Car Accident Legal Updates | Schmidt Kramer, P.C. Blog

Does Pennsylvania’s No-Fault Insurance Mean I Can’t Sue If I Get Hurt in a Crash?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on February 18, 2026 in Car Accidents

Does Pennsylvania’s No-Fault Insurance Mean I Can’t Sue if I Get Injured in a Car Crash? Quick answer: No. While Pennsylvania’s no-fault insurance covers medical bills via Personal Injury Protection (PIP), it does not prevent all lawsuits. You can still sue for pain and suffering if you have Full Tort coverage or if your injuries […]

Scott Cooper on Good Day PA Bringing You 2026 Driving Law Updates

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 29, 2026 in Car Accidents

We’re pleased to announce that Scott Cooper joined Good Day PA this month with the latest updates on driving laws you need to know about. Even more exciting is that Scott will be joining host Amy Kehm on ABC27 every month to give you answers to real legal questions and clear up common misconceptions about […]

Is the Driver in Back Always Liable for a Rear-End Collision?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 15, 2026 in Car Accidents

Most people assume the driver in back is always to blame when a rear-end collision happens. While that might often be true, the law cannot make this assumption. Harrisburg first responders must fully investigate the scene and examine the evidence. Investigators must review many factors before fault can be assigned. At Schmidt Kramer, we represent […]

Who May Be Liable for a Winter Car Crash in Harrisburg?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 08, 2026 in Car Accidents

When another driver loses control on an icy or snow-covered road and hits your vehicle, are they still liable for the damages? Aren’t they off the hook for a crash if it was caused by black ice that formed on the road? Common questions, but the answers may surprise you. Winter weather certainly makes even simple drives […]

Blunt Force Trauma After a Harrisburg Crash: Protecting Your Legal Rights

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on November 28, 2025 in Car Accidents

Were you involved in a car accident that caused your body to be slammed into the steering wheel or something else? When the force of a car accident causes you to hit objects inside your car, it can cause blunt force trauma. You may not even realize you are hurt because the symptoms can take hours to days to appear. This means […]

Herniated Disc After a Harrisburg Car Crash: A Legal Guide

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on November 21, 2025 in Car Accidents

Moments after a car crash in Harrisburg, you walk away feeling shaken but okay. You don’t seem to have any broken bones. No visible cuts or bruises either. You decline medical treatment and the ambulance because nothing hurts badly enough to warrant it. Unfortunately, it’s very common to feel no pain right after a car […]

Who May Be Liable for a Sideswipe Car Accident in Harrisburg?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on November 14, 2025 in Car Accidents

Sideswipe accidents can be common throughout Harrisburg and the surrounding communities as a result of the region’s congested highways, tight merges, and complex traffic patterns. Crashes frequently occur where two lanes run closely together or where drivers must merge quickly – such as along I-83 near the 2nd Street split, the narrow sections of I-81, […]

What Is a Zipper Merge in Harrisburg and Why Are They Risky for Drivers?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on October 30, 2025 in Car Accidents

Construction zones across Harrisburg create daily challenges for drivers, and one merging technique continues to spark confusion and conflict on Pennsylvania roads. A zipper merge occurs when drivers use both lanes of traffic until reaching a designated merge point, then alternate into the open lane like teeth on a zipper—but this seemingly simple concept often […]

Can I Sue Uber or Lyft for Damages Caused by a Rideshare Driver in Pennsylvania?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on September 24, 2025 in Car Accidents

Rideshare car accidents blur the lines between personal car crashes and commercial transportation claims. When an Uber or Lyft vehicle is involved in a collision, figuring out who pays for your damages is complicated. The answer depends on various factors that don’t apply to car crashes involving two personal vehicles. Not knowing how to move […]

How Do Injury Claims Work for Multi-Vehicle Crashes in Pennsylvania?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on September 10, 2025 in Car Accidents

Fender benders and other types of car crashes are already upsetting and stressful, but when you get injured in a multi-vehicle crash, it becomes a legal nightmare. When three, four, or even more vehicles collide, determining who’s responsible becomes incredibly complex. Insurance companies point fingers at each other while you’re left dealing with injuries, medical […]

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$1,200,000.00 Personal Injury

A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy. 2012-06-26 10:00:00 AM Date of Verdict: June 19. 2012 Court and Case No.: C.P. Dauphin County No. 2009-CV-14003-MM Judge: Scott Evans Type of Action: Medical malpractice Injuries: Anoxic brain injury Plaintiffs Counsel: Terry S. Hyman, Schmidt Kramer, Harrisburg Plaintiffs Experts: Dr. Anna H. Messner, liability; Lucille Packer, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Palo Alto, Calif.; Terry P. Leslie, vocations and earning capacity, Lancaster; Dr. Hilary B. Berlin, pediatric psychiatry, Great Neck, N.Y. Defense Counsel: Andrew H. Foulkrod, Darlene K. King, Foulkrod Ellis, Camp Hill, PA Defense Experts: James C. Reilly, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Wilmington, DE Comment: A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy. The entire verdict came against Dr. Andrew M. Shapiro, the doctor who plaintiffs Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Metz alleged chose to have the boy monitored at a pediatric ward. The plaintiffs argued Shapiro failed to tell nurses caring for the baby about, and how to care for, the boy's enhanced risk for respiratory failure. The jury came back on June 19 and awarded Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Mets $500,000 in non-economic damages and $686,170 in loss of future earning capacity, according to the plaintiffs counsel. According to the statement, the baby's mother brought him to Shapiro because she was "'afraid that he might stop breathing during his sleep,'" the plaintiffs' pretrial statement said. Shapiro performed a sleep study and observed the baby's Apnea Hypopnea Index to be 43 — four times higher than what's considered severe. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed. According to the plaintiffs, the baby's sleep study results put him at an increased risk for post-operative respiratory complications. Despite this, they argued in the statement, Shapiro ordered the pediatric nurses at the Harrisburg Hospital general pediatric ward to observe the boy as they would any other patients — about once every four hours. The pretrial statement said that one in four children who have an AHI in the 40s and oxygen desaturation below 80 have some type of respiratory problem. The younger the child, the greater the risk of a respiratory problem, the statement said. According to the statement, Shapiro took off the child's pulse oximeter, the finger-mounted device used to measure blood oxygen, and ordered a heart and respiratory rate monitor. The child was 11 months old at the time. The plaintiffs pled that the baby was last seen at 4 a.m. There was no record of his oxygen saturation for the next hour and 45 minutes. He stopped breathing a 6:40 a.m., and his brain was without oxygen long enough to cause demonstrable injury on an MRI. "Immediately prior to his surgery, [the child] was a normal child, who could say mama, eat finger foods, and was just on the verge of walking," the statement said. "After his code, [he] was like a newborn. He could not lift his head or sit up. He could not talk. He could not move." In his pretrial statement, Shapiro argued that he recognized the child's pre-operative sleep study showed he was driven to breath by decreased blood oxygen saturation, which he said was typical in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. He argued the American Academy of Otolaryngology dictates that admission to the intensive care unit is not the standard of care. In the statement, he said nurses did not observe signs of respiratory distress. No alarms sounded until the child arrested, the statement said. He said the baby likely arrested as a result of hypoglycemia and/or an acute aspiration, which he argued would not have been identified by blood oxygen saturation. — Ben Present, of the Law Weekly

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$250,000.00 Auto Accidents

Partner Scott Cooper's client was seriously injured in a Pennsylvania car accident near Harrisburg. After receiving an offer of the liability insurance coverage for the other driver, Scott started an under insured motorist (UIM) claim for the client and discovered a flaw in a forms process that was supposed to have been signed by the client when applying for under insured motorist coverage. After pointing out the deficiency to the insurance carrier for his client, the under insured motorist insurance carrier agreed to provide the much needed additional coverage which netted the Schmidt Kramer client an additional $150,000. The client's Under insured Motorist Coverage was reformed equal to liability coverage of $250,000.

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$150,000.00 Workers' Compensation

Schmidt Kramer partner Scott Cooper recently settled an accident case in which a worker was injured in a work-related accident while attempting to load a low bed truck with a swing set. The worker slipped on some grease and dislocated his shoulders resulting in medical bills, wage loss, and non-economic damages. The personal injury case was filed in Mifflin County in North Central Pennsylvania and settled recently for $150,000. The workers' compensation case was also settled for a lump sum settlement.

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$250,000.00 Auto Accidents

Sometimes the party who causes a tragic situation will recognize their responsibility, and other times they have to be shown. Charles E. Schmidt, Jr., recently brought a police department to the table and was successful in resolving a case for more than $250,000 to the benefit of his client. The police still admit nothing. But Mr. Schmidt's relentless pursuit of the case through the Court of Common Pleas, and then the Commonwealth Court, brought the case to a successful conclusion. The police department had argued that they were immune from any liability because their vehicle had never hit the vehicle in which the innocent by-stander sat. Mr. Schmidt countered with alleging the failure of the police officer pursuing a suspect to turn on his lights and his siren. If a police officer is going to exceed the speed limit, he must turn on his lights and sirens to warn innocent by-standers of danger. Many police departments across the country have decided not to continue police pursuits because of the danger to by-standards, and this particular police department may have had a policy which was similar. In any case, the innocent by-stander's family was able to successfully prosecute their case against the police department through their lawyer's work.

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$100,000.00 Auto Accidents

Tough liability motor vehicle accident with a huge Medicare lien. Abbie was able to negotiate with Medicare to waive their lien, securing additional money for the client. Client from Lebanon, PA

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Testimonials

One of the best decisions I ever made was choosing Schmidt-Kramer as my personal injury representative. I was given Scott Cooper's name through a family member shortly after my accident in July of 2024. After contacting the Schmidt-Kramer office, Scott came out and visited me in the hospital the very next day. From the very beginning, he was compassionate, upfront, and honest. He ALWAYS responded to my calls, texts, and/or e-mails in a timely manner and kept me up to date on developments in my case. I am very pleased with the outcome and highly recommend this law firm.
Very caring and compassionate
Debra Zervanos
Gerry and his team were very caring and compassionate. Gerry was always very responsive to me whether it be phone calls or emails. He kept me updated every single step of the way. His team and himself worked tirelessly to get me the best possible outcome to my situation. He was able to wrap everything up within two years with a nice bow on it. I will forever be grateful and will recommend him to everyone.
Dakota Cravener
Solid, trustworthy and lucky to have on your side! Dennis Kergick represented me and I was very impressed. Finally a down to earth and easy to talk to attorney . When the time came he was a junk yard dog and I could see the opposing counsel was intimidated. All while maintaining a professional level of respect and courtesy. Would recommend to friends and family. Keep up the good work!!
It’s hard to believe it’s been four years already, but I’m still deeply thankful for my experience with Dennis. Now living in Illinois, I’ve had some similar encounters, and people here are often surprised — and even a bit shocked — when they hear my story. They always end up admitting just how good Dennis truly was. It’s something I didn’t fully realize at the time, but the more I share, the more it’s confirmed to me. God bless, and thank you I came back stronger than ever.