Pennsylvania Uninsured Motorist (UM) Attorney links

UM CLAIM ATTORNEY	UM CLAIM DEFINED
UM COVERAGES/RATES	UM MEDICAL BILLS
UM HIT & RUN/ATV	UM REJECTION FORMS
UNINSURED ARBITRATION	UNINSURED TORT OPTION
UNINSURED STACKING	UNINSURED CLAIM CONSULT

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UM CLAIM ATTORNEY

Why is it important to hire a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist attorney?

• The UM insurance adjuster is paid to do 2 things: settle your PA uninsured motorist claim as soon as possible and, for the LEAST settlement amount.
• Isn't it critical for you to have an experienced Pennsylvania uninsured motorist lawyer aggressively representing you?

Why should I consider hiring Attorney Newell to act as my PA uninsured motorist lawyer?

• EXPERIENCE: He has been representing Pennsylvania car accident
  victims since 1981
• EXCLUSIVITY: Attorney Newell does NOT represent insurance companies -
  all of his clients are personal injury victims
• SERVICE: Visit CLIENT REVIEWS to see how his clients describe his
  dedication to personal service.

How much is my Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim worth?

• A defense adjuster may use these factors when negotiating a UM claim:
  
  • The personal injury experience of your PA UM lawyer
  • Proof of objective injuries in your medical records - such as surgeries, broken bones, herniated discs and stitches
  • Length of medical care
  • Work disability
  • Whether your auto insurance company believes your UM attorney will demand an arbitration hearing if they don't make a fair settlement offer.

How soon after I was struck by a hit & run driver should I hire my PA uninsured motorist attorney?

• The earlier you hire a UM lawyer, the sooner he/she can:
  • obtain the Police Report and property damage documents necessary to prove your UM claim
  • contact your insurance company's uninsured motorist claim adjuster
  • guide you to obtain the necessary medical care for your injuries.

Please CONTACT ME to have a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim attorney with 28 years of experience review your PA uninsured motorist claim.

 

UM CLAIM DEFINED

What is a PA uninsured motorist claim?

• Pennsylvania uninsured motorist insurance is an optional automobile insurance coverage that applies if you are injured due to the negligence of a driver of an uninsured motor vehicle or an unidentified driver as in a hit and run case.

Against whom am I making the Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim?

• You are making a PA UM claim against your own auto insurance company under the terms of your contract with them.
• The wording of your contract determines whether the UM case is litigated in front of a jury or an arbitration panel made up of 3 Pennsylvania attorneys.

A phantom vehicle came into my lane.  I avoided him by turning to the right.  I crashed into a ditch, he fled the scene and there was no actual contact between our vehicles.  Do I have a UM claim?

• Yes.  Even though there was no contact, the phantom driver caused your accident.
• It is necessary that you immediately report the incident to the local police and your automobile insurance company.
• Your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist attorney will make sure all the necessary insurance documents are obtained and/or completed.

Please visit UNINSURED MOTORIST SETTLEMENT for case settlements and verdicts in Pennsylvania car crashes where the injured victim makes a claim for PA uninsured motorist benefits from their own car insurance company.

 

UM COVERAGES/RATES

I was rear-ended by an uninsured motor vehicle on Rt. 309 near Quakertown, PA. If I make a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim against my insurance company, will my insurance rates go up?

• No. Your car insurance company can't raise your insurance premium. They are not making a PA uninsured motorist payment due to any negligence on your part - the car crash was the total fault of the uninsured driver.

I was a passenger in a friend's car that was rear-ended in Stroudsburg, PA by an uninsured driver. Both his car insurance policy and mine provide PA uninsured motorist coverage. Who pays for my injuries for my UM claim?

• His insurance company would initially be responsible to make a payment for your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim. If your injuries are worth more than his uninsured motorist policy limit, then your PA uninsured motorist lawyer would be able to make an additional PA uninsured motorist claim against your own insurance company.

I live in Easton, PA. Can I buy PA uninsured motorist coverage limits higher than the bodily injury liability limits for my automobile?

• No. The maximum coverage for Pennsylvania uninsured motorist protection would be equal to your bodily injury liability coverage for situations when you might injure others.

Are there situations when a car insurance carrier can properly deny a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim?

• In some fact situations, the Pennsylvania Supreme and Superior Courts have upheld a denial of a PA uninsured motorist claim due to a "regularly used, non-owned vehicle" exclusion.
• Your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist lawyer must be constantly reviewing PA law and the latest judicial opinions to accurately evaluate your UM claim.

Our insurance company says my son can not make an uninsured motorist claim because of a "household exclusion."  Are they right?

• There are some circumstances where Pennsylvania's judges have denied a UM claim because of a household exclusion.
• There are other fact/legal situations where our judges have dismissed the insurance carrier's claim and permitted the UM case to move forward.
• Hiring an experienced Pennsylvania uninsured motorist attorney who stays current on PA UM law is a necessity if you want to win your fight against your insurance company.

Please go to CLIENT REVIEWS to obtain information regarding the experiences of over 20 of Attorney Newell's former PA personal injury clients.

 

UM MEDICAL BILLS

I was hit by an uninsured motorist on Rt. 313 near Perkasie, PA. Who pays for my medical bills?

• If you own a car, your car insurance company pays your medical bills no matter who is at fault for the UM crash.

If my auto insurance company pays my medical bills after a collision with an uninsured motorist in the Lehigh Valley, will my car insurance rates go up?

• No. Pennsylvania is a "no-fault" state.
• Pennsylvania law prohibits an insurance company from raising your rates if they make a "first-party benefit" payment on your behalf - such as for medical bills.

I was a passenger in a friend's automobile when we were struck by a hit & run driver on Rt. 209 in Lehighton PA.  Whose insurance company pays for my medical bills?

• Pennsylvania law requires your own car insurance company to pay for your medical bills after a PA car accident no matter whose car you were in at the time of the crash.

Please visit HOME for information concerning Attorney Newell's experience and qualifications to represent Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claimants.

 

UM HIT & RUN/ATV

I was run off the road by a hit and run driver on Rt. 22 by Allentown, PA. Do I have a PA uninsured motorist claim for my injuries?

• If you paid for Pennsylvania uninsured motorist coverage, the answer would be yes as long as you promptly reported the auto accident to both the local police and your automobile insurance company.

A golf cart darted out onto the road from a golf course in Bethlehem, PA causing an accident with my wife. Can she make a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim against our automobile insurance company?

• Attorney Newell represented a Stroudsburg area uninsured motorist victim who was also injured in an accident with a golf cart. He won the PA uninsured motorist case by successfully arguing that the golf cart was both unregistered and uninsured.

My son was an ATV passenger riding on a public road when the driver lost control and crashed.  Do we have a PA uninsured motorist claim?

• It is likely that your insurance contract has an exclusion for UM claims for off-road vehicle occupants.
• However, the uninsured motorist contract language should be reviewed by an experienced Pennsylvania UM attorney as any ambiguities in the contract must be interpreted in your favor.

 

UM REJECTION FORMS

My car insurance company says that I cannot make a PA uninsured motorist claim after a car crash on Rt. 202 in Doylestown, PA because of a form I signed. Can you help?

• Insurance companies make mistakes! Sometimes they deny a Pennsylvania uninsured motorist case when their waiver forms do not meet the technical requirements of PA Law. An experienced Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim lawyer knows the exact language the documents must contain so the insurance carrier cannot wrongfully deny your UM claim.

Please see Why Attorney Newell for more details regarding his qualifications to serve as your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist lawyer.

 

UNINSURED ARBITRATION

I was hit by an uninsured motorist on Route 611 by Stroudsburg PA.  If we can't settle my case, how do we litigate my UM claim?

• In 2005, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the Koken Decision which stated that insurance companies were not required to include mandatory arbitration clauses for their uninsured & underinsured option coverages.
• Your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist lawyer will need to carefully review your car insurance policy language to see if private arbitration or Court of Common Pleas litigation applies to your UM case.

What is the process for a PA uninsured motorist Arbitration Hearing?

• Your uninsured motorist attorney and your insurance company will each select a lawyer to serve on the uninsured motorist Arbitration Panel.
• Those 2 lawyers will then select a neutral arbitrator who will serve as the Chairman of the Arbitration Panel.
• The 3 attorneys will then hear the evidence provided by your PA uninsured motorist lawyer and the UM insurance carrier.
• They will then enter a damage award which can not exceed the limits of your uninsured motorist coverage.

 

UNINSURED TORT OPTION

I was struck by a hit and run driver on Route 309 in Montgomery County PA.  Does my limited tort selection on my car insurance policy apply to my uninsured motorist claim?

• Yes.  The victim's choice of limited tort or full tort applies to all individuals making Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claims.

I was a passenger in a family car when we were hit by an uninsured motorist on Rt. 611.  Our family has 2 automobile insurance policies - 1 is full tort and the other is limited tort.  Which tort option applies to me?

• Various factors need to be analyzed and then applied to PA law and your automobile insurance contract before a conclusion can be made regarding the tort option that applies to your PA uninsured motorist claim.
• Isn't your UM claim important enough to have it reviewed by a personal injury attorney with over 28 yrs. of experience?

 

UNINSURED STACKING

Can you explain, what is uninsured motorist stacking?

• Simply put, if you have 3 cars insured on your auto policy and you're hit by an uninsured driver, the stacking option would allow you to multiply your uninsured motorist coverage by 3.
• So, if you had paid for stacking and had $15,000.00 of UM coverage per car, your total uninsured motorist coverage would be $45,000.00.

 

UNINSURED CLAIM CONSULT

Will Attorney Newell come to my home to meet with me regarding my Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claim?

• UM claim victims in the Lehigh Valley, Poconos, Bucks County PA and Montgomery County PA have relied upon Attorney Newell to aggressively represent them for their personal injury claim.
• Whether you live in Bethlehem or Easton, Stroudsburg or Bushkill, Lehighton or Allentown, Quakertown or Perkasie, Doylestown or Lansdale - Attorney Newell will provide you with a free HOME consultation for your PA uninsured motorist claim - no matter where you live in Eastern Pennsylvania.

A car crash on Rt. 309 near Lansdale, PA was caused by an uninsured motorist. When should I hire an experienced PA uninsured motorist lawyer?

• As soon as possible. Your Pennsylvania uninsured motorist attorney will want to promptly obtain evidence to prove that the other vehicle caused the crash and was uninsured.

Please see UNDERINSURED MOTORIST RESULTS for case verdicts & settlements in PA car accidents where the personal injury victim makes a claim for Pennsylvania underinsured motorist benefits against their own insurance carrier.

Disclaimer

Attorney Thomas Newell provides the content of this website for informational purposes only. Nothing provided in this website should be interpreted as being legal advice. The laws regarding Pennsylvania uninsured motorist claims are constantly evolving and changing. You are strongly advised to hire an uninsured motorist claim lawyer licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.