The Erie car accident settlement is reported in our case results section, but in a nutshell it was an accident case in which the injuries, at first glance, did not appear to be life-altering and it was a case in which our client had elected the limited tort option. The insurance company saw these circumstances and shut down negotiations. They weren’t paying, they said. You’ve got limited tort. You’re out of luck.
In fact, our client didn’t have limited tort. At least not under the facts of the case. And his most significant loss was his lost wages, which would have been recoverable even if he did have limited tort. The insurance company should have been fair with him and should have offered him a fair settlement. They didn’t, of course, and that brought him to Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C..
Needless to say, we got him a fair settlement of the claim against the careless driver ($75,000) and now we’re working on his claim for under-insured motorist benefits. We’ll report on the outcome of that part of the case in the next several months.
But the case is another illustration of how troublesome the limited tort option can be. Anyone buying Pennsylvania car insurance should think long and hard before signing away their full tort rights. And the case illustrates how important it is to figure out the economic losses of a case. This case was probably one whose value was a fraction of what it is now because we took the time to build and quantify the lost wage component of the case.
Contact an Experienced Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been hurt in a Pennsylvania car accident, we can help. Call us today for a free consultation with one of our helpful Erie injury lawyers. Call 814-273-2010 or toll free 814-273-2010.