If someone else’s negligence seriously injured you or killed your loved one, you could qualify for monetary compensation under Pennsylvania Law. While no amount of money can return you to your pre-accident state or bring back your loved one, money can pay for medical expenses, monthly bills, lost wages, and wrongful death losses.

Damages in a car accident claim can also provide you and your family with a sense of justice and closure, especially if you lost a loved one. The car accident attorneys at Matkoff & Shengold understand the aftermath of a severe car crash. Call 215-922-6073 or email us at info@msbglaw.com to speak with a lawyer today.

Remember, NO FEE unless we recover for you.

Call Matkoff & Shengold today and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Our Philadelphia car accident attorneys are here to help you with:

  • Pursuing any area of Pennsylvania car accident law;
  • Access to medical specialists and other car accident services;
  • Obtaining fair and just compensation for your injuries both now and in the future; and
  • Honest and reliable legal advice regarding your car accident claim.

If money is an issue, Matkoff & Shengold works on a contingency fee basis. We only collect legal fees when we obtain compensation for you. Let us review your car accident claim, answer your legal questions, and create a legal strategy tailored for your recovery goals.

How Our Car Accident Attorneys Can Help

Insurance companies are in business to make money, not pay it out to accident victims.

Our car accident attorneys work diligently on your case from the moment you walk into our office until we either settle your claim in negotiations or receive a courtroom verdict.

Matkoff & Shengold puts its time, effort, and resources into building a trial-ready case for you. This entails the following, and more:

  • Thoroughly investigating your accident;
  • Identifying liable parties;
  • Interviewing witnesses;
  • Locating sources of compensation;
  • Hiring needed experts;
  • Reviewing your medical records and prognosis for recovery;
  • Determining your total losses;
  • Serving the insurance company with a compensation demand;
  • Negotiating a fair and just settlement on your behalf; or
  • Filing a civil lawsuit; and
  • Moving forward towards trial.

Contact Matkoff & Shengold to ask your car accident questions and discuss the car accident claims process. Matkoff & Shengold can make the difference in your car accident claim. Speak to one of our skilled Philadelphia car accident attorneys today.

Distracted Driving Is Deadly

Sadly, most car accidents are the result of preventable driving behaviors. While not the only cause of car accidents, the most common and cited cause of car crashes across the United States is distracted driving. Distracted driving happens any time a driver takes their focus away from the activity of driving.

Distracted driving accounted for nearly 10 percent of automobile crashes in 2019, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that in 2018, distracted driving injured nearly 400,000 people a day and killed approximately 2,800.

Three Types of Distracted Driving

There are three types of distracted driving:

  • Visual;
  • Manual; and
  • Cognitive.

Visual distractions may be inside or outside of the car. These are any distractions that cause a driver to take their eyes off of the road. Visual distractions can include:

  • Texting;
  • Using GPS;
  • Looking in the mirror;
  • Turning to look at an accident;
  • Trying to find an object; and
  • Looking at the sound system.

During a manual distraction, a driver removes their hands from the wheel. Manual distractions are activities like:

  • Texting;
  • Eating;
  • Drinking;
  • Grooming or applying makeup;
  • Smoking;
  • Comforting a child; and
  • Tending to a pet.

Cognitive distractions, thinking about something other than driving, can be any of the following:

  • Texting;
  • Having a conversation;
  • Daydreaming;
  • Thinking about life, work, or school; and
  • Drowsiness.

Texting and Driving

It is important to note that texting is a visual, manual, and cognitive driving distraction and the number one cause of distracted driving accidents. This is one of the many reasons Philadelphia and all of Pennsylvania bans texting and driving.

A citation for texting and driving in Pennsylvania carries a fifty-dollar fine, plus court costs and fees. The violation does not go on the driver’s record, nor does it carry points.

The same is not true for commercial drivers. Texting and driving are recorded on a commercial driver’s record as a non-sanction violation. Whether a driver is commercial or non-commercial, the texting device’s seizure is unauthorized by Pennsylvania law.

Pennsylvania’s ban on texting does not include the use of a system or device integrated within a vehicle, such as a GPS or mass transit communications device found on a school bus.

Contributors to Car Accident Injuries

Distracted driving is one cause of auto accidents, but there are many contributors to car accidents and their resulting injuries. Car accident injuries run the gamut from minor injuries to catastrophic injuries and even death. The following variables play a part in the severity of car accident injuries:

  • The configuration of the car accident;
  • The speed of impact;
  • The weight and size of the vehicles involved;
  • The weather conditions; and
  • Hazardous conditions or chemicals at the accident site.

Car Accident Injuries

There are two categories of car accident personal injuries: impact injuries and penetrating injuries. Impact injuries are injuries that occur when the body collides with the car’s interior, while penetrating injuries happen when the body is cut or scraped of its skin.

Some of the most commonly cited impact and penetrating car accident injuries are:

  • Cuts and lacerations;
  • Fractures and broken bones;
  • Internal organ injuries;
  • Burns and smoke inhalation;
  • Whiplash and other neck injuries;
  • Knee injuries;
  • Spine and back injuries;
  • Paralysis;
  • Concussions;
  • Traumatic brain injury; and
  • Death.

Car accident injuries are not always bodily. Motor vehicle accidents also cause mental and emotional trauma. Some leave victims with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Call or contact Matkoff & Shengold today if you have suffered a personal injury due to a car accident.

Car Accident Compensation

Compensation for a car accident claim may include physical, mental, and emotional injuries. In fact, car accident compensation takes an accident’s overall effect on the victim’s life into account.

Potential damages for a car accident claim may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Current and future medical expenses;
  • Prescriptions, medical devices, and equipment;
  • Property damage;
  • Lost wages;
  • Loss of earning capacity;
  • Psychological counseling;
  • Mental and emotional trauma;
  • Pain and suffering;
  • Loss of consortium; and
  • Wrongful death.

To learn about potential damages in your car accident claim, or to find out about specific types of care available for car accident injuries, call Matkoff & Shengold. Our car accident attorneys are ready to meet with you and gladly answer your car accident claim questions.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Today

At Matkoff & Shengold, we want to make you and your family financially stable again, so you can focus on recovering and returning to a more normal home life. Let us handle all aspects of your car accident claim and aggressively pursue any negligent parties for your injuries.

Speak with an attorney today call (215) 922-6073 or email us at info@msbglaw.com and schedule your free case evaluation.