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What We Do

areas of practice

The Law Office of Andrew P. Motel, LLC handles personal injury cases, nothing else. Our experience and knowledge can help you receive what you’re entitled to after an injury, a loss or even the death of the loved one— medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and a reckoning of what’s been taken and holding those responsible to account for all the harms and losses they caused. Just as important, Mr. Motel understands the legal system can be complex and vexing to people from all walks of life, no matter their background, education or life experience. As important as the financial results of helping a person recoup what they’ve lost, Mr. Motel knows he is also helping his clients go through the process so they do not feel victimized again.

Our experience includes, but is not limited to, the types of cases shown below. Hover over each area for more information.

  • No case where human suffering caused by ignorance, carelessness, or reckless conduct is so acutely painful as the death of a loved one
  • The right attorney will help with the overwhelming burden of questions, paperwork, and decisions that follow, identifying tasks that should be done right away and those that can take a back seat to the grieving process
  • For surviving family, PA law recognizes two legal claims that follow the death of a person due to the conduct of others: The Wrongful Death Act and Survival Action

  • If you are involved in a car or truck crash, the first step is to notify your insurance company (making a claim for medical benefits cannot be a reason to raise your insurance premiums)
  • Very important: Take pictures of the cars, of the crash scene, of the injuries
    • DO NOT let an insurance company take the vehicle away before you take pictures
  • There are different steps to take depending on who was at fault, if you’re hurt in a crash while working, if you believe the crash was the result of a defect or poor auto repair, or if the crash involves a tractor trailer or commercial truck
  • The help of an experienced attorney can be invaluable in the days, months, and even years after a crash

  • All motorcyclists get a bad rap due to the reckless operation by a few bad apples that the motoring public sees all too often
  • In every motorcycle case the visibility of the motorcycle, its speed, and its operation seem to be more closely scrutinized than in crashes where no bike was involved
  • Crashes involving motorcycles have significant differences from car or truck crashes
    • Motorcycle insurance in PA does not include medical expense coverage
  • Crash-related treatment bills must be submitted to your health insurance plan, subject to the plan’s copays or deductibles

  • Taking photographs and documenting conditions at the time of the incident is vitally important
  • The obligations of workplace safety and the legal relationship between the companies and employees on the project are set out in contracts between the owner and general contractor, and the general contractor and subcontractors
  • An attorney can help sort through the complicated issues between the workers’ compensation carrier and the liability or fault of responsible parties

  • A “product” is anything manufactured and sold: a car, a space heater, an electric fixture, a cardiac catheter—anything
  • PA law provides that if a product is sold in a condition lacking anything necessary to make it safe, and the “defect” causes injury, the manufacturer, distributor, and seller may all be liable
  • A product may be defective due to poor design, a defect in manufacturing, or because it lacked necessary guards or warning of the danger
  • The most important step in any product liability case is to preserve the defective product for later examination and as evidence

  • Dangerous conditions created by poor design or lack of maintenance of PennDOT roads and township or local roads may cause crashes or substantially contribute to tragic outcomes
  • Such conditions may still be present later when an attorney is asked to investigate but often, these conditions are “transient” and will soon be gone
  • For example, construction zones change rapidly and a condition responsible for a death or loss may be gone within days of an incident
  • Photographs that promptly document the condition are key

  • As the Baby Boomer generation approaches retirement, “nursing homes,” “critical care,” and “assisted living facilities” are proliferating
  • Fall protection, pressure sores, adequate staffing, and security are key issues at these facilities
  • Many facilities require residents and/or their families to sign agreements before admission whereby the residents/families agree to submit any dispute over the quality of care to “arbitration” and waive the right to a court action and jury trial
  • Guidance from qualified elder-law attorneys can spare a family financial hardship and heartache

  • PA follows a traditional rule of American tort law with respect to injuries caused by the dangerous condition of property
  • The degree, or level of care, a property owner owes to a person who enters the land depends on the status of that person
  • The highest degree of care is owed by property owners who invite the public onto the property for business purposes—e.g., a department store or restaurant
  • A social guest in a private home is entitled to expect a warning of unknown dangers not obvious to the average person
  • A property owner owes the “trespasser” only a duty to refrain from recklessly hurting the trespasser (a landowner in PA cannot intentionally harm a trespasser unless doing so is necessary to protect life)

  • PA, like most every state, has a workers’ compensation (WC) act that provides a compensation scheme for workers injured “in the course and scope for their employment”
  • If the employer has WC insurance, and an employee is injured at work due to careless conduct of the employer or a fellow employee:
    • The employer cannot be sued for that negligence
    • The worker is entitled to payment of all injury-related treatment and to a percentage of their wages for as long as they cannot work
  • A worker hurt by the conduct of someone other than a fellow employee or the employer may be entitled to compensation from the responsible party as well as benefits under the WC act
  • The assistance of an attorney who understands both WC and personal injury is key

Note: While certain kinds of accidents and misfortune can be grouped together for general comment, every case Mr. Motel handles has been and will be unique; no two case are the “same.” Every case requires exploration of the facts and circumstances before a responsible and ethical lawyer can render advice.

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