Against an all girls religious high school for negligent supervision of a teacher who engaged in sexual conduct with a student on school property
Construction worker suffered serious brain injury after falling 20 feet due to lack of required fall protection
Against a University for Child Sexual Abuse
Against a psychiatric hospital for their failure to prevent a woman in their care from being sexually assaulted.
Against a religious organization because of their negligent supervision of a pedophile priest who sexually abused a child
Against a correctional facility for negligently supervising a guard that physically and sexually abused an inmate in their care
Against child protective services for their failures in preventing the sexual abuse of a child within their care and custody
Defective punch press machinery work accident case.
Dock worker run over by a forklift at a cruise ship terminal causing catastrophic injuries
Nail gun defect case that cause permanent injuries to a worker
Nail gun accident where nail gun discharged sideways resulting in a nail hitting user’s eye
DUI accident, bar alcohol liability & medical malpractice case in Philadelphia (January 2014)
Surgical infection, medical malpractice case in Philadelphia
Drugstore sidewalk fall accident, hip fracture with surgery, filed in Philadelphia
A union carpenter fell through an interior mobile scaffold while at work, suffering bilateral calcaneal fractures
A construction worker fell 20 feet because he was not provided with fall protection
A construction accident involving a union roofer who was working without fall protection and fell from a roof resulting in a permanent paraplegic injury
On the job injury to a union carpenter who fell through an interior mobile scaffold, suffering bilateral calcaneal fractures
A construction accident on the job involving a union roofer who was working without fall protection and fell from a roof resulting in permanent paraplegic injury
Factory supervisor’s hand was crushed at work due to faulty equipment/machine.
Worker sustained severe burn injuries as a result of an electrical explosion.
Chemical exposure causing burn and inhalation injuries to three union carpenters.
Work accident resulting in an above the knee amputation of the worker’s leg
Philadelphia Kimmel Center construction collapse causing catastrophic injuries
Parking garage collapse at an Atlantic City, New Jersey hotel, killing 4 and injuring 30 (largest construction accident settlement in U.S. history)
Stadium demolition accident which occurred when a front loader fell through a ceiling (Philadelphia, PA)
Forklift accident at marine terminal in New Jersey
Crane accident resulting in leg amputation and other injuries during casino construction (Philadelphia, PA)
Construction worker killed when he came into contact with an uncapped, live electrical wire
Injuries incurred in a workplace accident where plaintiff sustained severe burn injuries as a result of an electrical explosion
The electrocution death of a union electrician on the job, when electrical switch gear malfunctioned
Wrongful death of a union carpenter who died on the job after falling through temporary decking at a local bridge
Wrongful death of a tow truck driver who died on the job when he was accidentally run over by his own tow truck
Wrongful death by electrocution of a union electrician on the job, when electrical switchgear malfunctioned
Slip and fall at an airport
Fatal shooting of a tenant at an apartment complex
A woman violently attacked by bar security personnel without provocation
A horrific incident where a woman was killed after her apartment complex was demolished while she remained in the building
Slip and fall case where client suffered serious personal injuries from a fall
A car accident resulting in serious personal injuries to the plaintiff
A tragic case where a man suffered serious permanent injuries when a tree fell onto his car while he was driving along a public road in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
A car crash where the motor vehicle accident resulted in two passengers being killed and another injured, after a restaurant served too much alcohol to the driver of their vehicle
The on the job injury to a union carpenter who fell through an interior mobile scaffold while at work, suffering bilateral calcaneal fractures
Injuries on the job incurred by a factory supervisor when his hand was crushed at work due to faulty equipment
Injuries incurred in a workplace accident on the job where plaintiff sustained severe burn injuries as a result of an electrical explosion
An inadvertent release of dangerous chemicals at a local oil company, causing on the job burn and inhalation injuries to three union carpenters
Construction worker suffered serious brain injury after falling 20 feet due to lack of required fall protection
A construction accident on the job where union laborer was killed while working on the fourth floor of a building because there was no fall protection
Against an all girls religious high school for negligent supervision of a teacher who engaged in sexual conduct with a student on school property
Student sexually harassed and assaulted by high school teacher
Molestation case against sitting state court judge who admitted to the abuse, resigned from the bench and was then disbarred
negligent care of elderly man resulting in hip fractures after fall from hospital bed
negligent transection of common hepatic duct during surgery
71 year old man died due to an undiagnosed e-coli infection
Man died following improper diagnosis and treatment of endocarditis
A construction accident on the job involving union roofer who was working without fall protection and fell from a roof resulting in permanent paraplegic injury
A construction accident on the job involving union roofer who fell from a roof because there was no fall protection and suffered quadriplegia
Nail gun accident where nail gun discharged sideways resulting in a nail hitting user’s eye
Defective punch press machinery work accident case.
For a 67-year-old New Jersey man who suffered serious injury in a motor vehicle accident on the Atlantic City Expressway
For a child who was sexually abused by a clergy member
Union carpenter sustained serious shoulder injuries when he fell after stepping on another contractor’s debris (March 2015)
Against a Christian Board School and other defendants that allowed horrific acts of sexual and physical violence against the young children in their care.
The on the job injury to a union carpenter who fell through an interior mobile scaffold while at work, suffering bilateral calcaneal fractures
Wrongful death by electrocution of a union electrician on the job, when electrical switchgear malfunctioned
Man who was killed when his car fell off of a 3 floor parking garage due to defective vehicle barrier protection system
The collapse of a parking garage at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City that injured over 30 construction workers on the job and killed 4 men working on the project (largest construction accident settlement in U.S. history).
Against a fraternity for negligently serving alcohol which resulted in a stabbing assault of two frat party attendees
A workplace accident on the job resulting in below-the-knee amputation of the plaintiff’s right leg
An on the job injury where an union carpenter fell on a construction site and was injured because of defective fall protection equipment
A car crash resulting in a passenger suffering permanent quadriplegic injuries
Underinsured motorist (UIM) and uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is the most important type of coverage a Pennsylvania resident can purchase. However, it is optional, and most people don’t understand how this coverage works. In order to understand this coverage, let’s take a look at how UIM/UM compares with its cousin, Bodily Injury Liability.
Bodily Injury Liability (mandatory) – protects you from your own negligence or when you cause an auto accident that results in injuries to another party (driver, passenger, pedestrian, etc.)
UIM/UM (optional) – protects you when other, at-fault drivers on the road don’t have enough coverage to compensate you or don’t have any insurance coverage
Under Pennsylvania law, every car insurance policy issued in this state is required to provide at least $15,000/$30,000 of Bodily Injury Liability Coverage. That’s $15,000 per person, to a max of $30,000 per accident. These amounts are the bare bones minimums, and unfortunately, many Pennsylvania residents purchase minimum limits car insurance policies. The max amount applies when more than 1 person is injured. If a Pennsylvania driver with a $15,000 policy hits 2 people and both are injured, the max amount each can recover is $15,000. If the driver hits 3 people, the max amount each can recover is still $15,000. However, in this instance, the insurance company won’t pay more than $30,000 to all three.
UIM/UM is optional. The coverage amounts will usually match or mirror the amount of Bodily Injury Liability Coverage. For example, a Pennsylvania resident who buys car insurance gets a better policy with $100,000/$300,000 of Bodily Injury Liability Coverage. If the individual opts in and purchases UIM/UM coverage, the amount will also be $100,000/$300,000 of UIM/UM coverage. The same goes for a minimum limits policy.
Like the Bodily Injury Liability Coverage amounts, the first number, $100,000, applies per person and the $300,000 limit applies per accident. Using these numbers, let’s say a husband (H), spouse (S) and children (C1 and C2) are injured in a car accident that’s caused by a minimum limits driver. H, S and C1 and C2 can recover no more than $100,000 each in UIM coverage. Their insurance company won’t pay out more than a total of $300,000 to all four.
UIM kicks in when the at-fault driver has a Bodily Injury Liability coverage amount that doesn’t provide enough to compensate you for all your damages.
Example: A Pennsylvania resident is injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver. The drunk driver has a minimum limits policy, $15,000 of Bodily Injury Liability Coverage. The injured individual sustains major injuries and damages that total $200,000. After recovering $15,000 from the insurance company for the DUI driver, the injured individual could make a claim for UIM coverage because the at-fault driver didn’t have enough insurance coverage to compensate him for the injuries and damages.
UM kicks in when the at-fault driver doesn’t have any insurance, i.e., joy-riding, ghost car, etc.
Example: A teenager takes a friend’s car out without permission and hits a pedestrian. Because the car was driven without permission of the owner, the car insurance company isn’t likely to cover the accident. If the injured pedestrian has UIM/UM coverage, she would be able to make a UM claim on her own auto insurance policy. This is true even if she isn’t a named insured, but a member of the household of someone who purchased the policy. For instance, if the pedestrian is covered under her parent’s policy or a spouse’s policy, she would be eligible.
In most cases, a Pennsylvania resident who needs to make a UIM or UM claim will probably have to file a lawsuit against their insurance company. The reality is that car insurance companies are notorious for not paying out on any insurance claims, unless it’s absolutely necessary. This means hiring a car accident lawyer in Pennsylvania to handle the case. The lawyer will put the insurance company on notice of the UIM/UM claim and eventually file a lawsuit.
Under Pennsylvania law, UIM/UM claims are considered contract claims. That’s because auto insurance policies are essentially contracts between an insured and their insurance company. Therefore, UIM/UM claims get a different statute of limitations than an ordinary personal injury case, which is 2 years from the date of the accident. For most contract cases in PA, the applicable statute of limitations is 4 years from the date of the breach, or when the offending party failed to live up to their end of the bargain.
In UIM/UM cases in Pennsylvania, the 4 year clock starts ticking on the date that the insurance company breaches the car insurance contract/policy. This is a relatively new principle in Pennsylvania. Late last year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned years of precedent. See Erie v. Bristol, a November 2017 case.
Historically, the statute of limitations clock for UIM and UM claims in PA began ticking when the insured individual learned that they needed to make a UIM/UM claim, i.e., learned the insurance status of the other driver as either uninsured or underinsured and that their injuries and damages exceeded the available insurance coverage of the at-fault driver. In the recent Bristol case, the court held that the clock starts ticking when the insurance company breaches its contractual duty by declining coverage or refusing to arbitrate when the insurance contract requires it.
Pennsylvania UIM and UM law is very complex. If you’d like to discuss a Pennsylvania car accident case with our top rated injury lawyers, please contact us for a FREE consultation.
Our lawyers have recovered nearly $200 million for our clients and handle a variety of auto injury cases, including car, truck and pedestrian accidents.
Our attorneys have substantial experience handling underinsured and uninsured motorist claims. We understand the laws, and we know how the insurance companies work. Our firm can get you the maximum compensation allowed.
Paul Bucci, Esq.
Because construction sites are busy places, multiple parties may be held liable for a construction accident injury. Injured workers have the legal right to seek compensation for negligence committed by general contractors, subcontractors, owners, architects, etc.
“Took Away The Stress” The staff allowed me to concentrate on healing.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1100 Ludlow Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
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