Commercial Vehicle Accident FAQs

In terms of first-party benefits, like payment of medical bills and reimbursement of lost wages, you will look to your own automobile insurance policy as the first layer of coverage. This is mandated by Pennsylvania’s Motor Vehicle Code, and you pay premiums to your insurance company for this coverage. As far as your bodily injury claim goes, however, you will look to the liability coverage under the commercial or business insurance policy for compensation to address your losses. The biggest difference between a commercial policy and a garden-variety, personal motor vehicle insurance policy is that, most times, the liability coverage will be much higher. So, if your injuries are catastrophic and your losses, or damages, are substantial, there should be significantly more coverage available to you from the business’ policy. However, along with the increased coverage that commercial policies typically provide, frequently come greater financial resources for investigation, accident reconstruction and legal representation. In other words, usually, companies with big insurance policies also have immediate access to attorneys, investigators and other representatives who will start working right away to limit the value of your bodily injury claim. Therefore, if you are the victim of a motor vehicle accident caused by a commercial driver, it is extremely important to contact a law firm dedicated to handling injury and accident claims, as soon as possible, so that your rights and interests are properly protected. The lawyers at Georgelis, Larsen & Sabatino Injury Law Firm, P.C. are always ready and willing to help those involved in such accidents, and we offer a free and no-obligation consultation and evaluation of your claim so that your questions can be answered, your concerns can be addressed and you can have the peace-of-mind you deserve.

This scenario represents a “hybrid” claim, where Pennsylvania’s Motor Vehicle Code and Workers’ Compensation Act intersect. Your primary source for income loss and medical benefits will be through a workers’ compensation claim, so you should immediately make a report of the accident to your employer and ask for a copy of their panel list of workers’ compensation healthcare providers. Typically, when an injured employee is in the workers’ compensation system, they only have access to wage loss benefits (usually two-thirds of their average weekly wage) and payment of their medical expenses by the workers’ compensation insurance company. However, where a third-party is responsible for causing injury to the employee—like here, where the employee is operating a company vehicle and is involved in an accident causing bodily injury—the driver of the commercial vehicle (employee) can also pursue compensation as part of a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. The huge benefit in this scenario is that the injured worker is not just limited to the benefits for economic losses that the workers’ comp system provides; the employee can also seek compensation for their non-economic losses, as well, as part of a third-party claim. This means that the value of this “hybrid” claim includes pain and suffering, loss of life’s enjoyment and other forms of compensation for non-economic damages that are not recoverable through a workers’ compensation claim in Pennsylvania. One other important piece of information pertaining to this situation: even if the driver of the commercial vehicle has elected the “limited tort” option under their own personal motor vehicle insurance policy, the injured employee is considered to be “full tort” for the purposes of their third-party bodily injury claim, as an operator of a business vehicle is an exception to limited tort and crosses the threshold into full tort status. The attorneys at Georgelis, Larsen & Sabatino Injury Law Firm, P.C. have handled hundreds of claims involving the interaction of motor vehicle and workers’ compensation law and have a wealth of experience navigating these complex claims and maximizing the recoveries for their clients. We know all of the intricacies of Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Act and Motor Vehicle Code, and we dedicate our entire legal practice to helping those injured on the road and/or job. Georgelis, Larsen & Sabatino Injury Law Firm, P.C. protects our clients from big insurance and gets them the money they deserve. Please contact us anytime for a free consultation and evaluation concerning your claim.