How Do "No Win No Fee" Attorneys Get Paid?

You've heard it from many lawyers, including our attorneys at the Pisanchyn Law Firm, "No Fee Unless We Win!" but what does that mean?

At the Pisanchyn Law Firm legal consultations and advice for personal injury victims are provided at no cost to our clients unless we win their case and even then, it is never out of their own pocket; we will only be paying them the money they deserve.  

How? We work on what is known as a “contingency fee” basis. What this means for an injured individual is that he or she will not be burdened with paying costly attorney fees up front (which is often a frightening prospect for those who may not be able to afford legal services).

With a contingency fee arrangement, we will deduct our fee from the final amount awarded as part of a settlement or a verdict in the case. 

This is beneficial to clients because the more money you get, the more money we get. Thus, yours and our injury attorneys’ interests are completely aligned and in opposition of the insurance company.

To get your free consultation call us at 1-800-444-5309, or learn more about our services at pisanchynlawfirm.com.

Our Pennsylvania Injury Lawyers Honored for Giving Back

Congratulations to the Pisanchyn Law Firm's attorneys who were honored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for giving back to the community. The attorneys were featured on the front page of the Pennsylvania Bar Newspaper earlier this month. Pictured from Left are Pisanchyn Law Firm attorneys Lee Albright, Douglas Yazinski, and Andrew Ferguson holding the law firm's award for pro bono service.

For more information on our attorneys be sure to visit our website!

Do You Know the Difference?

1. It’s common for us to ask if you have full tort on your insurance policy and many times people will respond with, “I have full coverage.” Full coverage and full tort are not one in the same.

Normally, full coverage means you have all the state required liability options, as well as collision and comprehensive on your policy. While you do have to pick a tort coverage, full or limited, full tort is not required in Pennsylvania. This means if you have all the required liability options, collision, and comprehensive, but selected limited tort, you can not get compensation for pain and suffering.

What does compensation for pain and suffering mean exactly? Sometimes an injury is severe and will last for many months or even years causing you medical treatment for months or years to come. By choosing full tort you can protect yourself in the event of a long lasting injury that is caused by the negligence of another.

As we've mentioned before it's smart to think of 'what if' scenarios when setting up your insurance policy.

The accident attorneys at The Pisanchyn Law Firm want to be there for you through every step of your claim to help you get the compensation you deserve. Please call us as soon as you are the victim of another driver's negligence. For more information on Auto Insurance and to ensure you and your family truly are, "fully covered," visit our website.

Do You Know When Your Insurance Premium Can be Increased?

5. If you're worried your insurance premium will be increased after you report a claim, don't be. The insurance company can only increase your premium for one reason.

An insurance company can only increase your insurance premium based on "risk." If an accident is more than 50% your fault then you are more at "risk" and only then can the insurance company raise your premium. If you are the victim of another driver's negligence your premium can not be increased.

The accident attorneys at The Pisanchyn Law Firm want to be there for you through every step of your claim to help you get the compensation you deserve. Please call us as soon as you are the victim of another driver's negligence. For more information on Auto Insurance and to ensure you and your family truly are, "fully covered," visit our website.

Week in Review 5/11/2012

This week we explained what uninsured motorist coverage on an insurance policy is, and what the benefits of choosing this coverage are. We also explained what a Phantom Driver Accident is and what steps you should take to make an uninsured motorist claim if you are ever the victim of a phantom driver.

There are a number of things you can do after being involved in a phantom driver caused accident in an attempt to make a viable uninsured motorist claim.

• At the scene of the accident be sure to ask everyone who shows up if they saw the phantom driver.
• When the paramedics, hospital staff and/or doctors ask what happened let them know the phantom driver caused you to lose control.
• Tell the police at the scene of the accident, and at any interviews following the accident, about the phantom driver and how it caused the accident.
• Examine your vehicle for ANY proof of contact.
• Contact an attorney so they can begin an investigation to prove your statement that a phantom driver caused your accident.

There are many exceptions and technicalities to this area of law, especially with these types of accidents, that if you are not aware of could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our car accident lawyers are experts when it comes to dealing with insurance companies and will fight aggressively on your behalf to get you or your loved one the compensation you deserve.

When Just in Case Turns Into Now What

We explained yesterday what a phantom driver accident is, and what kind of coverage you should have on your insurance policy to protect yourself just in case you are ever the victim of a phantom driver. In this post we are going to go a little more in depth on what you should do when a phantom driver accident occurs.

In order to file a claim with your insurance company about a phantom driver you must report that another vehicle caused you to wreck, then fled the scene, to the police as well as your insurance company within 24 hours, or soon thereafter if 24 hours is not possible due to injury or other extenuating circumstances.

After reporting the accident, as well as the cause of the accident, to the police and your insurance company you should immediately call our experienced accident attorneys at The Pisanchyn Law Firm to help you with your claim.

There are many exceptions and technicalities in this area of law, especially with phantom driver accidents, and if you are not aware of them it could cost you thousands of dollars. Our accident attorneys are experts when it comes to dealing with insurance companies and will fight aggressively on your behalf to get you or your loved one the compensation you deserve.

Hit and Run...Minus the Hit?

Did you know in Pennsylvania another vehicle does not have to physically touch your vehicle to be treated the same as a hit and run?

Are you wondering how that's possible? Doesn't hit and run mean, someone hit you causing you to crash, then fled the scene? Yes, however if someone, for example, cuts you off in traffic, causing you to lose control and wreck, then flees after the fact, this is handled in the same manner as a hit and run. This type of accident is called a phantom driver accident.

We'll post more about phantom driver accidents as the week continues, but first we want to cover the insurance aspect of these accidents. If you don't have the right coverage on your insurance policy you could be left with all the bills resulting from a hit and run or phantom driver accident. Uninsured Motorist Coverage doesn't only protect you if an uninsured driver causes your crash, it also protects you in the event of a hit and run or phantom driver accident. Hit and run drivers and phantom drivers are  considered to be uninsured.

By having uninsured motorist coverage if you are ever the victim of a hit and run, phantom driver, or uninsured motorist, your insurance company then steps in to take the place of the uninsured/unknown driver. While this sounds cut and dry, there is a lot more to it. You should never handle any type of accident claim without the help of an experienced attorney. There are many things about this area of law that if you don't know, could cost you thousands which is why it is of the utmost importance to contact an attorney as soon as possible after an accident.

Call our accident attorneys at The Pisanchyn Law Firm as soon as you or a loved one are injured in an accident so we can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. For more information about accidents, insurance, and all other injury matters please be sure to visit our website.

Are You Covered?

Too often people come to us thinking they have "full coverage" on their insurance policies only to find out too late that they have the basic coverage required by law, or not enough coverage to pay for the hospital bills and damages.

Insurance policies can be tricky to configure, and when you see the monthly payments add up with the more you add to your policy it's easy to be discouraged into lowering your coverage. This month we're going to inform you on the different types of coverage and why it's important to have them all on your insurance policy.
Already we've posted a link on our twitter (@pisanchynlaw) explaining why you should always contact an attorney when you're involved in an accident whether you have insurance or not. As mentioned in the link, we were able to obtain $850,000 more than the insurance company offered one of our clients; that's just one of the many reasons contacting an attorney after an accident can be beneficial to you.

Remember, if you or a loved are unfortunately the victim of an accident, please call The Pisanchyn Law Firm. A car accident in traumatizing enough, fighting with your insurance company or stressing over how you're going to pay your bills shouldn't be your focus; your focus should be on recovering and putting your life back together.

Biker Safety- Week 3

Our motorcycle safety tip this week (see our motorcycle safety post for more information) is to know your surroundings as well as the obstacles and risks motorcyclists face.

When riding, be sure to watch out for and keep in mind these common causes for motorcycle accidents.

Remember, if you or a loved are unfortunately the victim of a motorcycle accident, please call the The Pisanchyn Law Firm. Having an experienced motorcycle accident attorney on your side will protect you from the bias assumptions made against motorcyclists. We will work around the clock to ensure that you are not only compensated for your injuries but that you are treated without bias throughout your claim.