Lehigh Valley Personal Injury Lawyers

When Winning Is the Only Option

Personal Injury » Lehigh Valley

What Is Your Case Worth?

We get big settlements

$275 Thousand

Settlement for injuries sustained from a Motor Vehicle Accident

$1.85 Million

Million Dollar Jury Verdict for Wrongful Death Lawsuit

$60 Thousand

Settlement for injuries sustained from a Motor Vehicle Accident

People often think that calling something an “accident” means that no one was responsible for it. This could not be further from how accident cases actually work under the law. When someone is injured in an accident – as opposed to being injured through intentional acts – it can usually still be blamed on someone who made a mistake or broke a safety rule to cause the accident.

From our office in Bethlehem, our personal injury lawyers help victims all across the Lehigh Valley get compensation for car accidents, slip and falls, other property injuries, and other accidental injury cases. We can also help in cases of intentional injury, though we do not need to prove anyone hurt you on purpose to get you compensation in other injury claims.

For a free case review, call Leeson & Leeson’s personal injury attorneys at (610) 890-6332.

Real People, Real Results:
Client Testimonials

Highly recommended.

Leeson & Leeson would be my first stop for whatever legal issue I was encountering. Highly recommended.

Abbe F.

He is the best attorney I [have] ever known.

Mr. Joseph was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Answered all my questions and was easy to contact and replied to all my questions in timely competent manner. Also his staff is very nice and polite. I would highly recommend Leeson & Leeson law office for any further needs . He is the best attorney I ever know.

Sunny Q.

...he is a good person as well as a good attorney.

“Most thought my case was too small to bother with but Attorney Leeson offered to help me because he is a good person as well as a good attorney… He kept me informed throughout the process and walked me through issues that were confusing… I’m very grateful that he agreed to help me and you can feel confident choosing him.”

Laura Accetta, PA

Theodore Roosevelt once said "speak softly but carry a big stick." The Leeson lawyers embody this principle to perfection.

“The Leeson & Leeson firm has a long-storied history of intelligent and sophisticated lawyers and aggressive and tough litigators. Theodore Roosevelt once said “speak softly but carry a big stick.” The Leeson lawyers embody this principle to perfection… I highly recommend Leeson & Leeson for anyone who wants an attorney who is of a high order of integrity and legal intelligence.”

Francis Macri, PA

Do I Have a Case?

One of the first things that people want to know after an injury is whether they have a case. Legally speaking, an injury claim only requires a few things to have “a case,” and our lawyers can assess your potential case in a free case evaluation:

An Injury

Unsurprisingly, an injury claim requires an actual injury. Even so, there is no requirement that your injury has to be physical, and you can actually sue for emotional distress and mental anguish damages in many cases. However, having a physical injury will often make your claim more believable and easier to prove.

Usually, when we discuss “injuries,” we do mean physical injuries. There is no minimum level of injury required, and you can bring an injury case for all sorts of injuries from mild injuries like cuts and scrapes to moderate injuries like broken bones to severe injuries like traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.

Even so, the legal use of the term “injury” can also involve other “damages” stemming from the physical injury. This is often where emotional distress and other “pain and suffering” damages come into play in that they stem from a physical injury. However, you can also sue for all of the economic harms related to your accident, such as the cost of medical treatment, the wages you lost because of your injury, the cost of repairing or replacing property (car, phone, clothing, etc.) damaged in the accident, and more.

An At-Fault Party

To have a case, you need someone to bring it against. The at-fault party – known in the law as the “defendant” – can only be held accountable for an accident if you can prove that they were responsible. This requires a few things.

First, you have to get the right person or company. If you suspect someone of being at fault, but the investigation shows you are actually blaming the wrong person, we will need to adjust your case and file against the right parties – meaning we need to start researching your case early to give us enough time to make changes as we go. We also need enough evidence to lock down a positive ID on the correct defendant through your testimony about who injured you, police reports about the accident, security camera footage, and other evidence.

Some common ways that defendants will usually try to avoid blame are by blaming someone else, turning the blame back on you, or claiming that what they did actually did not cause the accident. This can get into complex issues of dividing blame across multiple parties, issues of contributory negligence where the victim bears some of the blame, and complex causation issues that might hurt your case.

A Wrongful Act

To sue someone for causing an accident, you also have to show that they did something wrong. Some accidents are truly “freak accidents” where everyone acted as they were supposed to, but the accident was unavoidable. However, most accidents can be blamed instead on the defendant’s mistakes or carelessness.

Typically, an injury case is going to be based on a claim of “negligence” rather than intentional acts, though you can sue for intentional injury, too. When someone commits negligence, we have to show that they breached a legal duty and that that breach was what caused your injuries and damages.

A legal duty is often based on what would be reasonable under the given circumstances. For example, a property owner might be reasonably expected to warn you of loose flooring on their steps before you go up them, or a store manager might be expected to put a “Wet Floor” sign up while a janitor mops a bathroom. Other duties are based on explicit laws, such as traffic laws that require drivers to drive sober, stop at red lights, and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.

If you were injured through intentional actions, you can often sue for assault and battery. You can also sue for a loved one’s wrongful death if they were the victim of murder or manslaughter. Here, it is harder to prove that someone’s intent was to hurt you or a loved one than to prove an accidental injury.

Other Requirements

There are other miscellaneous requirements to filing an injury claim as well, such as making sure you file the proper forms and paperwork with the court and that your case is filed on time. There may also be specialized rules for how to serve the defendant paperwork depending on whether they are in state or out of state, and how to join multiple parties in the case. As such, it is important to have our personal injury lawyers handle each step of the case and to speak to us as early as you can to give us enough time to file your case properly.

Deadline to File Injury Claims in the Lehigh Valley

Pennsylvania law requires personal injury claims to be filed within 2 years of the injury under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524. This is known as the “statute of limitations” for injury cases.

If you file your case too late, you actually no longer have a legal right to sue, and the court has no legal authority to hear the case, so it has to be dismissed. However, there are a few limited exceptions that might extend the filing deadline.

First, injury claims involving minors injured before age 18 use different filing deadlines, usually allowing them until they turn 18 before the 2-year clock starts ticking. Additionally, claims based on sexual abuse have different statutes of limitations.

Another limited exception that might apply is the “discovery rule.” This allows a claim for an undiscovered injury to be filed later if you do not find out about the injury until years later. This might allow you to file past the 2-year deadline, but these cases must be analyzed on an individual basis.

What is My Case Worth?

If the first question that people have about their accident is whether they have a case or not, the second question is usually how much their case might be worth. It is impossible for us to put a price on your potential injury claim without analyzing the facts of your specific case and the damages that you suffered, but we can give you an idea of what damages can be included in your claim and how to calculate these values.

Medical Expenses

Any medical bills you paid or were charged because of the accident should be claimed as part of your case. This includes the cost of rehabilitation and surgeries but also the cost of hospital stays, ambulance rides, diagnostic tests and imaging, and other expenses.

Lost Earnings

If you missed any work because of the accident, even if the accident was completely unrelated to your job, then those lost wages are part of the damages in your case. If your injury will keep you from earning money going forward, either by reducing your capacity to work or totally disabling you, you can claim damages for projected future lost wages, too.

Other Economic Damages

Other expenses related to the accident, such as the cost of vehicle repairs, damages to your clothing, and replacement services around the house, can also be claimed as part of your damages in a personal injury case.

Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering is an umbrella term that covers physical pain, mental and emotional distress, discomfort, fear, anxiety, and all sorts of other experiences surrounding an injury. These damages flow naturally from any injury, but they are higher for serious injuries that cause a bigger disruption in your life, such as taking away your ability to ride a bike, ski, play basketball, lift your children/grandchildren, or engage in other activities you enjoy.

Loss of Consortium

A spouse’s injury can entitle you to damages for the effect the injury has on your relationship, intimacy, household services, and other spousal benefits.

Punitive Damages

When the defendant’s actions are especially bad, we can sometimes claim additional damages to punish the defendant for what they did.

Types of Injury Cases Our Lehigh Valley Injury Lawyers Handle

Our attorneys handle all sorts of injury cases and accident cases, including the following:

Car Accidents

One of the most common ways that people get injured is in car crashes. Whether you were involved in a drunk driving accident on I-78, a fender bender on 22, or a pedestrian accident on Schoenersville Road, our lawyers can fight to get you compensation from your insurance company, the at-fault driver’s insurance company, and any other responsible parties.

Truck Accidents

I-78 is a massive trucking route, and Lehigh Valley residents are used to the sight of possibly dozens of trucks on their way to run errands or commute to work. Often, crashes involving trucks can leave victims with much more serious injuries than crashes involving two passenger vehicles. If you were hurt in a truck crash, our lawyers may be able to sue the trucking company that hired the driver as well as the individual driver who caused the accident.

Slip & Fall

Accidents involving icy sidewalks, uncleared snow, wet lobbies, freshly mopped floors, spills, and other dangers are some of the most common ways people get hurt. In a slip and fall, you could suffer surprisingly severe injuries like broken bones, brain trauma, and spinal cord injuries. The property owner or operator is often responsible for issues like these.

Other Property Injuries

Slip and falls are one way that people can be hurt on someone else’s property, but you can also be injured by fires, dog bites, railing collapses, deck collapses, loose flooring, electrocution, and more. These accidents can also be blamed on the property owner or operator as well.

Medical Malpractice

Hospital networks like Lehigh Valley Hospital and St. Luke’s are some of the biggest businesses in the Lehigh Valley, and they are not immune from lawsuits just because they try to help people. If you were subjected to negligent healthcare, surgical errors, or mistaken diagnosis, or if you were turned away at the emergency room, our lawyers can help you seek compensation for what happened to you.

Products Liability

Manufacturers of defective appliances, tools, safety gear, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, and other products can be held accountable for putting dangerous products on the market. Whether the injury was caused by a design defect, a manufacturing defect, or insufficient warnings, our lawyers can help you recover compensation.

Work Accidents

If you get hurt at work, Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation rules often prevent direct lawsuits against your employer. However, you may be able to sue other parties like drivers, customers, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and more. If you are self-employed or work as an independent contractor, these rules typically do not apply to you, and you can sue anyone who caused the accident.

Wrongful Death

If a loved one died in an accident, our attorneys can help you recover two sets of damages. First, we can pursue an injury case like the one the victim would have been able to file if they survived the accident, recovering compensation for medical care, pain and suffering, and more. Second, we can sue for the harms you and your family face because of the death, such as lost income, burial expenses, and your own damages.

Call Our Lehigh Valley Personal Injury Lawyers Today

For a free case evaluation on your potential injury case with Leeson & Leeson’s personal injury lawyers, call us at (610) 890-6332 today.