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Most car accident claims are won or lost in the first few weeks. The insurance company assigns an adjuster the day after the crash, pulls the police report, and starts building a value for your claim before you have finished your first round of treatment. Flager Law moves at the same speed. We gather the crash report, photograph the scene and the vehicles, track down witnesses, and request any traffic or business surveillance video before it is recorded over.
In addition, we have handled Philadelphia auto claims for decades. We know the Court of Common Pleas, the local defense firms, and the adjusters who cover Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. We know which carriers settle and which ones only move once suit is filed. That experience turns into real recoveries for our clients, and it is why a Philadelphia car accident lawyer who works these courts every week is worth more to you than a national firm running television ads.
We also keep you informed. You get a direct line to the people working your file, plain answers about where your case stands, and an honest opinion about what it is worth before you decide anything.
Get medical care first, even if you feel alright at the scene. Adrenaline hides soft tissue injuries, concussions, and disc damage for a day or two. Go to Penn Presbyterian, Jefferson, Temple, Einstein, or the closest emergency department, and follow up with your own doctor within a week. A gap in treatment is the first thing an insurer points to when it wants to argue you were not really hurt.
Next, report the crash and collect what you can. Call the police so there is a report number. Photograph both vehicles, the damage, the intersection, any skid marks, and the other driver’s insurance card. Get names and numbers for every witness before they leave.
After that, be careful what you say. The other driver’s insurer will call quickly, often within a day, and ask for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one. Decline politely and refer them to us. Keep your medical records, prescription receipts, repair estimates, and anything the insurance company sends you.
Finally, call a lawyer early. Video evidence disappears, witnesses move, and your own insurance policy has notice requirements that can cost you benefits if they are missed. The sooner we are involved, the more we can protect.
City crashes produce a wide range of harm. We handle whiplash and neck strain, herniated discs, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and concussions, broken bones, shoulder and knee tears that need surgery, internal injuries, burns, scarring, and wrongful death. Low speed does not mean low injury. A rear-end collision at 25 miles per hour on Broad Street can still leave someone with a cervical fusion and permanent restrictions.
We also see psychological injuries after a serious crash, including post-traumatic stress, driving anxiety, and depression. These are recoverable damages under Pennsylvania law, and we make sure they are documented rather than brushed aside. Our team works with your treating physicians, orthopedists, neurologists, and therapists to build a complete picture of your injuries and what you will need going forward.
Pedestrian and bicycle crashes get the same attention. Philadelphia has some of the busiest pedestrian corridors in the state, and those cases often involve the most serious injuries and the most aggressive defense.
Pennsylvania drivers choose between limited tort and full tort when they buy a policy, and that one checkbox shapes your whole claim. Full tort preserves your right to sue for pain and suffering. Limited tort gives up that right in most situations, though it still allows recovery of medical bills and lost wages. Limited tort is not the dead end people assume. Exceptions apply when the injury is serious, when the at-fault driver was drunk, when the other vehicle is registered out of state, and in several other situations. We review your declarations page before anyone tells you what your case is worth, and we fight the serious injury question when it matters.
Pennsylvania also follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can recover as long as you are not more than 50 percent at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of the blame. Insurers know this rule and will try to push a slice of fault onto you with questions about your speed, your phone, or why you did not avoid the crash. We push back with the report, the physical evidence, and the witnesses.
There is a deadline. Most Pennsylvania car accident injury claims carry a two-year statute of limitations, and wrongful death claims run on the same two-year clock. Claims involving SEPTA, a city vehicle, or a government-maintained road carry much shorter notice requirements, often six months. Call us early so a deadline never becomes the reason a good case goes nowhere.
One more point worth knowing. Limited tort does not apply to motorcycle riders in Pennsylvania, so a rider hurt by a negligent driver keeps the full right to recover for pain and suffering.
Pennsylvania law allows injury victims to recover several categories of damages. The first is medical expenses, including the ambulance, emergency treatment, imaging, surgery, hospital stays, follow-up visits, physical therapy, prescriptions, and assistive devices. Your own policy’s medical benefits pay first in Pennsylvania, and those limits run out quickly on a serious injury, so the rest has to come from the claim.
Next is lost income. If the crash kept you out of work, that pay is recoverable. If your injuries limit what you can earn going forward, a vocational expert or economist can project that loss across your remaining work life. We bring those experts in on serious cases.
Pennsylvania also allows recovery for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium for a spouse, subject to your tort election. These are real damages, and we document them with treatment records, before and after testimony, and the daily details that show what changed.
In serious cases, future costs often dwarf the bills already in hand. Future surgery, long-term therapy, home modifications, in-home care, and reduced earning capacity all have to be calculated and proven. We work with treating physicians and life care planners so the number reflects the full life of the injury, not just what has been billed so far.
Insurance companies are businesses, and their job is to close your claim cheaply. After a Philadelphia car accident, expect a fast call and a quick offer, often before you know whether you need surgery. That first number is almost always a fraction of fair value. Do not accept it without advice.
Adjusters also use recorded statements and social media. Friendly questions are designed to lock you into a version of events that hurts you later, and public posts get scanned for any photo that looks inconsistent with your reported injuries. We handle every communication with the insurer so those tactics go nowhere.
Delay is the third tactic. Some carriers slow-walk a file hoping bills and frustration will push you to take less. We keep the claim moving on a schedule, and we file suit when an insurer will not deal in good faith.
Nothing up front. Flager Law handles car accident cases on contingency, which means our fee comes out of the recovery we win for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee. The first consultation is always free.
Often, yes. Limited tort still covers medical bills and lost wages, and several exceptions restore your right to recover for pain and suffering, including a serious injury, a drunk driver, or a vehicle registered outside Pennsylvania. Send us your declarations page and we will tell you straight.
Two years from the date of the crash for most injury and wrongful death claims. Claims against SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, or another government body require written notice far sooner, often within six months, so do not wait.
Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may pay, and in a hit and run those benefits often become the main source of recovery. We review every policy in your household, since stacked coverage can raise the available limits well beyond what the adjuster first tells you.
No recorded statement, and no signed authorizations, until you have talked to a lawyer. You are allowed to decline. Give them our number and let us handle it.
It depends on the injuries and the fight. A clear liability case with moderate injuries can settle within a few months of finishing treatment. A disputed case or a serious injury case can take a year or more, especially in litigation. We push for the fastest fair result, never just the fastest one.
Insurance companies start working the day of the crash, and so should you. Call Flager Law at (215) 953-5200 for a free consultation with a Philadelphia car accident lawyer. There is no fee unless we win your case.
