How Lawyers Collect Damages in Pennsylvania After You Win Your Case

In our legal system, the only way someone who has been negligent can make it up to the injured person is by paying damages. Unfortunately, if you have lost a child or loved one, or had your life disrupted by a serious injury, money cannot make your life as it was before, but money is the only tool we have to try to make the plaintiff (injured person) whole again.  That is where your personal injury lawyer comes in. He or she will negotiate or sue on your behalf to obtain and collect damages for you.

How Long Will It Take to Collect Damages?

Many people believe that once a legal case has been won by the plaintiff, the defendant gets out a checkbook and writes a check for the total amount in damages that are due to the plaintiff. While this is a nice idea, in many instances it is not quite how it works, particularly in situations where the damages are for large sums.

In many cases, the damages that are due to the plaintiff are paid off by an insurance company. Here, it is more likely that the plaintiff will be paid sooner in the personal injury lawsuit process than in situations where the defendant does not have insurance for that circumstance.

If there is not insurance in place or the insurance policy is insufficient to cover the amount awarded to the victim, there are other ways to collect damages. In Pennsylvania, since wage garnishment is very limited, your lawyer will determine what assets the defendant has and seek to seize what is legally available.