Pennsylvania Personal Injury

LAWYER

If you were injured due to someone else’s negligence, a personal injury settlement could compensate you for your losses, reimbursing everything from medical bills to lost wages.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pursuit of compensation, you’ve come to the right place. At TopDog Law, we’re committed to our clients. We relish taking the fight to those responsible and believe in backing the underdog. Suffering an unexpected injury is stressful, but securing a settlement offer doesn’t need to be. Continue reading to learn more about how a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer from our team can support you.

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As Seen On

James Helm is the founder of TopDog Law. James grew up playing sports 24/7. Whether it was football, wrestling, or baseball – James has always loved to compete. He’s taken that same competitive nature and applied it to the courtroom fighting for his clients and building TopDog Law from the ground up into the powerhouse law firm it is today.

One thing many people admire about James is that he is a straight shooter. He keeps it real with his clients and isn’t afraid to share his own story of struggle.

What Kind of Cases Does Our Personal Injury Firm Accept?

Personal injury law is at the heart of our legal practice. We have worked with clients who have suffered damages in a range of accident types.

Common types of personal injury cases our firm works on include:

Car accidents: Car accident personal injury cases typically arise when a negligent driver caused your injuries. You could receive compensation through an insurance claim or lawsuit.
Truck accidents: Truck accidents often lead to life-changing injuries. These cases can be complex, involving trucking companies, large insurance companies, and vehicle manufacturers.
Medical malpractice: Doctors are responsible for providing their patients with a specific standard of care. When this standard isn’t met, patients can suffer the consequences. Luckily, through a medical malpractice case, you can receive compensation from the doctor or hospital that wronged you.
Wrongful death: If the passing of your loved one was caused by another party’s negligence, you could receive compensation for funeral expenses and loss of companionship. Our team is here to provide patient and compassionate legal support for those facing a wrongful death.
Birth injury: Birth injury is a specific category of medical malpractice involving negligent behavior by birth healthcare providers. Failure to safely deliver a child can permanently impact their life.
Slip and falls: Slip and fall cases fall under the umbrella of premises liability. These cases revolve around property owners failing to make their property safe for use. Examples of slip and fall causes include slippery walkways, debris, and ice patches.

These are only a few examples of the personal injury cases our team works on. If you don’t see your case type, don’t fret. We can still discuss your injuries during a free case evaluation.

Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer From Our Firm To Take Your Case

Personal injury law is vast and complex – if you don’t have legal experience, it can feel impossible to decipher legal statutes and insurance proceedings.

That’s where TopDog Law comes in. We can cut through the stressful aftermath of a personal injury accident, providing you with focus and clarity.

We provide our clients with the following services:

Answering all your tough questions
Consistently fighting for fair compensation
Investigating the details of your accident
Helping you understand what you need to do next
Providing you with breathing room so you can focus on your recovery

About Our Lead Personal Injury Attorney

James Helm, who earned an MBA and a JD from Rutgers University, leads our firm. He empathizes with his clients, and he understands how difficult it can be to feel stuck after a personal injury accident. He approaches every case with compassion, giving your case the attention to detail it deserves.

To win a case, you need someone who’s prepared to fight. Attorney Helm has years of experience providing aggressive legal representation. Backing down isn’t part of the program at TopDog Law. We stand up for the underdogs, so they receive the legal advocacy they deserve.

Read What TopDog Law Clients Say About Working With Our Personal Injury Team

We’re proud of every five-star review we’ve earned. Read these client testimonials to learn more about working with TopDog Law:

“I’ve known James for a long time and he is one of the most hard-working, smart, and determined people that I know. He goes above and beyond for his clients and is extremely motivated to get them the results they deserve. He’s very knowledgeable when it comes to anything legal. I highly recommend!” – Haley M.
“I’ve never had a process where I don’t have to do any work and I made this amount of money. If you need a personal injury lawyer call my man James not only because he’ll get you top dollar, because he’s cool as s**t.” – Terrance B.
“TopDog Law was extremely professional when they handled my personal injury case. They even followed up after everything was over with to check on me. I am very thankful to have had such talented individuals represent me.” – Andrew Y.

What Personal Injury Damages Can I Pursue?

Personal injury cases are settled via damages. In a legal context, damages are different types of financial compensation. Each type of damage is connected to a specific loss. For example, your medical expenses could be a type of damage, depending on the circumstances of your case.

Personal injury damages are broken into two primary categories: economic and non-economic. These categories aim to address the financial and emotional fallout of an injury caused by a negligent party.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are purely financial – think car repairs, doctor’s visits, and other expenses directly connected to your case. This is a list of some common types of economic damages typically available during a personal injury case:

Emergency room visits
Ongoing medical expenses
Prescription medication
Physical therapy
Car repairs
Lost wages
Reduced earning capacity

This category of damages is relatively easy to calculate, as you or your lawyer can rely on receipts and other proof of loss.

Non-Economic Damages

Serious injuries don’t just hurt your wallet. Survivors may experience life-long pain, emotional distress, and other challenges that can’t be calculated by looking at an invoice.

For this reason, non-economic damages exist. According to Pennsylvania state law, they include the following:

Pain and suffering
Embarrassment and humiliation
Reduced quality of life
Disfigurement

What About Punitive Damages?

If you’ve already researched personal injury law, you may have encountered the term punitive damages. This category of damages is designed to punish the negligent party for participating in “willful or wanton conduct or reckless indifference to the rights of others.”

While a punitive damages award could increase your compensation, it’s unlikely that you’ll receive this category of damages. Punitive damages are rare and only apply in particular situations. Our team can discuss the applicability of punitive damages to your case during a free case evaluation.

Wrongful Death Damages

Personal injury and wrongful death are technically two different categories of law. However, they share several similarities, including the involvement of another party’s negligence.

At TopDog Law, we’re proud to represent those who’ve lost a loved one unfairly. We’re here to provide much-needed compassion, empathy, and patience. We can move at your pace and pursue these unique wrongful death damages on your behalf:

Medical expenses incurred before the passing of your loved one
Funeral and burial expenses
Loss of companionship, love, and guidance
Loss of household earning capacity

While these damages can’t bring your loved one back, they could ease the financial burden of losing them. Similarly, they could hold the party responsible for your loved one’s passing financially accountable without relying on the criminal justice system.

The Value of a Personal Injury Case

As noted before, personal injury law is vast, including everything from car accidents to slip and fall cases. This means that the injuries, negligent parties, and available damages differ considerably across personal injury cases.

However, there are a few consistent factors that could impact how much you receive in damages:

The type of party responsible for your injuries (individual, corporation, government entity, etc.)
The severity of your injuries
Your pre-injury income
The outcome of settlement negotiations, an insurance claim, or a lawsuit
The law firm you select to represent you

Our team can help you better understand the potential valuation of your case. This way, you won’t be surprised or blindsided by settlement offers during the settlement negotiations process.

You Have a Limited Amount of Time to File Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawsuit

Unfortunately, you only have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit after a personal injury accident. Per the Pennsylvania personal injury statute of limitations, you must file a lawsuit within two years of your accident.

While most personal injury cases are settled without civil trial, you don’t want to lose your chance to file a lawsuit if you cannot settle with the insurance company. The more legal tools you have available, the better.

Personal Injury Cases and Fault

Determining fault is essential in personal injury cases. If you were injured but can’t prove that another party was responsible, you may not be able to recover compensation. Examples of responsible parties in a personal injury case include:

Another driver
A car manufacturer
A trucker
A trucking company
A hospital or medical practitioner
A business
A property owner or property management company
A government agency

These are just a few examples. An at-fault party not noted here may have been involved with your injuries.

How Our Team Can Prove Fault in Personal Injury Cases

We’re here to work towards establishing fault on your behalf. To do so, we can review and utilize various types of evidence, including:

Input from relevant experts
Eyewitness statements
Your medical records
Police reports, if applicable
Images from the accident scene
Videos of the accident
Proof of your damages, like receipts

This information can be used to demonstrate elements of negligence, which include:

The liable party owed you a duty of care: Drivers, businesses, and medical practitioners are responsible for keeping others from harm or providing a certain standard of care. This responsibility is known as a duty of care.
The liable party breached this duty: Duty of care breaches are considered negligent behavior. Examples include a doctor failing to treat an injury correctly, a driver ignoring roadway rules, or a trucking company hiring drivers with unsafe records.
The breach of duty caused your injuries: There must be a link between the responsible party’s breach of duty and your damages. Our team can use relevant evidence to uncover this link.
You have verifiable injuries: Receipts and medical records can be used to show that you suffered verifiable injuries.

This framework is flexible, meaning it can apply to various personal injury cases.

Pursuing Compensation in a Personal Injury Case

Every personal injury case is different, as are state laws. This means there’s no “one size fits all” approach to pursuing compensation. However, personal injury cases are typically decided in one of two ways:

An out-of-court settlement: Insurers or defendants (the party responsible for your injuries) can provide compensation in the form of an out-of-court settlement. Reaching an out-of-court settlement usually benefits both parties by saving time and legal costs.
A civil trial: Civil trials are generally the final step of a lawsuit. During a civil trial, both parties will make their case, and a verdict will be decided. This verdict will provide you compensation if you win your case. Remember that it’s possible to file a lawsuit and reach an out-of-court settlement before a trial occurs.

These examples are general. Specific state laws and complex cases can alter the trajectory of a personal injury case. For instance, in some states, you can only file a lawsuit after a car accident once you meet a specific injury threshold. Our team can determine which method for pursuing compensation makes the most sense for your individual case.

What Should You Do After a Personal Injury Accident?

The aftermath of a personal injury accident is often stressful, confusing, and scary. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take that could simplify your case. They include:

Notify the authorities, if applicable: In most states, you must tell local law enforcement about car accidents involving damages over a specific limit. If your case wasn’t a car accident, this rule likely doesn’t apply.
Gather evidence: Evidence is key in personal injury cases. You should gather images, medical records, the contact information of involved parties, and any other information that seems like it could help your case. This information can be used to prove that another party was responsible for your injuries.
Seek medical attention: If you were injured, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Doctor visits are essential for two reasons. First, they ensure that your injuries are diagnosed and treated. Second, they provide documentation of your injuries. Failing to see a doctor could indicate to insurers and other relevant parties that your injuries aren’t severe.
Consider legal support: Generally, you aren’t required to hire a lawyer during a personal injury case. However, a lawyer could considerably simplify legal matters and potentially increase the amount of compensation you receive.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to manage the aftermath of a personal injury accident alone. A personal injury lawyer from our team can guide you through the steps that apply to your case.

How long do I have to file a
Personal Injury Lawsuit?

The statue of limitations for personal injuries vary depending on your state’s laws. In many cases, the statute of limitations begins to run once the injury is discovered.

How Much It Costs To Work With Our Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal injury accidents can quickly become costly. Maybe your health insurance doesn’t cover all your medical bills, or your car got totaled. At TopDog Law, we know how being in a difficult position feels. Therefore, we’re committed to keeping our services financially accessible.

Hiring our team costs nothing upfront because we work on a contingency-fee basis. This payment plan means our services are risk-free – we don’t get paid until you receive compensation. We also offer free consultations, so you can discuss your case without worrying about owing us any money.

How Long Do You Have To Pursue a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

The amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit depends on the state you live in. That said, you don’t want to lose your chance to file a lawsuit. Certain states may give you up to six years to file, while in others, you may only have two years.

Not every case requires a personal injury lawsuit. Oftentimes, we’re able to pursue the compensation you need through an insurance claim. You should still get started on your case right away, though. Once the statute of limitations expires, you’ll most likely be barred from pursuing compensation via a lawsuit.

By getting a head start on your case, you can preserve every tool in your legal toolbox. Other benefits of getting a head start include:

Providing you or your lawyer ample time to gather evidence
Signaling to the liable party that you intend to pursue compensation
Preventing stressful time crunches

If you choose our team, we can ensure that you stay on top of relevant deadlines, so you don’t miss your chance to file a lawsuit.

Personal Injury Damages Our Lawyer Can Help You Recover

Damages are the types of losses you can receive compensation for. Your recoverable damages may be economic and non-economic in nature.

Economic damages cover direct financial losses, including:

Medical expenses
Lost income
Reduced earning capacity
Property damage, like car repair expenses

Non-economic damages account for the non-tangible losses you sustained. In this category of damages, you can receive compensation for the following:

Pain and suffering
Disfigurement
Disability
Mental anguish
Reduced quality of life
Loss of a loved one

The damages you qualify for depend on the context of your case and applicable state laws. At TogDog Law, we can evaluate your unique situation to determine which damages you’re eligible for.