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As one of the biggest metro areas along Interstate 90 between Buffalo and Cleveland, Erie sees plenty of local and long-distance highway traffic on a daily basis. Unfortunately, more cars on major roadways means a greater chance of a collision happening at dangerously high speeds. When wrecks like that happen, it can be difficult to determine how the incident occurred in the first place, let alone who should be civilly liable for its consequences.
Put simply, highway car accidents in Erie can be hard to successfully sue over for multiple reasons, especially if you try to pursue your claim all on your own. Fortunately, you have support available to you from knowledgeable auto accident lawyers who have handled cases like yours in the past and know how to get people like you paid everything you deserve.
What Makes Highway Car Crash Claims Unique?
In terms of the basic rules and restrictions for civil lawsuits, highway car crashes in Erie are no different from any other type of traffic collision that happens anywhere else in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A person’s right to file suit over their crash-related injuries depends first on whether they have grounds to sue based on their insurance coverage and then on whether they can prove their crash only happened because of a specific negligent act by another person.
Where things can get uniquely complicated, though, is when it comes time to demand compensation for specific damages stemming from a highway wreck, since incidents of this nature tend to cause particularly serious and long-lasting injuries. Guidance from a skilled legal professional can be key not just to identifying what types of losses should be factored into a particular claim, but also to demanding a fair amount of money for losses that will not fully manifest for months, years, or even decades after the legal process concludes.
Getting Around Legal and Procedural Roadblocks
The main reason it is so important to identify and seek restitution for future losses well before they occur is the statute of limitations for personal injury claims in the Commonwealth. Under 42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 5524, most people who get hurt through the negligence of another have two years at most to file suit after initially sustaining harm, or else they will be time-barred from ever getting any civil compensation for that particular accident.
Another obstacle that legal counsel can help navigate around during a highway car accident claim in Erie is comparative fault—in other words, accusations made by a defendant being sued that the plaintiff suing them is partly to blame for causing their injuries through their own negligent conduct. As per 42 P.S.A. § 7102, courts can reduce the total compensation available to a plaintiff or even bar them from recovery altogether based on the percentage of comparative fault assigned to them.
Get Help from an Erie Attorney Following a Highway Car Accident
Driving on a highway can be unnerving for both new and experienced drivers, since even a minor mistake by someone near you can have catastrophic consequences. If you have been hurt in a highway crash recently, you may already be feeling those consequences physically, financially, and psychologically. However, you may also have a legal right to demand compensation for those losses and all others stemming from your wreck.
A skilled lawyer’s support can be essential to taking effective legal action over highway car accidents in Erie. Call today for a consultation.
