The following are a few frequently asked questions about personal injury. If you were injured and need to speak with an attorney, call (814) 277-5664. Our knowledgeable Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys can answer many of your questions about your accident. And if we don’t know the answer, we’re prepared to do the work to uncover the truth if you choose to hire us.
A “personal injury” is a legal term that refers to a physical injury inflicted on a person’s body. While it sounds simple enough, a personal injury case can become complex and daunting. That’s because these cases involve legal disputes. The individual who suffers the personal injury typically alleges negligence by another person or company. The negligent person may be responsible for paying compensation to the victim but may argue he or she did nothing wrong or shouldn’t have to pay full compensation to the victim. These cases may be resolved through a settlement but sometimes a lawsuit must be filed.
Sometimes, personal injury cases are straightforward – another person clearly caused your injury or your accident. But in many instances, these cases are much less straightforward.
What makes personal injury cases so problematic is determining “liability.” That is, you have to prove who caused the accident. Many individuals or companies accused of causing an accident will deny responsibility or point the finger at someone else.
Again, our advice is simple – contact our law firm to tell us what happened to you. We offer a free case evaluation to all potential clients. That way, you can discuss the details of your accident, and we can help you decide if you have a solid legal case.
The amount of money you can obtain for your personal injury varies considerably depending on your case. From several hundred dollars to millions of dollars, settlements and verdicts awarded in personal injury cases depend on a number of factors. These include:
Our attorneys have years of experience investigating claims and obtaining the maximum compensation for our clients. Contact us to tell us the details of what happened. We can ask a few questions to find out about any past, present or future medical bills. This will factor into the value of your claim, as well as factors such as the magnitude of your injuries and damages, your income, your age, whether the negligent party had insurance. Your consultation is free and confidential. Best of all, you only pay fees if we recover compensation on your behalf. It’s that simple.
Every personal injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania is different. Sometimes, simply filing a lawsuit on an injury victim’s behalf is enough to prompt the person or company being sued to settle a case before trial.
Other times, accident cases proceed to trial and are decided by a judge or jury. If your personal injury case does go to trial, it’s critical that you have an attorney who thoroughly understands the legal system in your part of Pennsylvania.
Our law firm has extensive experience working in many of the state and federal courthouses in counties throughout Central and Western Pennsylvania. We will go to court to get you the money you deserve.
Contact us immediately. It’s always better to contact Marcus & Mack as soon as possible after an accident. If you wait too long, you may lose your right to initiate legal proceedings. The statute of limitations in Pennsylvania means you only have a short window of time for taking legal action on many personal injury claims.
In addition, the sooner you contact Marcus & Mack, the sooner we can start researching your case. Prompt action is critical because the evidence may soon disappear, especially in the case of industrial accidents, dog bites and slip and fall accidents.
Catastrophic injuries are the most severe type of personal injuries. Typically, these injuries diminish the quality of life and may even shorten the victim’s lifespan considerably. They generally have a deep physical, emotional and financial impact on victims and their families. Examples include:
Traumatic brain injuries, including:
Spinal cord injuries, including:
All of these injuries need to be taken very seriously right away. Otherwise, you could jeopardize your ability to be compensated for your injury-related losses. In most instances, the Pennsylvania statute of limitations allows victims up to two years to take legal action after the accident.
Yes. Our law firm handles wrongful death claims throughout Pennsylvania. We have a proven track record of obtaining significant recoveries in these complex cases. A wrongful death claim involves the death of a person due to the fault of another person or company. We help surviving family members pursue compensation for losses, including lost wages from the deceased, lost companionship, funeral expenses and possibly other damages.
We carefully research every single case and work tirelessly to present evidence and witness testimony in a persuasive manner. We take this detail-oriented approach because we know how high the stakes are for surviving family members.
Sometimes. In most cases, you file a workers’ compensation claim, which provides benefits for medical expenses and wage loss if you can’t return to work or otherwise suffer a loss in income. Workers’ comp is not the same as a personal injury lawsuit. You generally cannot file a lawsuit against your employer, because the workers’ comp insurance carried by the employer pays for your accident.
But there may be cases where you can file a personal injury lawsuit against a third party, which allows you to recover compensation for pain and suffering and other damages not awarded in a workers’ comp claim. These third-party claims are filed against a person or company other than your employer. For example, if you were injured at a construction site and a third party (not your employer) was found to be at fault, you can file a claim against that third party. Contact our law firm for more details and to discuss your legal options if you’ve been hurt at work.
No. Do not talk to an insurance company adjuster after being injured due to negligence. We urge you to decline to comment or give him the name and phone number of your lawyer, if you have one. Remember, anything you say to an insurance company representative can be used against you and be used as evidence to deny your insurance claim.
Once you talk to us, we can deal with insurance companies on your behalf. We have years of experience talking with adjusters about accidents and how our clients should be compensated. We understand exactly what they are looking for and are well aware of the tactics they sometimes use to get people to say the “wrong” thing that may torpedo an otherwise legitimate claim. When the adjusters talk to us, they know you mean business.
Absolutely. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you only pay us a legal fee if we recover compensation for you. It’s that simple. We work this way because we believe strongly in helping injury victims, regardless of how much money they have. You pay nothing up front.
Put your trust in a Pennsylvania personal injury law firm that puts your needs first. Contact Marcus Mack. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Marcus & Mack
