Top 5 Personal Injury Lawyers in Allentown

Learn Everything You Need to Know About Hiring an Experienced Allentown Personal Injury Lawyer to Represent You

If you have been seriously injured in an accident, one of the most important steps you can take is to speak with a lawyer about your legal rights. We have several lawyers who devote their practices to representing accident victims and their families, and each Allentown personal injury lawyer at our firm provides free consultations and contingency-fee representation. Keep reading to learn more.

Meet Our Allentown Personal Injury Lawyers

Jeff Drake

Jeff Drake is one of our firm’s founding attorneys. He has been practicing law for more than 40 years. Jeff relies on his decades of experience to help accident victims take on the insurance companies and other parties that are legally responsible for their accident-related losses.

Pete Hileman

Pete Hileman is our firm’s other co-founder. He has also been practicing law for more than 40 years. Pete has been selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer and is a Board Certified civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and he is known for his ability to win jury verdicts in court.

Jeremy Puglia

Jeremy Puglia has been representing accident victims at our firm for his entire legal career. He was named to The National Trial Lawyers – Top 40 Under 40 in 2018 and 2019, selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2020 through 2023, and then named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2024 and 2025.

Jonathan Russell

Jonathan Russell represents accident victims and families in Allentown and across Pennsylvania. He has also been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and a Super Lawyer, and he is a member of the “Million Dollar Advocates Forum”, a distinction awarded to less than one percent of lawyers in the U.S.

Tom Blackburn

Tom Blackburn is an Allentown personal injury lawyer with more than 30 years of legal experience and dozens of jury trials under his belt. As a former Assistant District Attorney, he is known for his ability to use the available evidence to build compelling cases that win in court.

What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Legal Rights After a Serious Accident in Allentown

We know that suffering serious injuries in an accident can leave you with lots of questions. Here are the answers to some of the questions we regularly receive from accident victims in Allentown:

What is the “statute of limitations” for a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania, and when does the two-year deadline start?

The “statute of limitations” for a personal injury claim sets the absolute deadline for filing a lawsuit in court. If you have a personal injury claim but you fail to take legal action before the statute of limitations expires, you won’t be able to recover the financial compensation you deserve.

In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years in most cases. Typically, this two-year “limitations period” runs from the date of the accident.

What is the required process for reporting a car accident or other injury-causing incident in Allentown, PA?

Any time you are involved in a car accident resulting in injuries in Allentown, you are required to report the accident to the police. If you call 911 at the crash site (or if anyone else calls 911) and the police respond to your accident, no further reporting is required.

If the police do not respond to your car accident, you are required to report the accident to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) within five days. While the reporting form is available online, you can also hire an Allentown personal injury lawyer to report your accident for you, if necessary.

What types of compensation (damages) can I recover for injuries sustained in an accident?

If you have a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania, you are entitled to compensation for all of your financial and non-financial losses resulting from the accident. This includes not only your financial losses—like medical bills and lost wages—but also your pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and other non-financial losses as well.

With that said, it is up to you to prove the damages you are entitled to recover. This is a complicated process that requires experienced legal representation—and you do not want to unknowingly settle for less than you deserve.

If I were partially at fault for the accident, can I still recover compensation under Pennsylvania’s “modified comparative negligence” rule?

Under Pennsylvania’s “modified comparative negligence” rule, you can recover compensation as long as you were not more than 50 percent at fault in your accident. If you were 50 percent at fault or less, the amount you are entitled to recover will be reduced based on your percentage of liability. For example, if you were 10 percent at fault, you would still be entitled to recover 90 percent of your accident-related losses.

However, if you were 51 percent at fault or more, you are not entitled to any financial compensation. To make sure the insurance companies do not wrongfully accuse you of being primarily responsible for your injuries, you should engage an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer to investigate and gather evidence of liability as soon as possible.

What are the different types of evidence required to successfully prove a personal injury claim in Lehigh County?

The types of evidence accident victims (and their lawyers) can use to prove personal injury claims in Lehigh County vary depending on the nature of the accident. Traffic or surveillance camera footage, vehicle or property maintenance records, employment records, phone records, and liquor store receipts are just a handful of numerous examples.

When you hire an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will work quickly to preserve all available forms of evidence before they disappear. But your lawyer can only preserve the available evidence if you get in touch in time.

How does having “limited tort” versus “full tort” insurance coverage impact my right to sue for pain and suffering in Pennsylvania?

The distinction between “limited tort” and “full tort” coverage applies in car accident cases. If you have full tort coverage, you can seek full compensation for your injuries regardless of their severity. If you have limited tort coverage, you are limited to seeking compensation for your financial losses unless your injuries qualify as “severe” under Pennsylvania law.

Accident victims can run into issues with the insurance companies here as well—particularly when they have limited tort coverage. If you have limited tort coverage, the insurance companies may try to deny that your injuries are “severe” in order to avoid paying the full damages they owe. This is yet another reason to have an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer on your side from the beginning of the process.

What should I avoid saying or doing after an accident to prevent harming my potential claim?

If you think you may have a personal injury claim, there are several potentially costly mistakes you need to avoid. Perhaps most importantly, however, you should avoid saying that you were (or even may have been) at fault in the accident. Determining fault requires a thorough assessment of the evidence, and the reality is that you won’t know who was at fault until you hire a lawyer to conduct an unbiased investigation.

What is the typical timeline or expected duration for a personal injury claim to be resolved in Allentown?

Personal injury claims in Allentown can take anywhere from several weeks to several months. If you need to take your case to trial, the entire process could take a year or longer. But while seeking the compensation you deserve takes time, it is important to be patient, as filing a successful claim will be well worth it in the end. When you hire an experienced lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will work hard to recover just compensation as quickly as possible.

What is “negligence,” and how must it be proven to win a personal injury case?

Proving “negligence” is the key to establishing liability in most types of personal injury cases. Under Pennsylvania law, negligence essentially involves making a mistake that could—and should—have been avoided. Distracted driving, speeding, running red lights and stop signs, failing to clean up spills, and failing to prevent access to dangerous areas are just a small sampling of common forms of negligence.

Proving negligence requires evidence of why your accident happened—and, again, it is important to hire a lawyer to investigate your accident as soon as possible. The insurance companies have their own best interests in mind, so you do not want to rely on the insurance companies’ assessment of negligence in your personal injury case.

Do most personal injury claims settle out of court, or is going to trial common?

Most successful personal injury claims settle out of court. In fact, these days, it is extremely uncommon for a personal injury case to go to trial.

With that said, it is important to be prepared to go to trial if necessary. Serious accidents can have life-altering consequences, and recovering the financial compensation you deserve can be critical for your long-term financial stability as well as your physical and emotional wellbeing. Showing the insurance companies that you are prepared to go to trial if necessary can also be helpful during settlement negotiations.

Are there different filing deadlines if the injury claim is against a government entity (like the City of Allentown)?

Yes, personal injury claims against government entities are subject to different filing deadlines—among other special rules. With this in mind, if you think you may have a personal injury claim against a government entity, it is especially important that you consult with a lawyer as soon as possible. You will also want to make sure you choose a lawyer who has specific experience handling these types of cases and who is familiar with the unique requirements involved.  

What should I do immediately after an accident to protect my health and my legal rights?

If you have been injured in an accident, the two most important steps you can take to protect yourself are: (i) see a doctor; and (ii) talk to a personal injury lawyer. You should do both of these as soon as possible. The unfortunate reality is that if you wait to seek help, the insurance companies will not hesitate to use this against you. We offer free initial consultations, and you can contact us 24/7 to speak with an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer in confidence.

More Information for Accident Victims and Their Families

What are the odds of winning a personal injury lawsuit?

The odds of winning your personal injury lawsuit depend on the specific circumstances of your case. Once you sit down and discuss your case with an experienced Allentown personal injury lawyer, your lawyer will be able to provide a preliminary assessment of your chances of success.

How do I choose the best personal injury lawyer?

Choosing the best personal injury lawyer for your case involves doing your research and making an informed decision. Relevant experience is a critical factor, but it is also important that you feel comfortable sharing personal information with the lawyer you choose to represent you.

How much do most personal injury lawyers charge?

Most personal injury lawyers (including ours) do not charge any legal fees out-of-pocket. Instead, they represent their clients on a contingency-fee basis. With contingency-fee representation, your legal fees (if any) are calculated as a percentage of your financial recovery if your case is successful.

What should I not say to an injury lawyer?

When you hire an Allentown personal injury lawyer to represent you, it is important to be as honest with your lawyer as possible. As a result, you should not hold back any information that could be relevant to your claim. Your lawyer’s job is to protect your best interests, and your lawyer will decide what information it is appropriate to disclose in your case.

What is the hardest injury to prove?

No single injury is harder to prove in a personal injury case. If you have medical records documenting your injury and its effects, an experienced lawyer will be able to prove your injury and fight for just compensation on your behalf. With that said, if you don’t have the medical records your lawyer needs, this could make it more difficult to recover the financial compensation you deserve. This makes it important to see a doctor as soon after your accident as possible.

Schedule Your Free Consultation with an Allentown Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Do you need to speak with an Allentown personal injury lawyer? If so, contact us today. Call 888-777-7098 or send us your information online to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible.