Everyone who drives on public roads in Pennsylvania has the same duty to follow traffic laws and watch out for other drivers and pedestrians. Someone who causes a car crash by failing to yield properly can be considered legally at fault for any harm that accident causes to anyone else. Sadly, knowing someone else is to blame and proving them liable in court are very different things.
There is no substitute for legal guidance when it comes to winning compensation for failure to yield car accidents in Bethlehem. A well-known car accident lawyer at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers can fight for the compensation you deserve for your losses. We recently recovered a $900,000 settlement for a client in Lehigh County who suffered severe injuries after being hit by a trucker who failed to yield to a red light. With Managing Partner Rich Godshall and our experienced team on your side, you can rest assured that your case is in good hands.
Can a Failure to Yield Justify a Lawsuit?
Holding someone else at fault for a car crash means proving they were legally negligent in some way. Specifically, this means proving they did something careless, reckless, or illegal that directly caused an otherwise avoidable accident. Under Pennsylvania law, failing to yield the right-of-way on the road is illegal.
There are multiple scenarios in which a failure to yield could make someone legally liable for the consequences of a car accident. For example, school buses and students inside school zones always have right-of-way over vehicle traffic, so anyone who gets in a wreck with a school bus inside a school zone will often be found at fault for that incident.
Likewise, the driver who arrives first at an intersection always has the right-of-way over anyone who arrives after them. Someone who doesn’t wait their turn before entering that intersection would likely be considered “negligent” based on their failure to yield. Your qualified Bethlehem attorney can examine the circumstances of your failure to yield accident and help build a claim for compensation.
Recovering Damages for an Intersection Collision
You will likely need to recover for financial losses like car repair costs and medical bills through your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage before you can file a lawsuit against someone else. Furthermore, you may have a limited right to file suit unless you have a specific type of insurance coverage or have suffered a serious injury with permanent and debilitating consequences.
After a failure to yield car accident in Bethlehem, your skilled attorney can help determine whether you can seek payment for losses like:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Lost consortium
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Short-term and long-term wage loss
- Long-term medical expenses not covered by insurance
Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers can go into more detail about “compensable losses” for a specific claim during a free, no-obligation consultation.
Contact a Bethlehem Attorney for a Failure to Yield Car Accident Case
Pennsylvania law is clear about who has the right-of-way when two or more people come close to each other on a public road. Anyone who causes a wreck by violating that law should be held accountable for your injuries and losses. A lawsuit or settlement proposal may be your only chance at getting the compensation you need to make things right.
Failure to yield car accidents in Bethlehem are much easier to handle with a seasoned lawyer by your side. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your options and learn how we can fight for you.
