| Trolleys have been running along
Pennsylvania streets for years – and while service in many areas
has long been replaced by the bus, the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Transportation Agency (SEPTA) is in the process of reintroducing
38 of these nostalgic vehicles to Northeast
Philadelphia. During
midsummer 2008, authorities introduced new trolley service for
Routes 59, 66 and 75.
Trolley accidents can happen – and they do, sometimes from old
sections of track. Sections of Germantown Avenue in
Philadelphia
have experienced multiple accidents attributed to old, unused
trolley tracks unsafely elevated above the road.
For those unfortunate victims involved in any kind of trolley
accident, obtaining adequate compensation for injuries can be
difficult.
According to
Pennsylvania law, a trolley is not considered a
motor vehicle – and thus you cannot file a claim with your own
motor vehicle insurance company for medical bills incurred in a
trolley accident. You can try to file a claim for pain and
suffering with your own insurance company, but those damages are
usually much harder to obtain. You may also try to file a claim
against the city or agency responsible for the trolley system,
but the regulations governing damages are often limited.
Most transportation agencies have very strict limits on the
amount of compensation they can offer victims. For example,
SEPTA cannot award more than $250,000 to any single victim – or
more than $1,000,000 total for any single accident, regardless
of how many people were hurt. An electrical malfunction could
result in a trolley crash and seriously injure dozens of people,
yet the million-dollar cap still remains the limit for any
accident.
Once the damages limit has been paid out, no more victims can
receive compensation – even those with the most serious
injuries. Transportation authorities may hand out claim cards at
an accident scene involving public transit vehicles. If you are
involved in a trolley accident, take a claim card if offered.
These are important to complete and submit as soon as possible.
Having already secured one may help an attorney to expedite your
case.
Even if you do have the claim card submitted on time, though,
you are essentially competing with any other victims for a share
of the damages – and it may not be enough. If you are hurt in a
trolley accident, relying solely on the transportation agency to
help pay for your injury-related expenses is a mistake. An
attorney familiar with transportation injury cases can help by
reviewing your case and investigating alternate sources for
compensation.
The Pennsylvania transportation injury lawyers at Munley, Munley
& Cartwright, P.C. have more than 40 years of experience in
handling accident cases. Our goal is to provide exceptional
legal services to our clients. Whether we’re gathering evidence,
giving advice, or talking with insurance companies, we are
always your representative.
We have offices conveniently located in Stroudsburg, Carbondale,
Hamlin, Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre, PA. If you have
been injured as a result of a trolley accident, please
contact
us by e-mail or telephone 1-800-318-LAW1. For more information
about our firm, please visit
www.munley.com. |
