Anyone who has experienced a personal injury in Pennsylvania may be entitled to compensation by filing a Pennsylvania personal injury claim. There are so many different types of accidents when personal injuries do take place such as the following:
- truck accidents and many more;
- slip and falls;
- motor cycle accidents
- auto accidents.
As long as you are able to find the right evidence to prove that the other person or entity was at fault and caused your injury you should be eligible to file a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania which covers your financial loss caused by the injury.
In Pennsylvania you can expect to receive the total cost of all medical treatment, the cost of repairs to your auto (if applicable), any lost wages while you can’t work and a sum of money calculated to cover pain and suffering which is often more than the value of the medical treatment.
However, you may require some Pennsylvania personal injury help to help to ensure you get the personal injury compensation you deserve.
How Do I File a Claim in Pennsylvania?
Before deciding to file a personal injury claim you need to be certain you have enough evidence to back up your claim which proves you didn’t cause the accident. You also need to consider the state’s statute of limitations which is the time you are given to file a personal injury claim.
In Pennsylvania, someone who has been injured is given 2 years from the injury date to file a lawsuit against the person or entity who is at fault. The time limit for claims against a Pennsylvania government entity such as a city, county or a Pennsylvania state government agency is just six months.
How Do I Prove Negligence in Pennsylvania?
Proving negligence in a personal injury claim could be dependent on the proof you provide. These are several different types of proof that can be used to support your personal injury claim like:
- photos taken at the accident scene;
- eye witnesses’ reports;
- the police report about the accident;
- your doctor’s report with your diagnosis and possible recovery time.
- photos retrieved from nearby security cameras, if possible;
- receipts for medical treatment already received.
Pennsylvania has shared fault rules so in a few personal injury cases, the person or business you're filing a claim against argues that you are actually to blame (at least partially) for the incident that caused your injuries.
If you do share some percentage of fault for the accident that led to your personal injury claim, it could affect the total amount of compensation you can receive from others. In shared fault injury cases, like in Pennsylvania there is a “modified comparative negligence rule which means the value of the compensation (damages) you're entitled to receive will be reduced by an amount that is equal to your percentage of fault.
But if you’re found to bear more than 50 percent of the legal blame, you can’t collect anything at all from other at-fault parties.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Receive in Pennsylvania
There are two main types of damages in a personal injury claim which are economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are calculated in cash and are the amount of money the injured person has either lost due to the injury or is having to pay out due to the injury.
Economic damages may include the following:
- medical bills,
- property damage,
- lost wages
- lost earning capacity.
Non-economic damages could include:
- disfigurement caused by the injury;
- emotional distress;
- inconvenience;
- loss of enjoyment in life;
- pain and suffering;
- physical impairment (such as loss of the use of a limb or organ).
How Do I Get Personal Injury Help in Pennsylvania
What influences the winning of a successful personal injury claim the most in Pennsylvania is making sure the evidence provided proves who or what caused your accident. It is important to get personal injury help in Pennsylvania and a personal injury attorney has the experience to evaluate your claim and win a favorable settlement on your behalf.
The attorney will carefully assess all the evidence and provide all the personal injury help in Pennsylvania by putting in the required effort to ensure you get the personal injury compensation you are entitled to receive.
