Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyer In the Greater Philadelphia Area

Here you will find a small selection of my success as a Philadelphia personal injury & car accident lawyer. No clients' real names have been used in these Case Histories. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the injured party.

Alice--Auto accident with resulting soft tissue injury

Alice is a wife and a mother who held down two jobs.  After her auto accident, she was unable to work because of what the Philadelphia personal injury and car accident  lawyers refer to as "soft tissue injuries."

Technically, a soft tissue injury is an injury that doesn't involve the breaking of a bone.  Incorrectly, the insurance industry takes the position that all soft tissue injuries will heal -- and that all victims of soft tissue injuries will get better, usually in six to nine months.  Unfortunately, there are some people, like Alice, who have soft tissue injuries and never recover.  It's my job as an auto accident attorney to represent them and make sure they get the settlement money they deserve.

If Alice's case had been tried in front of a jury, the trial would have taken place in Chester County, a county known for small verdicts and settlements to injury victims.  Armed with this knowledge, I convinced the insurance adjuster to try this case in front of a private judge outside of the court system.  Because of my efforts, the judge awarded Alice $250,000  -- an enormous award for this type of case.

Jane--a mentally handicapped person involved in an auto accident

Jane is an adult woman suffering from schizophrenia, who acts as though she were mentally retarded.  According to the Social Security Administration, she is disabled.

Jane was a passenger in her father's car when he made a left turn in front of on-coming traffic.  During the collision, Jane was thrown from the car and suffered severe injuries.  I was able to negotiate a six-figure settlement -- but I needed a way to structure the settlement so that Jane could continue to be eligible to receive Social Security benefits.

As part of my service to my client, I located and hired a consultant who advised us how to structure her settlement in the most beneficial manner possible.  As a result, Jane was able to keep her settlement money, not pay any back to Social Security, and hold onto all of her Social Security benefits.  I am happy to say that Jane will now be financially secure for the rest of her life.

Susan--a large settlement for depression and chronic pain

Susan was involved in an automobile accident resulting in painful physical injuries causing constant and debilitating pain.  Unfortunately, Susan also developed severe, disabling depression while trying to cope with the pain.

I referred Susan to a psychiatrist who specializes in treating depressed patients.  I also helped Susan keep her appointments (which can be difficult with patients who are depressed) and saw that she received medication which helped her to combat her condition.

During this time, I was able to use my experience as a Philadelphia personal injury and car accident lawyer to settle with the other driver's insurance company for the maximum amount of the policy.  I then went further and settled with Susan's underinsured motorist insurance company for a substantial amount of additional money.  As a courtesy, I still monitor Susan's progress with her psychiatrist and handle Susan's claim with her disability insurance company.  Even after a case is closed, I will continue my relationship with a client to look out for his or her best interests.

James--a unique uninsured motorist case

James was driving his employer's car when he was hit by an uninsured motorist.  James hired an attorney, but soon became dissatisfied both with that lawyer's inability to answer questions and with that lawyer's overall lack of enthusiasm - the lawyer wasn't a personal injury lawyer with more than 21 years of experience. 

When James hired me to take over the case,  I immediately performed some computer-based research which produced a few startling results.  As it turns out, just two weeks before James came to see me the law had changed, and James could now make a claim against his employer's uninsured motorist policy.

James was very pleased that I had taken the time to do the work that his first attorney hadn't thought necessary.  James was also pleased that I was able to settle his case for a substantial, six-figure amount.

Andrew--slip and fall on an icy sidewalk

Andrew slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk, receiving severe neck injuries that required surgery and a fusion of his vertebrae.  Andrew's first lawyer (not a personal injury specialist), was bewildered about how to handle this complex case so he referred it to me just before the statute of limitations was about to run out. 

Slip and fall cases are notoriously difficult cases to win because there is almost always an assumption that the person who slipped and fell was at fault.  Cases involving ice and snow are even more difficult to settle because property owners are not obligated to keep their sidewalks free of ice and snow.

However, after hustling to file suit on time, and after undoing two years of the prior lawyer's mistakes, I was able to convince the property owner's insurance company of two things:

1. Andrew was not at fault, and
2. Andrew was permanently injured.

This resulted in a substantial settlement (that was structured to be paid out over time), so Andrew will receive a tax free monthly income for the rest of his life.

Mark--a serious neuropsychological injury

Mark was a passenger in his father's car when they ran a red light and were struck by a SEPTA bus.  Mark sustained some physical injuries, but most importantly, and unknown to Mark -- he had also sustained an injury to his brain. 

As is frequently the case with neuropsychological injuries, the effects were very subtle.  But because of my extensive experience with brain injury victims, I recognized Mark's problem and immediately sent him for specialized testing.  When it was confirmed that Mark was suffering from a serious neuropsychological injury, I, as his personal injury attorney, referred him to the Drucker Brain Injury Center at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital.  There, Mark was able to learn how to deal with his deficits through extensive training.

Equally important, I arranged for a substantial monetary settlement that has allowed Mark to start his own business and be self-sufficient.  With my help, Mark received the help and money he needed to get a new start.

Celeste--a Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) injury

Many auto accident lawyers would have treated this case as a simple "whiplash" case and tried their best for a settlement.  But because of my extensive experience with people

suffering from TMJ injuries, I suggested that Celeste consult with a specialist who confirmed she had TMJ problems.  Celeste eventually had surgery that corrected the problem. 

I settled Celeste's case for a six-figure amount, and she moved on to a new career.  However, she continues to have difficulties with her workers compensation and disability insurance companies over benefits -- and I continue to represent her even though I don't charge her a fee.  It is my philosophy that the fee that I get from the personal injury portion of a case entitles clients to representation for injury-related problems that arise after settlement.

Megan--a "dram shop" case

"Dram shop" cases involve bars that continue serving alcohol to people who are visibly intoxicated and who then go out and cause an injury.  A bar may legally get a customer drunk, but once the person is visibly intoxicated, the bar must, by law, refuse to serve that person any more alcohol.  The term "dram shop" comes from the old English tradition of serving drinks "by the dram" (a dram is a unit of measure).

In this wrongful death case (which another lawyer referred to me because of my experience with the dram shop law), Megan was visibly intoxicated, yet the bar continued to serve her.  The bar asked her to leave because she had been throwing beer at her friends. Megan left the bar, got into her car, and crashed into a telephone pole causing her instant death.  I sued the bar on behalf of Megan's children; and proved to the bar's insurance company that the bar was responsible -- Megan was served while visibly intoxicated.

Because of the settlement, Megan's children will now receive a generous income for the rest of their lives.  As a matter of interest, shortly after this case settled, the bar in question bought a bus to transport inebriated patrons home.

Anne--another "dram shop" case

Anne was a passenger in her boyfriend's car when they were involved in an auto accident.  The boyfriend was drunk at the time.

Anne called me immediately (at 3 in the morning), and we discussed her case while it was fresh in her mind. I filed suit against her boyfriend, the driver of the car, and the bar that served alcohol to her boyfriend.  Through extensive investigation, and because I was available 24-hours-a-day to discuss the case, I was able to prove that Anne's boyfriend was served while visibly intoxicated. 

Anne was very pleased with the settlement, which far exceeded her expectations.  I also arranged for Anne's money to be paid in installments so she now can receive a regular income.

The Law Office of Richard C. Senker handles the following types of cases: Personal Injury including Automobile Accidents, Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Medical Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Insurance Bad Faith, Nursing Home Abuse, Workers' Compensation, Airplane Accidents, Dog Bites, Drunk Driving Injuries, Large Truck Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, School Bus Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents.