Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer: Serving West and Southwest Philadelphia

Personal injury help in Philadelphia

If someone else's carelessness injured you in Philadelphia, you can pursue a claim for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, subject to Pennsylvania's rules on car insurance tort options and shared fault. Your Legal Warrior handles car and truck crashes, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, SEPTA accidents, slip and fall cases, medical malpractice, dog bites and wrongful death claims for Philadelphia residents and visitors.

Our office is at 8000 West Chester Pike in Upper Darby, a short drive or trolley ride from the city line. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (267) 412-4601.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Warren's court roles

Injury lawsuits filed in the city go to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, part of Pennsylvania's First Judicial District, with courtrooms at City Hall. Cases with $50,000 or less in controversy generally go first to the court's Compulsory Arbitration Program, where a panel of three lawyers hears the case; either side can appeal for a new trial before a judge. Larger cases proceed on the court's jury trial programs.

Warren has worked within this court system. He has served as a Discovery Master in medical malpractice matters for the Philadelphia court system, as a Settlement Master for the Court of Common Pleas, and as a committee member of the First Judicial District Judge Pro Tem Program. He has also served as a court-appointed sole binding arbitrator and has argued before the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Whether your case belongs in Philadelphia or in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in Media depends on where the incident happened and where the defendants live or do business. We review venue at the start of every case.

Roosevelt Boulevard, the Schuylkill Expressway and city streets

Philadelphia's crash claims come from all over the city, but a few corridors come up again and again. Roosevelt Boulevard (US 1) is a wide, multi-lane road with heavy traffic, frequent lane changes and dangerous pedestrian crossings. The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) combines tight curves, short merges and constant congestion, which produces rear-end and sideswipe crashes. I-95 carries heavy truck traffic along the river.

Crashes on city streets are usually handled by the Philadelphia Police Department, while crashes on the interstates may involve the Pennsylvania State Police. We help clients get the right report and preserve video from nearby businesses and traffic cameras before it is recorded over.

Overbrook

Overbrook runs up to City Line Avenue (US 1) at the city limit, with Lancaster Avenue and Lansdowne Avenue as main streets. The Overbrook station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale regional rail line sits near 63rd Street and City Line Avenue, and Overbrook High School stands at 59th and Lancaster. City Line Avenue traffic and pedestrian crossings near schools and the station are frequent sources of claims.

Carroll Park

Carroll Park sits between Lansdowne Avenue to the north and Girard Avenue to the south, and between 52nd Street and 63rd Street. It is a dense rowhouse neighborhood where intersection crashes, pedestrian injuries and falls on broken sidewalks and steps are common. In Philadelphia, the owner of the property next to a sidewalk is generally the one primarily responsible for its repair.

Cobbs Creek

Cobbs Creek is bounded by Market Street on the north and Cobbs Creek Park on the west, where the creek forms the line with Delaware County. The L (Market-Frankford Line) runs above Market Street on the neighborhood's northern edge, and the T2 trolley runs along Baltimore Avenue. Cobbs Creek Parkway, Baltimore Avenue and the 50s and 60s streets see crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and trolley riders.

Kingsessing

Kingsessing in Southwest Philadelphia is home to Bartram's Garden along the Schuylkill River. Woodland Avenue, its main commercial corridor, carries the T4 trolley toward Darby, and the T3 runs along Chester Avenue. Trolley tracks, double-parked vehicles and busy crossings make pedestrian, bicycle and SEPTA claims common here.

Elmwood Park

Elmwood Park, in Southwest Philadelphia, borders Delaware County at Cobbs Creek, with Eastwick to the southwest and Kingsessing to the northeast. The T5 trolley runs along Elmwood Avenue through the heart of the neighborhood, and Lindbergh Boulevard and Woodland Avenue carry through traffic. Trolley crossings and pedestrian injuries along these corridors are typical Elmwood Park claims.

SEPTA and City of Philadelphia claims

SEPTA buses, trolleys and trains run through every neighborhood above, and much of the city's street and sidewalk network is public property. Claims involving SEPTA or the City have strict rules. Written notice is generally required within six months under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5522. Immunity statutes allow claims only in listed situations, such as the operation of a vehicle, and they cap damages: SEPTA is treated as a Commonwealth party, limited to $250,000 per plaintiff and $1,000,000 per occurrence, and the City, as a local agency, is limited to $500,000 per occurrence.

If a SEPTA vehicle was involved, call us early so the notice goes out on time and video from the vehicle and stops can be requested.

Deadlines and a free case review

Personal injury claims in Pennsylvania generally must be filed within two years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524, with exceptions for children and some cases where the injury was not discovered right away. Government claims need notice much sooner.

Your Legal Warrior works on a 100% contingency fee. There is no attorney fee unless we recover. The firm advances all case costs, which are repaid only from a recovery. If there is no recovery, you owe nothing. Call (267) 412-4601, answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or send the free case review form.