Auto Accidents
Has an auto accident caused you injury, left you in lasting pain and with costly medical bills, or forced you to miss time away from work? If you or someone you love has been injured in an auto accident, you need a team of experienced attorneys like the ones at the Almonti Law Group to take on the insurance companies and get you the compensation you deserve.
It could happen to any of us.
Auto accidents caused by the negligence of others cost hard-working Pennsylvanians their health, mental and physical wellbeing, livelihoods and ability to work, and even, tragically, their lives. According to statistics recently published by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), 3 Pennsylvanians are fatally injured in reportable traffic crashes each day. That amounts to one fatal accident in Pennsylvania every 8 hours! In 2019, 343 reportable traffic accidents occurred every day—or about 14 crashes per hour—resulting in 209 persons being injured in traffic accidents each day of that calendar year.
Considering the Commonwealth’s population of nearly 13 million people,
the odds that you or someone you love will be involved in an auto accident at some point in your life are staggeringly high: According to PennDOT, 1 out of every 45 Pennsylvania citizens was involved in a reportable crash in 2019. One out of every 168 Pennsylvanians was injured in a traffic crash in 2019. And, tragically, 1 out of every nearly 12,000 people was killed. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when quarantine led to less citizens using the roads each day, 1 out of every 57 Pennsylvanians was involved in a crash and 1 out of every 209 Pennsylvanians was injured in an auto accident.
Injuries resulting from auto accidents can range from minor or temporary to severe and permanent, depending on the circumstances and nature of the accident, the speed of the vehicles involved, their relative positions in the roadway and with respect to each other, and whether a seatbelt was used, or if airbags deployed.
Auto accident victims may experience:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Back, shoulder, and neck injury
- Spinal cord injury, including paralysis
- Internal bleeding and blunt force injury
- Soft tissue-type injuries
- Broken bones
- Anxiety and other emotional distress
- Herniated discs
- Facial injury and scarring
- Limb loss and amputation
- Knee, foot, and ankle injury
- Whiplash
- Burns
Auto accidents come in many kinds and varieties. Accidents may involve rear-end, head-on, angle, or sideswipe impacts. Accidents may occur on highways, at intersections, and when backing. Drivers may hit fixed objects, other vehicles, or pedestrians. The team at the Almonti Law Group has decades of experience with serious auto accident cases and, when needed, will work collaboratively with highly-trained and credible liability and damages experts, in areas including biomechanics, accident reconstruction, neurology, and orthopedics.
What causes auto accidents?
Driver behavior and driver error cause most auto accidents. Examples of the kinds of driver behavior and error that can cause accidents include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Aggressive driving
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Failure to safely merge/unsafe merging
- Proceeding or turning without safe clearance
- Disregarding traffic control devices (stop signs, stop lights, etc.)
- Cell phone use and distracted driving
- Unsafe or frequent lane changes
- Driving while drowsy or fatigued
- Illegal or improper passing
- Improper turning
- Drunk driving
What To Do If You’ve Been in an Auto Accident
If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident, take the following steps:
Call the police and make sure that a report of your accident is prepared. Request a copy of any report that is prepared, including any witness statements.
Even if you weren’t at fault or if you think, at the time, that your accident was minor or that you sustained no injuries, contact your insurance company right away to tell them about what happened.
If you are physically able, obtain contact and insurance information for the driver who hit you. If the other vehicle flees the scene, try to document the color, make, model, and license plate number of the vehicle if you can. If you have the ability, capture a photo of the fleeing vehicle and its license plate.
Do what you need to do to protect and safeguard your health and wellbeing—both mental and physical. Seek emergency aid from an ambulance or at a hospital if needed. Advise your primary care doctor of your accident. Schedule visits and follow with any specialists to whom you may be referred.
If you are physically able, take photographs of the area where you were injured. (If you are not physically able, see if a friend or loved one can take the photos.) Make sure your photos include the vehicle that hit you, the surrounding area, the light and weather conditions, and any street signs or markings in the area (roadway dividing lines, street lights, stop signs, etc.).
Take photographs that memorialize your injuries (including photographs of any bruising, swelling, or broken bones). Consider keeping a daily log or journal of your symptoms and pain levels. Keep a list of all medical providers you see and ask them to provide copies of any medical records and diagnoses they give you.
Log and track your property damage, vehicle repairs, time off work, out-of-pocket medical expenses, pharmacy bills, and the cost of any events or travel you had to cancel due to the accident or your injuries. Save receipts, credit card statements, and any other documents that will verify your expenses.
—and especially do not provide a tape-recorded statement! Instead, call the Almonti Law Group to take on the insurance companies and win your case. We’ll handle your legal case so that you can put your efforts toward recovering in body and spirit and returning to the work, hobbies, and family activities you cherish.
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Contact the Almonti Law Group today to handle your personal injury cases with diligence, compassion, and fire.
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