Brain Injury Attorneys in Reading, PA

Decades of Wrongful Injury Focus. Documented Multi-Million-Dollar Results.

Brain injuries are among the most catastrophic consequences of another party’s negligence. When someone faces permanent cognitive loss, paralysis, or a lifetime of rehabilitation, the stakes demand a firm that has handled these cases before. Liever, Hyman & Potter has represented wrongful injury victims since 1959. Our four attorneys handle only wrongful injury and death claims, nothing else. No real estate closings. No business contracts. Every hour we work is on behalf of someone hurt through no fault of their own.

That singular focus has produced results for brain injury victims that speak for themselves.

If you or a family member has suffered a brain injury caused by someone else’s negligence, contact us today. We charge nothing until we recover money for you, and your first consultation is free. Call us at (610) 885-1991.

Why Reading-Area Brain Injury Victims Turn to Our Firm

Our four attorneys have devoted virtually their entire careers to wrongful injury and death law, accounting for 115-plus combined years in a single practice area. That depth is difficult to match at a general-practice firm splitting its attention across unrelated legal matters. Each brain injury case we take is carefully reviewed and assigned to a Civil Trial attorney qualified to handle it.

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

Within the legal community, Liever, Hyman & Potter is recognized as “The Lawyers’ Lawyers.” A significant portion of our clients come through referrals from other law firms, satisfied former clients, and community members who know our record.

Documented Brain Injury Settlements

Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes, but they do show what our firm has built toward for the Reading area and beyond. Two settlements in particular illustrate the scale of what brain injury claims can involve:

• A $12,750,000 lifetime payout for a middle-aged woman whose brain arteriovenous malformation was not diagnosed, a failure-to-diagnose medical malpractice case
• A $6,500,000 settlement for a teenage client who suffered a brain bleed resulting in hemiplegia

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

How Brain Injuries Happen & Why They Produce Serious Claims

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from an external blow, jolt, or penetrating force that disrupts normal brain function. In personal injury cases, common causes include motor vehicle accidents, commercial trucking crashes, falls on unsafe property, workplace accidents, and medical malpractice. Even moderate-speed collisions can cause the brain to strike the inside of the skull, producing injury without an obvious external wound.

Brain injuries range from concussion to severe conditions, including intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding inside the skull) and diffuse axonal injury (widespread damage to the brain’s nerve fibers). Effects can include memory loss, cognitive impairment, personality changes, paralysis, and permanent disability, often requiring lifelong care. Critically, many TBI symptoms don’t appear immediately after an accident, which is why a medical evaluation after any significant impact matters regardless of how someone feels at the scene.

What Compensation May Be Available in Pennsylvania

Brain injury claims in Pennsylvania can seek a wide range of damages. Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and lost earning capacity, covering the full projected cost of care when long-term needs are substantial. Non-economic damages address pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and emotional distress. Pennsylvania doesn’t cap compensatory damages in most brain injury cases against private parties.

Punitive damages may be available in cases where the at-fault party’s conduct was willful, wanton, malicious, or showed a reckless indifference to the safety of others (going beyond ordinary negligence), though they aren’t available in every case. When brain injury care extends over a lifetime, the difference between an adequate recovery and a full one can be measured in millions of dollars.

Pennsylvania Law & Your Filing Deadline

Under Pennsylvania law, most personal injury claims, including brain injuries, must be filed within two years of the date of injury under 42 Pa. C.S. Missing that deadline can permanently bar a claim. When the liable party is a government entity, a shorter deadline and additional notice requirements may apply.

Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule: a victim who is less than 51 percent at fault may still recover, but compensation is reduced by their percentage of fault. Because TBI symptoms are sometimes delayed, an attorney can advise on whether the discovery rule, which may extend the filing period in certain circumstances where an injury wasn’t immediately apparent, applies to a specific case. Insurance carriers begin building their defense quickly after an accident, so early legal involvement can protect the victim’s position before evidence disappears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do My Symptoms Have to Appear Right Away to Have a Brain Injury Claim?

No. Delayed symptoms are common with closed head injuries, where there’s no visible wound. You may feel fine at the scene and develop headaches, cognitive problems, or other symptoms days or weeks later. Seeking medical evaluation promptly after any significant accident is important.

What if I were Partly at Fault for the Accident That Caused My Brain Injury?

Under Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence rule, you can still recover compensation as long as your share of fault is below 51 percent. Your recovery would be reduced by your percentage of fault, but you wouldn’t be barred from pursuing a claim entirely.

Can I Pursue a Claim if My Family Member Died from a Brain Injury?

Yes. When a brain injury results in death, Pennsylvania law provides a wrongful death cause of action that allows eligible family members to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and loss of companionship. Liever, Hyman & Potter handles wrongful death claims, and our attorneys can advise on who may bring such a claim and what damages may be available in your specific circumstances.

Start with a Free Consultation. Pay Nothing Unless We Recover.

We advance all case expenses and collect no fees unless we recover money for you. That commitment applies to every client and every case we take. Your initial consultation is free, and we carefully review each case before advising you on your options. Cases are assigned to a civil trial attorney with the background to handle them, not passed down the line.

Contact Liever, Hyman & Potter today to discuss your brain injury claim. There’s no cost to speak with us and no obligation. Call (610) 885-1991 to get started.