Free consultation with an injury lawyer. Call 412-802-6666, text 412-855-5511, or send us a message.
A serious injury can happen in seconds and last a lifetime.
Since 1997, the attorneys at Flaherty Fardo Rogel & Amick have represented injured people and their families throughout Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. We work closely as one team. Every case that heads toward trial has the whole team behind it.
Many serious injuries happen because another person or company acted carelessly: a driver, a trucking company, a property owner or a product manufacturer. When that happens, Pennsylvania law gives you the right to recover for all of your losses, including the ones you will face years from now.
Common Serious Injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Amputations
- Complex fractures requiring surgery
- Burns
- Neck and back injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Serious injuries to children
What to Do After a Serious Injury
- Follow your medical care plan and keep every appointment. Gaps in treatment are used against injured people.
- Keep records: bills, mileage, missed work, and help you now need around the house.
- Let the family document the change. Notes and photos of daily life before and after the injury help a jury understand.
- Do not sign releases or accept a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries.
- Call a lawyer early, while evidence is still available.
What Makes Serious Injury Cases Different
The biggest losses in these cases are often in the future: surgeries not yet performed, years of therapy, home modifications, and a career cut short. A fair settlement must account for all of it. A settlement is usually final, so it has to be right the first time.
Insurance companies know this, and they defend serious injury cases hard. They hire their own doctors and experts. We build our cases with the same care.
Pennsylvania Rules You Should Know
- No cap on compensatory damages in cases against private parties, such as drivers, businesses and manufacturers.
- Full tort vs. limited tort. If you chose limited tort on your car insurance, you generally cannot recover for pain and suffering unless you suffered a “serious injury,” which Pennsylvania law defines as death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement, or another exception applies. Why we recommend full tort.
- Shared fault. You can recover if you were 50% or less at fault. Your award is reduced by your share.
- Deadline. Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years. Claims against a government agency, such as a city, township, PennDOT or a transit authority, require written notice within six months, and immunity laws limit some claims.
- Injured children. For a child under 18, the two-year clock generally does not start until the child turns 18. Waiting is rarely wise, though. Evidence and witnesses are easier to find early.
How We Build Serious Injury Cases
- Medical specialists. We work with your treating doctors and outside physicians to explain the injury and what lies ahead.
- Life care plans. A life care planner can lay out the care, equipment and services you will need for the rest of your life.
- Economists and vocational experts measure lost earning capacity.
- Every source of recovery. We look for all responsible parties and all available insurance, including your own UIM coverage.
- Trial-ready. Insurance companies know we are prepared to try cases to a jury.
What You Can Recover
- Past and future medical expenses
- Cost of future care, equipment and home modifications
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain, suffering and loss of life’s pleasures
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Wrongful death and survival damages for families who lost a loved one
Representative Results
- $3.5 million through an arbitration award under a seriously injured client’s own underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage
- More than $2.3 million for a pedestrian seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle
- More than $2 million for a client injured in a Pennsylvania highway crash involving an out-of-state trucking company
See more case results. Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
Related Cases We Handle
- Brain injuries
- Amputation injuries
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Defective products
- Workplace accidents
- Wrongful death
Talk to an Injury Lawyer
Every case starts with a conversation with a lawyer. We will tell you honestly whether you have a case and what it may be worth. Our injury cases are handled by Noah Fardo and Bill Rogel, working with Shawn Flaherty.
Call 412-802-6666 or email Managing Partner Noah Fardo at npf@pghfirm.com. Prefer to text? Use 412-855-5511. More answers: Personal Injury FAQ.
There is no fee unless we obtain a monetary recovery. We advance the case costs and are reimbursed from the client’s share only if we are successful. General information only, not legal advice. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.











