came onto the pavement and struck them from behind as they were walking home after a Saturday evening date. The driver got out of his car and then got back in and took off leaving the injured pedestrians to fend for themselves. Unfortunately none of the victims owned a motor vehicle and had no other health insurance.

Leaving the scene of an accident is commonly referred to as a hit and run accident. The penalties depend on the seriousness of the damage or injuries. Pennsylvania’s motor vehicle code treats accidents involving unattended vehicles, i.e. one’s without drivers or occupants as the least serious. The level of punishment escalates to a more serious offense when the other vehicle is occupied or a pedestrian is hit and injured. A hit and run car accident involving personal injury or death can receive a high level of punishment which may include a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison or if the victim suffers a serious bodily injury, the offender can be charged with a third degree felony carrying a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 90 days and a maximum sentence of up to 7 years and a minimum fine of $2,500. If the victim dies, the offense may still be classified as a third degree felony but the mandatory minimum sentence would be one year. It is also important to know that conviction for any of these offenses could result in suspension of a driver’s license.

Continue reading "There Seems To Be An Epidemic In Philadelphia Of People Leaving The Scene Of A Car Accident - Experienced Car Accident Attorney Weighs In" »

I am sure no doubt many of you will agree that a motor vehicle in the hands of an untrained or licensed driver can often amount to a death machine on our highways. Car accidents involving unlicensed drivers or untrained teenagers places a high burden on our society and it is important for parents and others in a position of authority to guide and educate unlicensed teenage drivers who are at high risk for unsafe driving practices.

My son, who is in the 10th grade, returned from school a few weeks ago and had a conversation with me in a half joking fashion that one of his friend’s bragged to him that his father allowed him to take a car out for a spin even though he was under the legal age of driving and not trained behind the wheel of a car. When I pressed my son on the details, he said “Dad, I think it was only in a parking lot” and then backed down from providing more information. The conversation concerned and alarmed me due to the fact that as an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney since 1979, I have become all too familiar with catastrophic injuries and fatalities resulting from improperly trained and unlicensed drivers. Not that teenagers are the only unlicensed drivers. I recently reviewed a story published in the newspaper whereupon it noted that a 74 year old man who had not held a valid driver’s license since August 2001 struck three parked vehicles, including one that was occupied, as well as a Montour County Sheriff’s SUV and then took off in hit and run fashion. Not so surprisingly, lab results eventually revealed that the blood alcohol level of this 74 year old man was twice the legal limit of 0.8. We have also witnessed the situation where an immigrant to America, who was unlawfully in our country, never properly secured the license requirement for Pennsylvania or any other state where he was driving, and operates a vehicle on no license or his native country’s license and is not familiar with the rules of the road in America. One of my clients was recently injured by someone who fit this category and did not even show up for the hearing.

Continue reading "Many Unlicensed Drivers From 9th to 11th Grade Operating Vehicles On Pennsylvania Highways" »