Back Injury Lawyers Serving Clients in Bethlehem and Throughout Pennsylvania Catastrophic injuries — including those that affect the back, spine, brain, and other critical bodily systems — can give rise to complex litigation, as the injured plaintiff’s claim is likely to be substantial given their various impairments and losses. For example, if you are rendered paraplegic in a car accident, then your damages are likely to be significantly more (all else being equal) than if you had only fractured your leg. An injury that causes you to become paraplegic will have a long-term impact on your physical, psychological, and social health, and may severely undermine your ability to work. Given the high-stakes nature of catastrophic injury litigation, it’s important that you consult with a team of attorneys who have extensive experience handling personal injury claims that involve significant damage claims. We encourage you to contact Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC for more information about how we can help you move forward with your catastrophic injury claims. Back Injuries Can Cause Pain and Functional Impairment The back is particularly vulnerable to damage in an accident and can lead to significant and long-term functional impairments. Regardless of the individual, the back is central to many intertwined systems in the body — it houses the spinal cord, and its musculature provides necessary support for most full-body movement. Injuries to the back can give rise to: Severe pain and suffering Limited mobility Difficulty making accurate movements Burning sensations Stabbing sensations Strength deficits Paralysis And […]
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Category: Personal Injury
Exotic Animal Bite Injuries and Liability
Dog Bite Attorney in Allentown, PA Have you been injured in an exotic animal attack — at a zoo, garden, circus, or even in a residential area where the animal has a permitted individual owner? Depending on the circumstances of the injury, Pennsylvania law may give you a right of action against the owner for damages. Here at Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC, we have successfully litigated numerous animal bite cases, with significant results obtained through settlement and trial. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you pursue your claims. Exotic Wildlife Ownership is Limited and Strict In Pennsylvania, exotic wildlife possession is extremely limited and highly-regulated. An exotic animal may only be possessed by public zoological parks/gardens, nationally-recognized circuses, and individuals with the necessary permits. Individual permits are granted for each exotic animal, and the individual must have at least two years of hands-on experience in a licensed facility, as well as house the animal in a safe and sanitary manner that adequately protects the public from the dangers of such wildlife. If an exotic animal owner fails to satisfy the legal requirements, they could be exposed to civil and criminal penalties. Imposing Liability As a foundational matter, it’s important to understand that exotic animal owners must exercise due care in safeguarding the public from attack. Failure to do so could give you — the injured plaintiff — a right to sue and recover damages for the suffered losses. Whether the owner is liable will […]
Bethlehem Personal Injury Lawyers If you’ve been harmed in an accident that was caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of another individual or entity in Pennsylvania, then the law may give you a right of action for damages. When pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, however, there is a significant difference between merely winning a case and winning a case while securing full and adequate damages to cover your losses. For example, it’s possible for the court to agree with your arguments and impose liability on the defendant, but for the jury to award limited damages. The jury may not believe that you have done enough to establish the “certainty” of your various losses or may believe that you are exaggerating your losses. Understanding personal injury damages is therefore critical to ensuring that you are able to achieve your litigation goals. Let’s take a closer look. Two Primary Categories: Economic and Noneconomic Damages Damages are meant to “compensate” the injured plaintiff for their losses, and as such, the standard damages available to an injured plaintiff are termed compensatory damages. Their purpose is compensatory in nature — they are intended to position the plaintiff (recipient of the damages) in a manner that most accurately projects their status had the accident not occurred in the first place. Compensatory damages can be further subdivided into two categories: economic damages and noneconomic damages. Economic damages describe losses that are purely pecuniary in nature. These damages may include compensation that covers losses such as: […]
Several Reminders From Highway Safety Law Awareness Week
Did you know that this week (February 18- 25) is “Highway Safety Law Awareness Week?” By raising awareness regarding certain traffic laws, with which you may not be too familiar, PennDOT and the Pennsylvania State Police hope to make everyone safer on our roadways. This year’s focus is on a variety of lesser know traffic laws, as well as some changes to our existing laws. These include, Pennsylvania’s Blind Pedestrian Law; the Use of Headphones While Driving; the Ride-on-Red law; the Unattended Motor Vehicle law (those with remote car starters should especially read this); the Clear Snow and Ice from your Vehicle Law (see our previous article here); the Steer Clear Law; the Turn Around, Don’t Drown Law; as well as penalty changes to our existing DUI laws. In addition to the “Clear the Snow from Your Vehicle Law,” we previously wrote about, we think that it is important to be reminded, about two additional laws that are the focus of this year’s Awareness Week. The first law we would like to look at in more detail is the “Unattended Motor Vehicle Law” and the second is the “Turn Around, Don’t Drown Law.” On a cold winter morning, who doesn’t want to wait in the house while your car is getting warmed-up before heading out on the road? But do you know what the laws are in Pennsylvania regarding leaving a vehicle running that is unattended? 75 Pa. C.S.A. Sec. 3701, prohibits anyone who is “in charge” of a motor […]
Extending the Personal Injury Claim Deadline
In the state of Pennsylvania, personal injury plaintiffs are subject to a two-year statute of limitations period. If the plaintiff does not file their lawsuit before the deadline passes, then they will lose their right to litigate their claim in a court of law, thus relinquishing any real possibility of recovery. Statute of limitations rules are critically important, and as such, we recommend that all prospective plaintiffs seek out legal assistance early (even if uncertain about whether a claim is actionable) so that the case can be properly evaluated before too much time has passed. If you’ve delayed in filing your lawsuit, however, there may still be hope. Pennsylvania, same as many other jurisdictions, suspends the statute of limitations in certain circumstances. Consider the following “common exceptions” to the statute of limitations. The Discovery Rule In many cases, one’s injuries are not actually clear on the date of the accident. For example, if you are hit by a car in a low-speed accident, you might not realize that you were harmed if the injury is asymptomatic until a later date. The discovery rule allows for the suspension of the statute of limitations until the date of discovery (or at least, until you should have discovered the injury with the exercise of reasonable care). Minor Plaintiff Plaintiffs who were minors at the time of an accident have their statute of limitations period suspended until they become 18 years of age. How does this work? Suppose that you are injured in a […]
Business Owners Must Provide Adequate Security
In Pennsylvania, premises liability principles give injured plaintiffs the right to bring a lawsuit against a property owner for failing to correct non-obvious dangerous conditions of the property (i.e., property hazards, such as broken stairs). For example, if you trip and fall on the defendant’s stairway due to a broken step, then you could sue and recover damages as compensation. The situation becomes a bit more complicated when the “dangerous condition of property” is not linked to an inanimate object, but is instead linked to the negative and potentially harmful behaviors of another individual. In many cases, businesses fail to provide adequate security to their customers, and this gives rise to a significant injury risk. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident, a lawsuit against the business owner may be possible. So, what is the advantage of pursuing a lawsuit against the business owner? Generally speaking, individual criminals do not have the assets or coverage to compensate the injured victim for their losses. In order for the victim to obtain full compensation, they’ll have to establish the liability of defendants who have “deep enough pockets” to pay — here, the business owner. Reasonable Foreseeability is the Key Pennsylvania law does not make business owners absolute guarantors of the safety of their customers. Liability may only attach if the business owner knew or reasonably should have known about the dangerous condition of property. In the inadequate security context, the dangerous condition that the business owner knew or reasonably should have known […]
Bethlehem Back Injury Lawyers The spinal cord is fundamental to both movement and sensation in the human body, and as such, an injury to the spinal cord can lead to impairment of these functions. Catastrophic spinal cord injuries often cause: Paralysis Shooting pain Burning pain Movement deficits Sensational deficits And more If you’ve sustained an injury to your spinal cord due to the fault of another party, it’s important that you seek the assistance of a qualified attorney who can help you litigate your claims. You may be entitled to damages under Pennsylvania Law. Contact Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC for comprehensive guidance. Catastrophic Injuries Require Significant Compensation The impairments caused by a catastrophic spinal cord injury may lead to damages that surprise most who are unfamiliar with the personal injury litigation process. Suppose, for example, that your legs are paralyzed in a car accident involving a driver who was operating their vehicle recklessly at the time of the accident. Following your accident, you can no longer work at your construction job. You may also struggle with the loss of enjoyment related to various social and physical activities that you can no longer partake in. Your participation in recreational sports may represent a significant loss from both a social and exercise-based perspective. As the injured plaintiff, you may recover for your pain and suffering, humiliation, mental anguish, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, retraining costs, medical expenses, and various other losses. Timely and Compassionate Resolution Many plaintiffs suffering from […]
What Are Emotional Damages?
If you’ve been injured due to the negligent or wrongful misconduct of another party in Pennsylvania, then you may have a cause of action against the defendant for damages. These damages may not only compensate you for the financial losses and physical harm that you suffered due to your injuries, but also the emotional harm. Economic and Non-Economic Damages In Pennsylvania, compensatory damages in a personal injury case can be separated into two different categories: economic and non-economic damages. Economic and non-economic damages are fundamentally different than one another, though they are both critical to securing a full and adequate recovery. Economic Damages Economic damages account for financial losses suffered due to the accident at-issue. These may include, but are not necessarily limited, to: Lost wages Loss of future earning capacity Medical expenses Property loss And more Due to their more objective nature, economic damages tend to be rather straightforward to prove, though you’ll have to keep copious records to ensure that you have the evidence to support your claims. Non-Economic Damages Non-economic damages account for the physical and mental losses suffered by the plaintiff due to the accident. These may include, but are not necessarily limited, to: Pain and suffering Mental anguish Stress Embarrassment Humiliation Loss of enjoyment of life And more Due to their more subjective nature, non-economic damages can be difficult to prove, as the defendant may assert that your claim is “outrageous” based on the circumstances. Because they cannot experience what you are going through, they […]
Using Experts to Strengthen Your Injury Claim
If you’ve been injured in an accident that was caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct of another party, then Pennsylvania law may give you a right to sue and obtain compensation for the losses that you suffered. Before you move forward with your claims and bringing a lawsuit against the defendant for damages, however, you should probably be aware of the importance of expert witness testimony to successful litigation in many personal injury disputes. Here at Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC, we work with reliable experts who have helped us secure substantial results in the past. Our close connection with expert ensures that we are “on the same wavelength” from a case strategy standpoint, and that we can guide the expert witness to produce reliable testimony that is less likely to be undermined by opposing counsel. Let’s take a closer look. The Value of Expert Testimony Expert witnesses are quite different from eyewitnesses. Unlike eyewitnesses, expert witnesses typically did not observe the accident at-issue firsthand. Expert witnesses are those who are introduced into litigation to testify as to issues and facts that are related to some “special knowledge” that they possess regarding a particular field. For example, an auto industry engineer might be brought in to testify as to the expected tolerances for the roll cage of a vehicle (with regard to the force of impact it is capable of sustaining). Expert witness testimony is quite valuable in the personal injury context to help establish certain standards or […]
The Discovery Rule and the Statute of Limitations
Allentown Injury Attorney In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims — unless the defendant is a “public” employee or entity, in which case a separate, stricter set of procedural rules apply — is just two years from the date of injury. The statute of limitations is essentially a deadline for one’s lawsuit. Failure to bring an action against the defendant before the deadline passes will result in an abandonment of the claims therein. Simply put: you will lose your right to litigate your injury dispute in a Pennsylvania court of law should the deadline pass before you file your claims. There are numerous exceptions to the statute of limitations, however, which can give you extra time. The Discovery Rule is one such exception, and it is significant. If the injuries you sustained due to an accident were hidden or otherwise non-obvious, then there’s a good chance that the Discovery Rule is applicable to your lawsuit. Let’s take a closer look at how it works. How Does the Discovery Rule Work? According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Discovery Rule provides that “where the existence of the injury is not known to the complaining party and such knowledge cannot be reasonably ascertained within the prescribed statutory period, the limitations period does not begin to run until the discovery of the injury is reasonably possible.” Stated another way, the statute of limitations period will not begin to count down until the plaintiff either becomes aware of the injury […]
