In Pennsylvania, accidents happen all the time. If you injure yourself, you probably can’t hope to collect any money from that. However, if someone else hurts you, or if you can hold someone else liable, you might sue and collect damages if you win.
We will talk about how much you can expect to keep from that settlement in the following article. We will also go over what you might do with that money.
Page Contents
How Much Can You Expect to Keep from a PA Injury Settlement?
The Zavodnick Law Firm mentions on their website that “seeking compensatory damages for an injury” makes sense if someone else caused it. You’re liable to have medical bills piling up, and you should not pay those if you didn’t cause your injury.
There’s no set amount you can get back if you win a lawsuit. That number will depend on several factors. You’ll need to pay certain fees, and that will eat into your profits.
You’ll need to pay your attorney fees. Some attorneys will represent you on a contingency basis if they take your case. Whether you pay on contingency or not, you can expect an attorney to take about 33% to 40% of the winnings, on average.
You will need to cover what a lawyer will probably call procedural costs. Those might include things like the cost you’ll pay to order medical records, the cost to print them, postage if you get a doctor to ship them to you, etc.
You will also need to pay any court fees that exist. You’ll need to pay any expert witnesses who appeared on your behalf during the trial. Those might include toxicologists, medical professionals, accident scene reconstruction experts, and so forth.
You can probably expect to keep any money you have left over after all of that. You might keep half of your settlement or so. Again, that amount varies depending on many of the factors that we described.
What Can You Do with That Money?
Source: nytimes.com
This question’s short answer is that you can do whatever you want with the money you get if you win your case. Once you pay all the fees we mentioned, you can take that money and head to Vegas if you want.
However, you will probably use at least part of that cash as recompense. You likely owe a lot of money to doctors, hospitals, physical therapists, or any other entity or individual who helped you get back on your feet following the accident or occurrence that injured you.
What Are Common Personal Injury Cases in PA?
PA residents who need to pursue personal injury lawsuits might do so for many different reasons. Many times, though, your personal injury case will fall into one of the following categories.
You might pursue such a case if you were walking past a construction site and something fell and hit you. You might go after money in court if you were in a truck or bike accident.
Any workplace or wrongful death accident might be cause to seek compensation in court. With wrongful death, you’re suing someone or something that killed a family member or perhaps a close friend.
Defective products that harm you can bring about a lawsuit. A slip and fall accident might bring on a lawsuit if a store or some other location did not have the proper signage warning you about the danger.
Medical malpractice lawsuits work their way through the court system pretty often. If a doctor harmed you and failed to uphold the recognized care standard, you can sue them. Car accident lawsuits often come about if a vehicle struck you and injured you or caused a lot of damage to your vehicle.
How Might You Tell if You Have a Case?
Source: fullerlaw.com
Maybe you feel like someone or something in PA harmed you, and you feel like you can bring a lawsuit and recover the damages. You will still probably need to approach a lawyer to see if they agree with your assertion.
A personal injury lawyer can hear what happened, and they can review any evidence you have that backs up your story. You might feel strongly that someone or something else caused your injuries, but maybe you don’t have the proof to back it up. It’s not inconceivable that you might still bring a lawsuit, but perhaps some lawyers won’t want to represent you because they feel like there’s not sufficient evidence for you to win.
If the lawyer feels that you have a case, they will likely represent you. You’ll first need to agree to their fee structure, though, so be sure you understand how you will pay them, win or lose.
Can You Get Any Money Without Winning a Court Case?
You can also receive money sometimes without winning your case. You can inform the plaintiff that you’re bringing a lawsuit against them. The plaintiff is the entity or person who you accuse of harming you. Sometimes, you might try to hold more than one individual or entity accountable.
They might have their lawyer review the evidence against them. Maybe they will offer a settlement amount instead of having you drag them through the trial process. They will likely offer you a settlement if their lawyer advises them to do so.
Maybe you will take that settlement amount if you feel like it will make up for what occurred. However, perhaps you’ll feel like the money is not enough for you to let them off the hook.
You might go to trial and turn down a settlement offer if the money will pay for your medical bills, but it will not cover your pain and suffering. Pain and suffering are more arbitrary, and it’s your decision how much you feel you need to make that up.
Now, you know a little about how personal injury cases work in PA. If something or someone injures you, you might contact a lawyer and start a lawsuit’s first stages.
