Life insurance is considered to be essential to financial planning and also can provide peace of mind for your loved ones. Here are some reasons that the Insurance Information Institute gives to buy life insurance. However, you should always speak to your financial planner and a tax expert, in addition to a life insurance expert, before purchasing a policy.
If you or a loved one are seriously injured in a Pennsylvania car accident because the driver of a truck or car was inattentive, texting or sleeping while driving, contact an experienced Lancaster car accident lawyer at Schmidt Kramer. We can answer any questions or concerns you have about a motorcycle accident in Lebanon, Lancaster, Hershey, Harrisburg, and all of Central Pennsylvania.
The toll-free number is (717) 888-8888 or dial 8 at 717-888-8888 and the case evaluation is free. Alternatively, you may wish to download a free copy of our book Who Pays the Bills When You Are Injured in an Automobile Accident? for additional information.
While it may seem strange, Pennsylvania—along with some other northeastern states—do have laws that are aimed specifically at winter driving. Because of the massive snow storms that we are often faced with, in addition to icing conditions and poor visibility, it was important to the state of Pennsylvania to address key safety issues for drivers operating in wintry weather.
One of the specific winter driving laws involves clearing your vehicle of ice and snow. Many people assume that as long as they can safely see out of their front windshield, and possibly their rear windshield, that they are in compliance. These are the people we often see zipping around town with a large cap of snow of the roof of their car.
If you have ever driven behind one of these cars, however, you know the possible dangers they can bring—at best, decreased visibility for cars behind them, and possibly even injury caused by a large piece of snow or ice falling off and hitting a trailing vehicle.
Currently, drivers will only be fined if a piece of snow or ice from their car causes injury or death to another driver or pedestrian, with fines ranging from $200 to $1,000. New bills going through legislation, however, are seeking to make it mandatory for cars and tractor-trailers to remove all snow and ice. These bills are the product of a young woman’s death after a chunk of ice fell from a tractor-trailer and struck her vehicle, causing a fatal crash.
When hitting the road this winter, give yourself extra time to clear off all surfaces of your car as completely as possible—not only will it protect other drivers, but it will help keep you safe, as well.
Pennsylvania is notorious for its law requiring drivers to use their headlights any time their windshield wipers are engaged. Many drivers misinterpret the law and assume that daytime running lights are acceptable, but according to the law, these lights won’t cut it. Daytime running lights usually do not engage your tail lights, and in times that call for windshield wipers, other drivers may also benefit from your increased visibility from tail lights.
That brings up another regulation regarding headlights. Even if your windshield wipers are not in use, when visibility is deteriorated, your headlights (again, not just your daytime running lights) must be on. While there is an added perk of helping you see, the primary benefit is that other drivers can see you.
While your citation may be frustrating, the bottom line is that the rules you were in violation of are meant to keep you, as well as your fellow drivers, safe. The few extra minutes it may take you to brush off your car thoroughly or remind yourself to use your headlights do not cost you much in the moment, but could save you a lot of time, money, and pain by avoiding an unnecessary accident.
If you or a loved one are hurt by an irresponsible driver this winter, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries—to learn more, call us today at (717) 888-8888.
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Everyone at our Harrisburg traffic accident law firm is very sorry to hear about your son.
Pennsylvania law says that “any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.” Reckless driving is considered a serious offense when it leads to a death, with a minimum fine of $25,000 and up to 12 months in jail.
Careless driving, a lesser charge, is subject to a fine of $500 and up to 90 days in jail when it results in death.
Law enforcement officials—both police and your local prosecutor—get to decide what charges to bring against the person who was driving when your son was killed. Texting while driving is itself against the law in Pennsylvania, so it is possible that the circumstances of the incident could support either a reckless driving or careless driving charge.
A reckless driving charge requires a higher standard of proof. However, you should recognize that the prosecutor has great discretion in bringing criminal charges. He may decide that the evidence is not sufficient enough to bring the case to trial, or he may negotiate with the driver’s criminal defense lawyer to get a guilty plea to a lesser charge.
So our answer to your question is no, you should not wait for criminal charges to be filed. You can file a wrongful death claim against the driver for texting while driving.
A wrongful death lawsuit is a key part of civil justice. It holds a negligent person responsible for the harm inflicted on family members by the untimely passing of their loved one. In the case of an unmarried teenager with no dependents, the damages from the wrongful death claim would normally go to the parents.
Often, parents turn away from the change to pursue a wrongful death claim because they feel it’s an attempt to profit from the death of their child—nothing could be further from the truth. A wrongful death lawsuit is designed to uphold justice by publicly identifying the person responsible for ending another person’s life, and by compensating the family as much as possible for their losses, such as:
The dangers of texting while driving are well known. When a driver engages in texting, he demonstrates his indifference to the well-being of pedestrians, passengers, and the occupants of other vehicles. A wrongful death lawsuit is one of the best ways to hold this driver accountable and serve a warning to all other drivers.
Schmidt Kramer offers free, confidential case reviews for people who believe they may have valid wrongful death cases stemming from a Pennsylvania auto accident.
Contact our Harrisburg office at 717-888-8888 locally or (717) 888-8888 toll-free to discuss the specifics of your situation with an experienced wrongful death attorney in Pennsylvania.
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It can be scary to be in a car accident that is far from your home. Whether you are traveling through the state to be with family and friends for the holiday season, for work, or for other reasons, you are too far away from home to be treated by your own doctors, and you may be too far away for your friends and family to help you in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
The steps that you take now are the same steps that you would take if you were hurt closer to your home. Specifically, you should:
Additionally, you should follow your doctor’s treatment plan, get follow-up care, and stay out of work and regular activities as recommended by your physician.
All you have to do is contact us via this website to get your questions answered. Additionally, we encourage you to watch our free videos and to read our free articles to get more information on protecting your rights and your potential recovery after a serious car accident in Pennsylvania.
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Since April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, states everywhere are pushing to raise awareness of this serious problem. How prevalent is it in your community?
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), distracted driving is a growing problem in our state. Take a look for yourself at these statistics compiled by PennDOT:
While 10.7 percent might not seem like a high number, keep in mind that every one of those accidents could have been prevented. Driver distraction is a completely preventable problem, and yet it accounts for dozens of deaths in our state every year.
Any activity that takes a person’s concentration away from the road can be considered a driver distraction. Some of the most common driving distractions that contribute to Harrisburg car accidents are as follows:
Did you find this article helpful? We encourage you to share this article with your friends and family—it could help save a life. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a Harrisburg car accident due to driver distraction, you may be eligible for compensation. We invite you to contact us directly to schedule your free consultation.
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You were driving home from work on a rainy afternoon, when traffic suddenly came to a standstill. You were far enough behind the vehicle in front of you that you were able to stop before crashing into the bumper. The truck behind you, however, was not—and slammed right into you. Your seat belt prevented you from going through the windshield, but it broke your collarbone as a result. Are you able to receive compensation for this type of injury? Here, an auto accident attorney discusses the matter.
Before you begin your attempts to receive compensation, you must first receive a doctor’s examination. The doctor will create a record that states that your collarbone was injured because of the collision, and will start a treatment plan to help you get better. This medical record is extremely important, as it may be your key to getting the compensation you deserve.
Speak with a Lancaster car accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident to begin the process of receiving compensation. Typically, all of the injuries you sustain from an accident can be a part of the claim towards your compensation. The attorney will gather your medical records and devise a plan to get you the money you deserve. This can help you pay for your doctor’s visits, medical treatments, and vehicle repairs.
The attorneys of Schmidt Kramer want to help you during this difficult time. You have enough going on with healing from your injuries—you shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay for the medical costs, too.
Give us a call today at (717) 888-8888 to speak with an attorney about your auto accident and find out if we can help.
If you like what you’ve read, we encourage you to share this article with your friends on Facebook.
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We’re very sorry to hear about your injury. Collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians—including joggers—are extremely hazardous to the unprotected human body. Yet such accidents are alarmingly common, with over 50,000 pedestrians injured in traffic accidents in a typical year. Even if the collision happens at a speed as slow as 10 miles per hour, the pedestrian can suffer catastrophic injuries.
There is no easy answer to your question. We understand that a lot of our clients find substantial relief from chiropractic treatments, so we don’t want to warn you away from them. However, choosing chiropractic care alone can complicate your legal recovery in important ways. Our car crash lawyers in Lancaster would like to advise you to consider using both standard medical care and chiropractic services—but as we explain later, that combination has its own problems.
Chiropractic care was developed as what we would now call a “fringe” medical theory around 1895. Its inventor, Daniel David Palmer, was convinced that all human illnesses could be blamed on misalignments of the spine. He taught that the germ theory of disease was false, and that a skilled therapist could cure almost any malady through spinal manipulation.
Some of Palmer’s students and followers added new pseudoscientific ideas to standard chiropractic theory, such as the use of x-rays for therapy—a practice now recognized as extremely risky.
Today, there are still some chiropractors who follow the practices of standard medicine fully and add spinal manipulation to their practice for patients who have back pain. At the other end of the spectrum, there are “straight chiropractors” who stick closely to Palmer’s original conception; they reject the use of medicine or surgery.
Sometimes insurance companies or their teams of lawyers use a claimant’s choice of chiropractic therapy as grounds for denying payment on a claim. Their reasoning: if the claimant had truly cared about his health, he would have gone to a physician instead. Often, the fact that chiropractors prescribe lengthy (and expensive) courses of treatment gives them additional incentive to deny benefits.
If the claimant seeks care from both a physician and a chiropractor, the insurance company may try to avoid paying for at least one set of bills, saying that treatment from two different practitioners is wasteful and duplicated effort.
Of course, a denied claim only counts if the insurance company can make it stick. At Schmidt Kramer, we can take a client’s case all the way to the jury in order to make sure that he receives full and fair compensation for his injuries. If you need help with your claim, give us a call at (717) 888-8888 toll-free to schedule a case review at no charge—and also download our FREE report, Who Pays The Bills When You Are Injured In An Automobile Accident?
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As cell phone use becomes an increasing driver distraction on the Capital Beltway in Harrisburg and throughout Central Pennsylvania, lawmakers have taken notice. Numerous states have enacted various cell phone bans in the past five years.
Pennsylvania is no exception. Here are the current and pending local laws regarding cell phone use:
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident where distracted driving in general or texting, in particular, was the cause, you may be able to recoup damages for your injuries.
Our skilled Harrisburg car crash lawyers are here to help. We invite you to fill out our online form to set up an appointment or to request additional information, including your free copy of our book.
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At Schmidt Kramer Injury Lawyers, our clients are often adults and children who have been seriously injured in a Lancaster car crash. Because we see injuries so often, we firmly believe in child safety seats. Children should be restrained in a federally-approved child safety seat every time they get into the car.
Pennsylvania law states that children must ride in a safety seat appropriate for their height and weight until they are eight years old or 4’9” tall. Once children turn eight years old, they may legally ride in the car without using a booster seat. The problem with the law is that many eight-year-olds are not yet 4’9” tall. We believe these older children should continue using a booster seat until they are 4’9” tall.
How can you determine if your older child is ready to ride in the car using only an adult safety belt? Have the child sit in the back seat with the safety belt fastened. Then check to ensure the following:
If your child does not meet the above criteria, they must continue to use a booster seat in order to protect them from serious injury in a car accident. This applies even if a child is already eight years old.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another party, call us today. Contact a Lancaster car accident lawyer at our firm at (717) 888-8888 for a free case review. You may also wish to download a free copy of our book Who Pays the Bills When You Are Injured in an Automobile Accident? for more information.
While most of us who have been involved in a fender-bender (or even something more serious) maybe wanted to just escape the hassle and expense of an accident by driving off, we all know it is illegal and that it would end in more trouble. That is why responsible adults stick around, exchange information, and own up to their role in an accident.
Unfortunately, not everyone shares your moral compass, and many people let panic get the best of them after hitting another car. While your inner vigilante may be dying to chase after them in hot pursuit, there is a much safer and more effective protocol in the event that you are ever involved in an accident with a driver that runs off.
While it can be hard to focus after the initial shock of being hit, try to remember these five tips:
After an accident, it may also be wise to contact a York car accident attorney, especially if you are hurt. If you have been involved in a hit and run accident, we may be able to help—call one of our offices today, or simply click on the live chat feature to be connected with us now.
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