Car Accident Lawyers in Berks County

115-Plus Combined Years Focused on Wrongful Injury & Death Claims

After a serious crash, medical bills, lost income, pain, and other complications can overwhelm injured people and their families. We represent clients in Reading and throughout Berks County, as well as Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Bucks County, Philadelphia, and other Pennsylvania communities.

Liever, Hyman & Potter has represented wrongful injury victims since 1959, making us the longest-established motor vehicle injury law firm in Reading. Our four attorneys handle only wrongful injury and death claims. No real estate closings, no business contracts, and no other case types. Together, our attorneys have devoted virtually their entire careers to this single practice area, totaling more than 115 combined years focused on one purpose: pursuing compensation for people who were hurt through no fault of their own.

If you or a family member has been seriously injured while driving, riding as a passenger, walking, or bicycling, timely legal review matters. Important evidence can become harder to protect as time passes, and many rights of accident victims in Pennsylvania are time-sensitive.

If you’ve been injured in a crash, call our Berks County car accident attorneys at (610) 375-6131 or contact our firm.

How We Build Your Car Accident Claim

If your injuries resulted from another driver’s negligence, our job is to investigate the facts and pursue available compensation. Proving negligence means establishing that the at-fault driver owed you a duty of care, breached it, and caused your injuries and losses. That sounds straightforward, but the liable parties in a car accident case may extend beyond the driver who caused the crash.

Our attorneys have decades of experience investigating injury claims throughout Pennsylvania, from Reading north to Pottsville and east to the Philadelphia area. Depending on the facts, a claim may reach PennDOT or a municipality responsible for highway maintenance or design defects. In drunk driving cases, Pennsylvania’s dram shop law can extend liability to the bar or restaurant that served the at-fault driver. Preserving early crash evidence, including skid marks, vehicle damage, surveillance footage, photographs, and witness accounts, is critical. That’s one reason contacting us promptly after a crash matters.

When needed, we add professional investigators, photographers, and engineers to the legal team to perform accident reconstructions. Each case is carefully reviewed and assigned to a civil trial attorney qualified to handle it.

What to Do After a Berks County Car Crash

Get emergency care when needed, follow your medical providers’ instructions, and keep records of treatment, missed work, and crash-related expenses. Preserve photographs, vehicle information, contact details for witnesses, and any documents you receive from law enforcement or an insurer.

Pennsylvania State Police provides a process for involved parties and their attorneys to request certain vehicle crash reports, generally after 15 days. PennDOT also maintains county and municipality crash information through its Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool. Before giving a recorded statement, signing a release, or discussing a settlement, a free consultation with our Berks County auto accident lawyers can help you understand the available options and insurance issues.

Pennsylvania Car Accident Law: What Victims Need to Know

A few key rules shape every Pennsylvania car accident claim, and understanding them helps you act at the right time:

• Limited Tort vs. Full Tort: Pennsylvania drivers choose between limited tort and full tort coverage. Limited tort can restrict access to pain-and-suffering damages unless a serious injury or another applicable exception permits a claim. Full tort doesn’t impose the same limitation. The policy selection, crash facts, and applicable law all require careful review.
• Modified Comparative Negligence: Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule. A claimant’s recovery is reduced by the claimant’s percentage of fault, and recovery is barred if the claimant’s negligence is greater than the causal negligence of the defendants. Documenting the other driver’s responsibility matters from day one.
• Statute of Limitations: Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is generally two years from the date of the accident, though exceptions and claim-specific circumstances can affect the deadline. Missing an applicable deadline can bar a claim, regardless of how serious the injuries are.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Pennsylvania auto policies include required first-party medical benefits, often called Personal Injury Protection, that pay qualifying initial medical expenses regardless of fault. Other available coverage can include bodily-injury liability, uninsured motorist, and underinsured motorist coverage, depending on the policies involved.

Losses & Complications After a Car Accident

Depending on the facts, a claim may address losses beyond immediate medical bills:

• Treatment
• Rehabilitation
• Lost wages
• Diminished earning capacity
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Disfigurement
• Loss of life’s pleasures

What may be recovered depends on liability, injury evidence, medical progression, available insurance coverage, comparative fault, and Pennsylvania law.

A fatal collision can raise wrongful-death and survival claim issues, each with different parties, damages, and procedural considerations.

Thousands of Recoveries for Injury Victims Since 1959

Our automobile accident attorneys have recovered thousands of awards and settlements for victims since 1959, more than any other firm located in the Berks and Schuylkill County area. In a recent three-year period alone, our attorneys recovered more than 500 awards and settlements, including numerous million-dollar and multi-million-dollar results.

Named results from our published results include a $3.5 million trucking crash settlement, a $3.265 million drunk driving wrongful death settlement, and a $6.5 million settlement for a teenage client who suffered a brain bleed resulting in hemiplegia. These are past results and don’t guarantee a similar outcome in any future case. Each case depends on its own facts, evidence, insurance coverage, and applicable law.

Other law firms routinely refer clients to Liever, Hyman & Potter. That referral reputation reflects how the broader legal community views our record and is a key reason our firm is known as “The Lawyers’ Lawyers.”

Lead Attorney John R. Badal

John R. Badal has devoted his entire legal career to representing wrongful injury victims. Admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1978 and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991, Badal is a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. These are national recognitions tied to documented case results at those dollar thresholds. He has served as Chairman of multiple sections of the Berks County Bar Association, including the Civil Litigation Section and the Workers’ Compensation Section.

No Fees Until We Recover for You

You’ll pay us nothing in attorney fees or case expenses we advance on your behalf unless we recover money for you. Our contingent fee is based on a percentage of the award or settlement, as defined in the initial agreement. If we don’t recover, you owe nothing, including advanced expenses. We also offer a free consultation to review your potential case and advise you on your options before you commit to representation.

Call (610) 375-6131 to schedule your free initial consultation with our Berks County car accident attorneys.