PA Personal Injury Attorneys

Pittsburgh Attorneys For Personal Injury Claims

Personal injury attorneys help people that have been seriously injured due to the wrongful or negligent acts of another person or entity. Our job is to help people who have been injured to recover compensation and ease the financial, physical, or emotional burden resulting from their injury.

An important distinction between personal injury and medical malpractice claims is that the victim of medical malpractice or their family are often in the dark and do not know what happened to cause the injury. In personal injury cases, the injury is usually sudden and the cause of injury quite obvious. Not unlike claims involving medical malpractice, an individual who sustains personal injury is entitled to compensation for financial loss related to medical bills, lost wages, or the inability to work, as well as recovery for pain and suffering.

Examples of personal injury claims include:

• Auto accidents
• Workplace accidents
• Injuries caused by defective products
• Injuries caused by encountering a hazard that should have been visible, marked as hazardous, or removed. For example, when a business fails to warn with a sign marked “CAUTION” or provide adequate lighting for patrons to avoid ice which accumulates by the front door of the business, or injuries caused by inadequate lighting in a business or public place, such as a stairwell or parking garage.

The Pittsburgh personal injury attorneys of Meyers Evans & Associates have been helping personal injury victims in Pennsylvania for over 35 years. If you believe that you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligent or wrongful acts of another person or institution, you may have a personal injury claim and should contact an experienced attorney.

We have compiled a list of common questions about personal injury claims. If you have questions that are not answered below, or if you have sustained an injury caused by negligence or wrongdoing, we invite you to contact us for a free consultation.

• What is your firm's experience handling personal injury claims?
• How do I know if I need to talk to a personal injury attorney?
• How much will it cost to speak to a personal injury attorney in your law firm?
• How do you determine whether or not I have a personal injury claim?
• How long does it take to file and conclude a personal injury claim?
• Is there a limit on the time I have in which to file a personal injury claim?
• Will I have to appear in court?
• How is a settlement amount determined?
• Who can be held financially responsible and accountable for personal injury?
• Do I need to provide medical records?
• Can I be compensated for pain & suffering?
• What if the person that was injured has died?
• What if the person that is injured was a homemaker and will not suffer loss of income?

 

Q. What is your firm's experience handling personal injury claims?

A. Jerry Meyers and Charles Evans have been helping victims of personal injury for over 35 years. Our firm has successfully helped hundreds of people and their families recover damages in cases where there has been a serious injury or death caused by the negligent actions or inactions of another person or entity.

Q. How do I know if I need to talk to a personal injury attorney?

A. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to the wrongful action or negligent inaction of another person or entity, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim. We invite you to contact us to schedule a free consultation.

Q. How much will it cost to speak to a personal injury attorney in your law firm?

A. Our personal injury consultations are always free unless we recover money for you. During the course of pursuing your personal injury claim, we advance any costs that we deem necessary in the proper handling of your case. If we do not recover money for you, you do not have to return any of the costs associated with your case. If we do obtain a recovery on your behalf, the costs associated with your case and a certain percentage representing attorneys’ fees is deducted from the total recovery. This is called the Contingent Fee. For more information on how the Contingent Fee works, click here.

Q. How do you determine whether or not I have a personal injury claim?

A. We begin with an in-depth interview of the victim and any witnesses to the incident giving rise to the injury. What we learn during this stage determines whether or not we will further investigate or agree to represent you in a personal injury claim.

How long does it take to file and conclude a personal injury claim?

A. Personal injury cases can take many months or even years to conclude. Because every case is unique and each injury distinct from the other, it is important that you contact an attorney as soon as possible after your injury occurs so we may start to create a roadmap toward resolution of your claim.

Q. Is there a limit on the time I have in which to file a personal injury claim?

A. Yes, there is a statute of limitations on personal injury claims. In Pennsylvania, in most cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the injury. If you'd like to learn more about PA statutes of limitations, click here.

Q. Will I have to appear in court?

A. Most medical malpractice cases are settled outside of the courtroom. It is uncommon that a trial is required in a medical malpractice case. This is to your advantage because the settlement of a claim permits the victim or their family to have direct input into the solution that is crafted as opposed to awaiting the decision of twelve strangers (the jury.)

Q. How is a settlement amount determined?

A. The following factors are considered when determining and agreeing upon a settlement amount.

• Establish the full extent of the injury.
• Determine the future needs of the victim, including expected medical costs and cost associated with living with the injury, such as retrofitting of the home, devices and appliances that may be required, and long-term personal care.
• Determine the maximum recovery obtained in similar cases that may have set a precedent.
• Calculate how much the victim will lose in wages over the course of their recovery, or in cases where the victim will never return to work, over the course of their work life expectancy. It’s also necessary to calculate the value of the victim’s  financial, physical and emotional contributions to their children or  spouse as well as services performed in and around the home.  For more information on the Value of a Homemaker, click here.

 

Q. Who can be held financially responsible and accountable for personal injury?

A.    The individual who caused the injury may be personally responsible for paying damages recovered in a personal injury lawsuit.  If the person who caused the injury was in the course of their employment at the time of injury, that person’s employer may also be held financially responsible.  However, often the individual or entity is financially protected from liability for injury caused to another under the terms of an insurance policy.  In certain cases involving injury caused by a motor vehicle accident, the injured party may also recover money from their own automobile insurance carrier in the event the person or entity who caused the accident doesn’t have enough money or insurance coverage to fully compensate the injured party.

Q. Do I need to provide medical records?

A. No, our attorneys will obtain your medical records.

Q. Can I be compensated for pain & suffering?

A. In most personal injury cases the victim can be compensated for pain and suffering based on the physical pain and emotional anguish they suffer as a result of their injury. Click here to read more about pain and suffering. 

Q. What if the person that was injured has died?

A. If the victim has died, in addition to personal injury claims, the representative of the victim’s estate may be entitled to pursue  wrongful death and survival action claims.

Q. What if the person that is injured was a homemaker and will not suffer loss of income?

A. A. In cases where the victim was a homemaker, the law allows for what is called "Value of a Homemaker" which defines the financial damage based on the value of the services this person provided to the family and household. Click here to read more about Value of a Homemaker.