Silver & Silver highlights Pennsylvania fault rules in Wayne crash claims

Silver & Silver is drawing attention to how Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence law can reduce or bar compensation after car accidents in Wayne and the Main Line. The firm says fault percentages, evidence preservation and the state’s two-year filing window can materially change the outcome of a claim.

Why it matters: - Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence rule can determine whether an injured driver, passenger or pedestrian gets paid after a crash. - A 1-point shift in fault can change the value of a claim or wipe it out entirely. - The rule has direct financial consequences in Wayne and across the state because insurers use fault allocations to cut payouts.

What happened: - Silver & Silver is spotlighting how Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence law affects car accident claims in Wayne and surrounding Main Line communities. - Under state law, an injured person can recover damages only if they are 50% or less at fault. - A person found 51% or more responsible cannot recover damages from the other party.

The details: - Comparative negligence reduces a recovery by the injured person’s percentage of fault. - If damages total $100,000 and the injured driver is 25% at fault, the recovery drops to $75,000. - Insurance adjusters often argue that the injured driver was speeding, reacted too slowly, drifted out of lane or failed to use a seatbelt. - Those arguments can raise the assigned fault percentage and lower what an insurer pays. - Strong evidence can help support a fair fault split. - Useful evidence includes police reports, photos from the crash scene, eyewitness statements, dash-cam footage, medical records and accident reconstruction analysis. - Silver & Silver says it works to collect and present that evidence early. - Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years. - Evidence can disappear before that deadline, including witness contact information, surveillance video and physical crash evidence.

Between the lines: - Fault fights often matter as much as the crash facts themselves because liability percentages can drive the final payout. - The firm’s message is also a warning that waiting to document a claim can weaken leverage even when a lawsuit is still timely. - Managing attorney Cynthia J. Silver was featured in Suburban Life Magazine’s “In Your Corner” article for her work on personal injury and disability-related legal matters.

What’s next: - Wayne residents injured in a car accident can contact Silver & Silver for more information. - Silver & Silver continues to handle personal injury matters and Social Security Disability cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The bottom line: - In Pennsylvania car accident cases, fault allocation can be the difference between a full recovery, a reduced payout or no recovery at all.