In addition to representing hundreds of Pennsylvania Car Accident victims over more than 25 years, I know from personal experience what it feels like to be a Car Accident Injury Victim. That experience gives me a unique appreciation for my clients’ struggles.

My 1991 Car Accident

Back in 1991 I was a law student and while driving to school on Route 202, a car failed to yield me the right-of-way and turned left directly in front of me. I was going about 40 mph and hit the turning car broadside. My car had heavy front end damage and I suffered neck and back injuries from the whiplash caused by the violent impact.

My Questions

In addition to my car being totaled, I was injured and had all of the questions that any Car Accident Victim would have like:

• Should I call the Police?
• Who else do I need to call?
• Should I go to the Hospital?
• Who should and shouldn’t I talk to and what should and shouldn’t I sign?
• Who will pay to fix or replace my car? How much is fair compensation for the value of my car?
• How do I get a rental car?
• What injuries do I have?
• Who will pay for my Medical Bills and Lost Income?
• Am I legally entitled to other Compensation? If so, for what and how much?
• Should I call a Car Accident Lawyer and how would that relationship work?

My Mistakes

I made a lot of mistakes after my Car Accident. I was hurting at the scene but didn’t go to the Hospital to check for serious injuries (luckily I did not have a very serious injury). I also mistakenly thought that since I was a law student, I didn’t need a lawyer and could represent myself. I settled my case directly with the insurance company too soon (before I recovered) and for an amount that I know now was not fair compensation.

In hindsight, I should have sought counsel from a Car Accident Lawyer because consultations are Free and lawyers work on a Contingent Fee Basis in which they are only paid from a successful result., either a Settlement or Jury Verdict. If I had consulted with a lawyer I would have done a lot of things differently that I think would have benefited both my physical recovery and the outcome of my legal case.

The Lesson

The lesson to learn from my experience is that Car Accidents that cause injuries are traumatic events, both physically and emotionally.

At the same time, each State has different rules on how the process is handled and what compensation you may be entitled to.

n addition, you need to know that the Insurance Companies do not necessarily have your best interests in mind. Insurance Companies make money by charging premiums and lose money by paying claims. Insurance adjusters are evaluated on their ability to settle claims quickly and on terms favorable to the Insurance Company, not the Car Accident Victim.

So, if you find yourself or a family member in the unfortunate position of being a Car Accident Victim and having questions, please consider talking to an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in your State.

Tim Rayne is a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer with the Chester County Law Firm MacElree Harvey. For over 25 years, Tim has been helping Pennsylvania Car Accident Victims understand their legal rights and receive fair compensation from insurance companies. Tim has law offices in Kennett Square and West Chester Pennsylvania. You can Contact Tim Rayne at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or check out his website at www.TimRayneLaw.com.

Personal Injury Lawyers and Lawsuits get a bad rap. Nevertheless, there are two positive things that come from pursuing a legitimate Injury Claim: Compensation and Accountability.

The main purpose of a Personal Injury Claim is to provide fair compensation to the injured person to make up the the injuries and losses the person suffered due to someone else’s careless and dangerous conduct. Having the responsible party pay (almost always from insurance coverage) is positive because the injured victim or the government is not forced to foot the bill

A secondary benefit of a Personal Injury claim is Accountability and Deterrence. Having a claim pursued against the Defendant holds the careless person or entity responsible for the wrongful conduct and can act as a deterrent so someone else doesn’t get hurt. This is a side benefit of a Personal Injury Claim.

Tim Rayne is a Personal Injury Lawyer with the Chester County Pennsylvania based law firm MacElree Harvey and can be reached at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or you can visit his website at www.TimRayneLaw.com.

Tim Rayne is a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer who practices with the Chester County based law firm MacElree Harvey. For over 25 years, Tim Rayne has been helping injured Car Accident Victims understand their legal rights an win fair compensation either through settlements with insurance companies or Jury Trial Verdicts. Tim has law offices in Kennett Square and West Chester, Pennsylvania and also meets with clients in their homes or virtually via FaceTime or Zoom. Contact Tim Rayne to schedule a Free Consultation 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or check out his Website www.TimRayneLaw.com.

I hear prospective Personal Injury Clients say this during roughly half of my new client meetings: “Tim, I just need you to know this up front, I’m not the suing type….”

It’s a strange comment and sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Who is the suing type anyway? Are there really people who like to sue, who sue because it’s fun or because it’s a way to make a living or hit the lottery?

Defense lawyers and Insurance Companies want everyone to think so. They want people to be reluctant to enforce their legal rights and seek representation if they are injured due to someone else’s carelessness.

Of course there are some meritless lawsuit and insurance claims, but they make up a very small minority of all Civil Litigation. Insurance Fraud is a crime and nothing that any law abiding person or ethical lawyer would ever consider doing.

Personal Injury Claims are Legally Valid and Important for Multiple Reasons

In reality, Personal Injury claims are valid and are important for two reasons: Compensation to the Victim and Accountability for the Defendant.

In Pennsylvania (and in every State in the USA) a careless person who causes an accident and injures someone is legally responsible to pay fair compensation to try to make up for the injuries.

We don’t believe in Eye for Eye justice but also don’t turn a blind eye to dangerous behavior. On the contrary, we hold negligent people responsible for paying fair compensation to innocent accident victims.

This ensures that the responsible person (usually through insurance coverage) pays for the damages rather than the innocent victim’s family or the government. This benefits everyone.

At the same time, the accountability of the Civil Justice System (Lawsuits) encourages everyone to act in a careful manner in order to avoid legal trouble. This makes the whole world safer by motivating Drivers, Doctors, Property Owners and Businesses to be careful and avoid causing preventable injuries.

So, if you are injured due to someone else’s carelessness, don’t feel guilty about talking to a lawyer about your legal rights, presenting a claim or even filing a lawsuit. The law permits it and it’s fair and may even make the world a safer place.

Tim Rayne is a Pennsylvania Personal Injury, Car Accident and Medical Malpractice Lawyer with offices in Kennett Square and West Chester, Pennsylvania. Contact Tim at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com.

It might seem strange, but if you are injured as a Pedestrian hit by a car, then your own Car Insurance, not the insurance for the responsible driver, will pay your Medical Bills up to the amount of your coverage, which is usually $5,000.

That is because Pennsylvania works on a No-Fault system for payment of Medical Bills related to a vehicle accident.

So, regardless of whether an accident is your fault or someone else’s fault or whether you are driving a car, a passenger in a car, or are injured as a bike rider, pedestrian or even a passenger on a bus, your own car insurance pays your Medical Bills.

Although you can purchase much more coverage (and some people have as much as $1 million of Medical Coverage) most people have the state minimum Medical Coverage of $5,000.

There is no such thing as a co-pay or deductible when Car Insurance is paying your Medical Bills. In addition, your Car Insurance company only has to pay a little more than the Medicare rate, which means that your Medical Coverage will last longer than you might expect.

After your Car Insurance Medical Coverage is exhausted, then your Health Insurance has to pay your Medical Bills, but co-pays and deductibles kick in.

I recommend that everyone consider purchasing much more than the state minimum Medical Coverage of $5,000 because increased coverage is inexpensive and can save you a lot of money in terms of deductibles and co-pays that you have to pay once your Car Insurance Medical Coverage is exhausted.

Tim Rayne is a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer who helps injured accident victims understand their legal rights and receive fair treatment from insurance companies. You can contact Tim for a Free Consultation concerning your accident claims at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com or learn more on his website www.TimRayneLaw.com.

How much does it cost to hire a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer?

It’s misleading to say it’s free because it’s not, but there is no upfront cost to hire a lawyer and the lawyer won’t be paid unless you are compensated for your injuries. If you are compensated, then the lawyer is reimbursed out-of-pocket costs and receives a percentage of the settlement or verdict as the fee.

The financial arrangement is called a Contingent Fee and it’s very beneficial to the client because it requires no financial investment or risk on the client’s behalf. Instead, the Lawyer bears all of the risk. If the case is unsuccessful, then the Lawyer doesn’t get paid. If the case is successful then the amount of the Fee depends on the amount of the recovery.

The arrangement incentivizes the Lawyer to do as good a job as possible because the Fee is a percentage of the recovery. So the Lawyer is financially motivated to win and to win as large of an award as possible.

Tim Rayne is a Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer with the Chester County based law firm MacElree Harvey. For over 25 years, Tim has been helping injured accident victims understand their legal rights and receive fair compensation from insurance companies. Tim has law offices in Kennett Square and West Chester and also meets with clients at their homes or virtually via FaceTime or Zoom. Contact Tim for a Free Consultation at 610-840-0124 or trayne@macelree.com.