During these unprecedented times, more and more of us are getting our exercise by riding our bikes. Even though it’s a law in Pennsylvania, not all motorists “share the road”.
All too often, this leads to the worst-case scenario: bicycle crashes where someone is injured. If you or someone you care about has been seriously hurt in a bicycle accident, you probably have some questions. One of the first questions that people usually ask us is: “Who will pay for my medical bills?”
You may be a responsible driver and abide by the state’s auto insurance laws, however not everyone else does. Interestingly, Pennsylvania has one of the lowest rates of uninsured drivers in the nation. However, the City of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have many uninsured and underinsured drivers. To be an insured driver in Pennsylvania, you only need $15,000 of coverage. This amount is usually not enough to cover someone’s injuries.
…
Continue Reading Why Underinsured Motorist Coverage Is So Important in Pennsylvania
Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. Believe it or not, even during a pandemic, there are still people out there driving under the influence. Unfortunately, this weekend probably will be no different.
This afternoon, Governor Tom Wolf signed House Bill 327, now Act 21 of 2020, allowing the temporary sale of cocktails-to-go form bars, restaurants or hotels with a liquor license. The law takes effect immediately.
…
Continue Reading Drinks to Go?
Pedestrians who are hit by cars, trucks or buses in Philadelphia have rights when it comes to being compensated. They are entitled to recover all of their damages, including medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering. This is also true for bike riders.
It is well settled by Pennsylvania case law that a pedestrian’s right to non-economic recovery is not restricted by their election of limited tort on their car insurance policy. The tort option only applies when a person is occupying a motor vehicle when injured.
While there can be no doubt that we are currently living in challenging and unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the attorneys and staff at Stark & Stark are still working hard to obtain justice for injured victims. We are proud to say that we remain open for business with all attorneys and staff working from home, and in compliance with social distancing guidelines. That being said, the COVID-19 outbreak presents some unique challenges that must be addressed when pursuing a personal injury case.
…
Continue Reading How Will COVID-19 Affect My Injury Case?
Being in a family of construction workers, the COVID-19 crisis has hit hard. My family members, like yours are out of work, seeking unemployment, or their businesses are prevented from thriving.
With COVID-19 not yet reaching its peak, several Construction businesses have been required to halt residential and commercial construction due to the Commonwealth’s ordered shut down. This has left many employees, construction companies, and suppliers struggling to survive. While the City of Philadelphia has taken measures, such as online permitting, in an attempt to allow payments and work to continue in some circumstances, most construction has been halted. However, in other parts of the country, work continues and employees are being put at risk. Recently in North Carolina, a stand down was orchestrated in an effort to address protection of workers and the community.
…
Continue Reading COVID-19 and Construction in Philadelphia and Surrounding States
Stay-at-home orders issued in Pennsylvania and New Jersey mean most people are not driving at all. At best, individuals are occasionally driving for curbside pickup food.
Because of the dramatic decrease in driving, ten of the largest U.S. auto insurance companies say they will take the unusual step of giving back a portion of premiums to policyholders because they have fewer accidents to cover.
…
Continue Reading Due to COVID-19, Is Your Car Insurance Company Refunding You Money?
Over the course of my career as a personal injury attorney, I have had the unfortunate experience of explaining to countless injured individuals that I am unable to handle their case. While this is never an easy conversation, any skilled personal injury attorney will tell you that it is a necessary part of the job.
In this blog post, I will explain how and why we make these decisions, and what you can do to maximize the chance that an attorney will take your case.
…
Continue Reading I’m Injured, Why Won’t Any Lawyers Take My Case?
A recent study by Carfax indicated that more than 63 million vehicles in the United States (one in four vehicles on the road) are being driven with unfixed safety recalls. J.D. Power and Associates estimated the number to be 45 million vehicles, while acknowledging the total could be higher due to older recalls that are difficult to track.
When vehicle safety recalls are delivered, many people put off addressing the issue or ignore it altogether due to inconvenience, lack of time, or perhaps not realizing the danger associated with some recalls. If they don’t own the car anymore, some prior owners just discard the notice.
