Philadelphia is home to over 1.5 million people and close to 2,500 miles of roadway, making it the largest city in Pennsylvania. Yet, while the home of the Liberty Bell is constantly making efforts to improve road safety and protect those living and visiting the city, thousands of car accidents continue to happen every year in the area, causing catastrophic injures to motorists, passengers, pedestrians, and even cyclists.
However, if you were in one of these tragic collisions because of another person’s wrongful actions, you should not deal with the debilitating repercussions on your own. That is why we have prepared the following guide. In it, we hope to provide you with a better understanding of these car accidents and what they can mean for you and your future.
We will go over the recent crash trends in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, discuss the legal steps you could take following a crash, and explain how an experienced Philadelphia motor vehicle accident attorney can help you go after the justice and compensation you deserve. For more information, contact a personal injury attorney today.
Motor Vehicle Accidents By the Numbers
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, around 104,475 traffic crashes occur in Pennsylvania every year. These accidents claim over 1,120 individuals annually and cause injuries to another 61,248 people.
In addition, on average:
- There are around 286 reportable traffic accidents each day in that state, which equals about 12 crashes every hour.
- Each day three individuals are fatally injured in a Pennsylvania reportable traffic crash, about one death every eight hours.
- Each day there are 168 individuals harmed in a reportable crash in Pennsylvania, or about seven injuries every hour.
Accidents by Crash Type
Although numerous different types of crashes can occur on Pennsylvania roads, certain collisions are more prevalent than others. For instance, these states see more crashes involving a single vehicle hitting a fixed object such as a guide rail or a tree than any other type of collision. Yet, although pedestrian accidents happen much less frequently, they are also the cause of the third-highest number of fatalities.
Accidents by Age and Gender
Male motorists tend to be involved in more motor vehicle accidents than female drivers, with male drivers aged 21 to 25 in more accidents than drivers in any other age group, including both male and female.
Accidents by Day of the Week
In Pennsylvania, most motor vehicle accidents occur on Wednesday and Friday. However, the number of fatalities on weekends, including Saturday and Sunday, is proportionally greater than the number of accidents due to alcohol abuse.
Philadelphia Statistics Regarding Car Accidents and Deaths
According to statistics, Philadelphia County has the most reported traffic crashes (9.7 percent) and the most traffic-related fatalities (14.7 percent) out of all the other counties in the state.
The county, which has a population of 1,584,064, experiences around 10,108 motor vehicle accidents every year, accounting for approximately 6,202 injuries and 154 deaths annually. This means about six deaths per 100,000 in Philadelphia, compared to only 2.87 in New York City and 5.74 deaths in Los Angeles.
In addition, 55 percent of the individuals killed in these Philadelphia accidents were inside the motor vehicle, while 41 percent were pedestrians and 4 percent were cyclists. Fortunately, the good news is that according to these recent figures, the number of overall traffic deaths in the city seems to be declining.
Common Causes of Motor Vehicle Accidents in Philadelphia
Even though motor vehicle accidents in Philadelphia can occur for several reasons, according to city officials, speeding and careless driving behaviors tend to account for more than half of these fatal motor vehicle collisions. However, this reckless driving is not the only cause of these devastating accidents.
Additionally, some of the other leading causes of crashes, deaths, and injuries in Philadelphia County include:
- Not wearing a seatbelt (over 1,400 car crashes per year)
- Intoxicated driving (582 accidents per year)
- Distracted driving (629 accidents per year)
- Aggressive driving (378 crashes per year)
- Fixed object accidents (1,412 accidents per year)
Yet, remember that these are only some of the more common causes of crashes in Philadelphia. Often, there are more, including traffic conditions, poor road conditions, defective vehicles, dangerous weather, and driver error, all of which can also contribute to motor vehicle accidents.
For these reasons, if you were harmed in a Philadelphia motor vehicle accident for a reason not indicated above, you should still reach out to an experienced Philadelphia motor vehicle accident attorney as soon as possible. These lawyers can review your accident, figure out if you have a viable claim, and help you determine the legal options you should pursue.
Most Dangerous Intersections and Roadways in Philadelphia
Car accidents can happen anywhere. However, in Philadelphia, some roads and intersections continuously see significantly more accidents than the rest of the city.
These areas include:
- Roosevelt Boulevard
- Delaware Expressway in Northeast Philadelphia
- The Schuylkill Expressway, which connects the City of Philadelphia to King of Prussia
- Broad Street
- Bustleton Avenue, which runs right through Northeast Philadelphia
Dangerous Intersections
- The intersection of Fifth Street and Olney Avenue
- The intersection of Market Street and 40th Street
- The intersection of Market Street and 11th Street
- The intersection of Broad Street and Race Street
- The intersection of Grant Avenue and Southwest 49th Street, which is a high-traffic intersection located in the heart of Southwest Philadelphia
- The intersection of Grant Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard
- The intersection of Red Lion Road and Roosevelt Boulevard
Common Injuries That Can Result From a Motor Vehicle Accident in Philadelphia
Sadly, when it comes to a car collision, these accidents can severely harm almost any part of the body.
Yet, the following are some of the more prevalent injuries that motor vehicle accident victims tend to suffer:
- Fractured bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Lacerations and penetrating injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Burns
- Internal injuries
- Facial trauma, including eye injuries
- Amputations
- Soft tissue injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Emotional Trauma
- Wrongful death
Protecting Your Legal Rights Following a Philadelphia Motor Vehicle Accident
After a Philadelphia motor vehicle accident, the last thing that you will want to do is gather evidence from the accident scene and find witnesses. However, following these accidents, the steps you take not only protect your health and safety but your legal rights. For these reasons, after a Philadelphia car crash, you should consider doing the following:
#1. Contact the Local Authorities
After a motor vehicle accident, you should call 911 as soon as possible. If you cannot call yourself, you should ask someone around you to call on your behalf. This is the fastest way to get your case on record and the quickest way to alert emergency medical crews and the police of the accident.
Plus, if you decide to pursue legal action after this crash, the police report that the officers will create after investigating your accident can provide you and your attorney with helpful evidence regarding what happened and who was at fault.
#2. Check the Scene and Gather Evidence
If you do not require emergency medical treatment and it appears as if the scene is safe, you should use your phone to collect as many pictures and videos of the crash as you can.
This evidence should include pictures of:
- Your visible injuries
- The vehicles involved in the accident and their placement on the road
- Any skid marks on the street
- The weather conditions at the time of the accident
- Traffic signs near the area
- Road defects such as potholes, and
- Any other evidence that can help show what happened
In addition, if there were people present at the time of the accident who saw what happened, make sure you try to get their names and phone numbers. These individuals can often provide your lawyer with valuable information regarding the incident and even provide testimony to help back your claim.
#3. Check with the Other Drivers
Try to exchange information with all the drivers involved in the accident, including names, contact details, driver’s license numbers, and insurance information.
However, if these individuals are unruly or uncooperative, leave this information gathering to the police. Once the local officers get these details from the other driver, you or your lawyer can obtain this information from them.
#4. Get to a Doctor After the Accident
Even if you do not require emergency medical treatment following your motor vehicle accident, you should still get to a doctor as soon as possible. Serious injures such as internal bleeding, spinal cord damage, or traumatic brain injuries can take days to weeks for symptoms to manifest. Yet, the longer you wait to get this condition checked out, the more debilitating and fatal it can become. For these reasons, get to a doctor immediately after your accident.
Besides, getting this medical attention after the accident can also help your legal claim. Following a car crash, the insurance company will try to do everything they can to deny your claim or justify paying you less than you deserve. As a result, if you do not get prompt medical treatment following your accident, these insurance companies will often try to argue that your injures are not that serious or the result of a separate event.
Fortunately, when you get to a doctor after your crash, these doctors can document your trauma in their medical report, which can also serve as evidence of a direct link between the injuries you sustained and your Philadelphia car collision.
#5. Be Careful What You Say to Others
As you talk to others following the accident, you need to be careful what you say, as every statement you make can be used against you and impact the amount of money you can receive. That is why, following an accident, do not apologize for the incident, make any definitive statements about anything that happened, or take any of the blame.
Following a Philadelphia Car Crash, Contact an Experienced Philadelphia Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney and Get the Legal Help You Need
Although no amount of money can truly help you get over a devastating motor vehicle collision, obtaining just compensation for your injures and losses can help you start rebuilding your life, ensure that you have the finances to get the medical care you need, and give you and your family peace of mind that justice was served.
As a result, following a Philadelphia motor vehicle collision, reach out to an experienced car accident attorney who can provide the legal help you need to fight for the money you deserve and stand by you throughout this challenging legal journey.
In general, once you retain one of these lawyers, they can:
- Go over your car crash in detail, evaluate your claim, and determine your legal options.
- Investigate your car accident and gather the evidence needed to show what happened and who was at fault.
- Hire experts to validate your claim, such as accident reconstructionists, doctors, and financial specialists.
- Take on all the negotiations with the other side and fight for a just settlement offer.
- Proceed to trial if the other side is unwilling to provide you with a fair amount and work tirelessly to obtain maximum compensation.
If you or a loved one sustained severe injuries in a motor vehicle accident due to another person’s wrongful actions, do not wait any longer to get the legal help you need. Instead, reach out to an experienced Philadelphia motor vehicle accident attorney today for a free case evaluation, and let these lawyers show you how they can fight for you and your rights.