Your questions answered

Do I Need A Personal Injury Lawyer?: If you’ve suffered a serious personal injury or been in an accident, and it wasn’t your fault, then yes, you need a lawyer. It’s that simple. You don’t want to be defenseless … there’s just too much at risk. You need to get your life back in order by working with someone who’s looking out for your best interests.

The responsible party’s insurance company will have a team of attorneys working against you … You don’t want to fight this alone.

When you hire Luckenbill Law Group we won’t let the responsible party or their lawyers deny you what’s rightfully yours.
Luckenbill Law Group has the size, reputation and quality of lawyers to protect you from being taken advantage of. We offer:

• Over 60 combined years of protecting the rights of the injured
• A team of professionals that takes care of all of the paperwork
• A reputation for taking on the big insurance companies
• A No Fee Guarantee

At Luckenbill Law Group our No Fee Policy means we do not charge for our personal injury and insurance services unless we collect compensation for you. The last thing you need right now is a “hard sell” from anyone, particularly an attorney. That’s why at Luckenbill Law Group we provide free, zero-obligation, confidential consultation.

If you cannot come to our offices due to sickness, injury or other commitments, we will come to your hospital room or home, at no charge. In fact, Luckenbill Law Group guarantees if we do not collect compensation for you … all our services are free.

If the police did not respond to the accident scene, report it to the police as soon as possible so there is a record. In addition, you should notify your own insurance company as soon as possible. You might have several types of claims including medical, wage loss and property damage. If you do not have collision coverage on your own policy and the accident was not your fault, you may be able to make a property damage claim to the other driver’s insurance company.

Often times, either your insurance company, the other driver’s insurance company or both will ask you if they can record your telephone conversation. If an insurance company asks for your permission to record your telephone conversation, you should contact an attorney prior to agreeing to do so.

Pennsylvania law requires every registered automobile to be insured. Unfortunately, the minimum coverage required by law is only Fifteen thousand ($15,000.00) dollars. What this means is that anyone who is injured, or even killed, by a careless driver with minimum coverage can collect only Fifteen thousand dollars from that driver’s insurance company. Even worse, all too often drivers with no insurance whatsoever cause serious harm to others lawfully on the road. In order to protect yourself and your family from the financial and emotional devastation that underinsured and uninsured drivers cause, you must purchase uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own automobile policy.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage insures a person and their household family members to collect money under their own policy for the injuries and damages that they sustain as the result of another driver’s preventable error when the other driver had little or no insurance. You may and should purchase uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in an amount equal to the amount of coverage that you buy to protect others in the event you cause an accident that results in injury to another person. The amount of bodily injury, uninsured and underinsured coverage that you purchase obviously depends on your financial situation, however, in deciding how much coverage to buy, you should seriously consider the possible consequences of being involved in a collision and purchase the highest limits that you can afford.

In addition, in the event that you own more than one car, you should select the stacking option, if you are able to afford it. Stacking allows you to multiply your uninsured and underinsured coverage by the number of vehicles insured under your policy for a very small increase in premium. Stacking is highly recommended since it provides you and your family even greater protection against underinsured and uninsured drivers.

The Other Driver’s Insurance Company Told Me That I Don’t Have A Case Because I Have Limited Tort. What Does That Mean?

Pennsylvania law requires insurance companies to give insurance consumers the option of selecting “limited tort” or “full tort.”

If you select the limited tort option, any person covered by your insurance will not be able to make a claim for pain and suffering unless they sustain an injury that results in death, a serious impairment of a body function or permanent disfigurement as the result of preventable driver error.

The “limited tort” option applies to the named insured who purchases the policy as well as the members of his or her household. Whether an injury has resulted in serious impairment of a bodily function is one of the most commonly litigated issues related to automobile accidents. There have been cases where the courts have concluded that spinal herniations, fractures, chronic pain and other injuries that most of us consider very serious do not meet the limited tort requirements.

Although insurance companies try to “sell” limited tort as a way for you to lower your insurance rates, the limited tort option severely restricts your ability to receive the justice you deserve for injuries caused by another driver’s preventable error in exchange for a very small reduction in premium payments.

If you selected limited tort or you are considering selecting the limited tort option, please weigh your financial situation carefully and elect full tort whenever possible to ensure you and your family members get the justice you deserve.

It is important to understand that your selection of a tort option continues every time your policy renews unless and until you change your election, in writing.

If you are the passenger in a vehicle driven and insured by a family member and that family member causes an accident in which you were injured, you may file a claim to recover your damages from your family member’s insurance company to recover just compensation for pain and suffering as well as economic damages.

Any passenger may recover for damages from an accident caused by a driver’s carelessness so long as the passenger did not cause the accident.

Dog ownership can be a very rewarding experience for individuals and families. According to the PA Department of Agriculture, dog ownership is a major responsibility which extends to not only the proper care and training of the dog but also the dog’s behavior.

For a list of Pennsylvania’s dog laws visit agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture.

In Pennsylvania, a dog owner is strictly liable for medical costs in all cases where a person was injured by a dog. An owner is liable for medical expenses, other losses and legal damages in any case where the dog inflicted severe injury on a person without provocation, even if the dog never bit a person prior to biting the victim. A victim who suffers even a minor bite may still recover for damages in excess of medical costs if it can be proven that the dog bit another person or had dangerous propensities in which case the dog owner knew or should have known.

The lawyers of Luckenbill Law Group have successfully represented many victims of dog bites.

According to Pennsylvania Dog Law, all dogs must be under the control of the owner and cannot run at large. Dogs are personal property and owners are responsible for damages caused by their dog. While many dog bites occur while the animal is allowed to run at large, many occur in the home or where the animal is confined.