You or someone in your family has just been injured in an accident that was not your fault. Suddenly, your life is in turmoil. You are worried and confused. You face the prospect of being out of work for an extended period of time. You do not know how you will be able to support your family. Will the insurance company deal fairly with you? What will happen if you lose your job and cannot pay your bills? What will happen if your injuries are permanent?

You may be reluctant to seek the advice of a lawyer because you are intimidated or because you believe that the insurance company will treat you fairly. You are facing the dilemma of having to choose the right lawyer. Will the lawyer you contact be honest and conscientious? Will he be able to help you obtain the compensation which you deserve? These are all typical thoughts of accident victims.

Insurance companies are in the business of making money. Despite their warm and fuzzy marketing slogans, they are sometimes more interested in enriching their shareholders than in fairly compensating the people who their insureds (customers) have injured. They are not primarily concerned that you receive reimbursement for your lost wages, payment of your outstanding medical bills and an amount of money that will fully compensate you for the pain, suffering and inconvenience you and your family have experienced as a result of the accident.

Every day, thousands of people in our country are seriously injured as a result of the careless and reckless conduct of irresponsible drivers, dangerous workplaces, greedy corporations and a very small percentage of doctors and healthcare professionals. Most people who are injured in accidents that are not their fault are merely seeking funds so that they can pay their bills, return to work and provide for their families.

Contrary to what most Americans think, personal injury cases in the American legal system encompass fewer than 1% of all lawsuits filed in our country. The majority of lawsuits involve domestic, criminal and business issues.

Under Pennsylvania law, if you suffer injury or a death as a result of the negligence of another person or corporation, you or your family are entitled to receive compensation for that injury or death. The purpose of personal injury law is not to make you, the victim, rich, but to try to alleviate your suffering and enable you to be justly compensated so that you can get back on your feet and resume your life.

Our legal system stacks the deck in favor of insurance companies and corporations, which have the resources and attorneys to make it difficult for victims to recover what they are rightly entitled to recover under the law. It is for this reason that you need skilled and experienced personal injury lawyers who will be able to fight for you, and who have the resources to take on the insurance company and its lawyers. We are personal injury lawyers who represent only victims of personal injury.

We, as personal injury lawyers, have written this book to provide you, the accident victim, with the information you need to understand what you will encounter as you proceed with your personal injury case. We hope it will ease your anxiety and help you understand the legal system in the context of such cases.