SEPTA Guide Content
SEPTA serves 1.3 million people throughout Pennsylvania every day. Whether you’re in Delaware, Bucks, or Montgomery County, you’ve likely taken a SEPTA bus, train, or trolley to travel across Southeastern Pennsylvania. This high traffic volume makes accidents and subsequent injuries likely, and if you’re one of the hundreds of people injured traveling via SEPTA this year, this post and the guidance within is for you.
What Should I Do Immediately After a SEPTA Accident?
In the minutes and hours after a SEPTA accident, you may not feel the full extent of any potential injury. Experts recommend you visit your primary care doctor or local emergency room for an evaluation.
Shock is a widely felt biological response after an accident. You may be experiencing higher levels of adrenaline, which prevent pain for some time. Many injuries also develop over weeks or months. At their earliest stages, the following injuries may only be apparent to qualified medical professionals, and you may not experience any symptoms:
- Back injuries such as damaged discs
- Concussions
- Nerve damage
- Muscle tears and strains
Ensure you ask for personal copies of all medical reports at this early stage of your recovery.
What If My Doctor Suspects a SEPTA Accident Injury?
If your diagnosis confirms a SEPTA-accident-related injury, you have the right to claim compensation for any medical expenses you incur.
You can recover the following by filing a SEPTA accident lawsuit:
- ER treatment costs and subsequent hospital stays
- Out-of-pocket treatment-related travel costs
- Physical therapy costs
- Loss of wages during your injury recovery
- Potential loss of earnings related to missed promotions and change of job due to your injury
- Pain and suffering damages related to the impact on your life
How Much Compensation Can I Expect from My SEPTA Case?
Unlike other personal injury cases, SEPTA accident compensation is capped at $250,000 per plaintiff. $250,000 is the maximum compensation amount available under the Sovereign Immunity Act.
It is not unusual for SEPTA to offer injury victims lower compensation figures at the early stages of a potential lawsuit to mitigate a lengthy case. Speak with a SEPTA accident lawyer to learn more about the compensation you might receive should you file.
When Should I File My SEPTA Accident Lawsuit?
You have six months to file a Notice of Intent, which informs the government you plan to sue SEPTA. However, you have two years from the date of your injury to begin your SEPTA accident case.
Do I Need a Lawyer to File a SEPTA Accident Lawsuit?
While you do not need a SEPTA injury lawyer to file your lawsuit, you may speak with a lawyer at the early stages of this process to ensure your case is secure. You can then work with the lawyer to safeguard your legal rights throughout the case and minimize the impact of long-standing litigation on your life.
Remember: filing the lawsuit is just the first step to ensuring you get fair compensation for the total impact of the SEPTA injury on your life and the impact on your loved ones. Many SEPTA accident victims find a lawyer can remove a heavy burden from them as they recover from their injuries.
Your SEPTA accident lawyer will handle:
- Insurance company communications
Your SEPTA accident lawyer will respond to all insurance company inquiries and requests for medical and legal documents. They will field questions related to medical care and expenses. They will handle all PIP(Personal Injury Protection) and First Party benefits paperwork requests for you and coordinate benefits payments between your financial services company and the insurance provider.
- Negotiating with SEPTA
Your lawyer will also negotiate directly on your behalf with SEPTA and the government agency’s legal team. They’ll keep you informed at each step in the negotiations to give you complete control of the direction of the legal process.
- Working with your medical team
SEPTA injury lawyers also coordinate with your medical team to include all injury documentation, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, in your case and quickly address medical questions to cement settlement value.
- Responding to your questions
Many questions will arise as you recover from your SEPTA injuries. What are the most recent changes in my case? What are my job retraining compensation options? How do I ensure my current ongoing treatment costs are included in my SEPTA case?
Your SEPTA injury lawyer is there to address each question you have about your case. It’s the reason the Law Offices of Jeffrey Penneys has 24/7 phone line access, so that you get the answers you need when you need them from a skilled and experienced SEPTA injury attorney.
SEPTA Accident Lawyers Can Change Lives
The impact of your SEPTA injury case could stall your career, prevent you from enjoying time with loved ones, and lead to thousands of dollars in medical bills. Jeffrey Harlan Penneys is here to help you fight back in your SEPTA claim.
Jeffrey and his legal team have over 25 years of hands-on experience working on SEPTA bus accidents, trolley accidents, train accidents, and slips and falls at SEPTA stations. He knows the strategies SEPTA lawyers deploy and the counter-strategies that secure his clients life-changing compensation.
There’s a short window of time to pursue your SEPTA accident case. Begin today with a quick SEPTA case call to the Law Offices of Jeffrey Penneys via 215-798-9416. Your call is free, and you only pay for your legal services if Jeffrey Penneys and his team secure compensation.