Philadelphia Limited Tort Lawyers: One of the Only Firms That Takes These Cases
If you have a Pennsylvania auto policy with limited tort coverage and you were injured in an accident, you may have been told you cannot sue. Before you accept that answer, call us.
Goldberg & Weinstein is one of the few Philadelphia-area firms with a practice built specifically around limited tort cases. We have recovered significant compensation for clients that other attorneys turned away. Limited tort is not what we avoid — it is what we do.
What Limited Tort Means
and What It Does Not Mean
When you purchased your Pennsylvania auto insurance, you chose between two coverage options: limited tort and full tort. That choice determines what types of compensation you can pursue if you are injured in an accident.
Limited tort coverage restricts your right to seek pain and suffering compensation after a car accident. It does not eliminate it. You may still recover for medical expenses, lost wages, and other economic losses in most circumstances — and under several specific legal exceptions, your full right to pursue pain and suffering damages is restored entirely.
Most injured people with limited tort policies are never told this. They hear "limited tort" from an insurance adjuster and assume their case is closed. It is not always closed. The exceptions exist, they are specific, and identifying them is exactly what we do.
Medical expenses — current bills and future treatment costs related to your injury.
Lost wages — income you have already lost and earning capacity you may lose going forward
Pain and suffering — the physical pain and emotional toll the injury has caused
Property damage — repair or replacement of your vehicle or other property
Other economic losses — out-of-pocket expenses directly tied to the accident
Limited Tort vs. Full Tort: Understanding the Difference
The choice between limited tort and full tort affects every personal injury claim that follows a car accident in Pennsylvania. Full tort preserves your unrestricted right to pursue all categories of compensation, including pain and suffering, regardless of injury severity. Limited tort restricts that right — unless your injury clears a legal threshold or a statutory exception applies.
That threshold and those exceptions are where cases are won or lost.
Understanding exactly how the two coverages differ, and what rights remain available under limited tort, is where we start every client conversation.
Why Most Firms Turn Away Limited Tort Cases — and Why We Do Not
Limited tort cases require more legal work per matter than standard personal injury claims. Before a complaint is filed, the exception must be identified, the injury threshold analyzed, and the case built to document its impact. Most Philadelphia personal injury firms treat that complexity as a reason to decline.
We built a practice around it. Limited tort referrals are the single most common matter we receive from other attorneys across Pennsylvania — lawyers who know we will find the path forward when they cannot. We evaluate every limited tort case at no cost, we move quickly on threshold and exception analysis, and we are prepared to take these cases to trial when that is what the client's interests require.
If another attorney told you your limited tort policy meant you had no case, call us before you close the door.
Frequently Asked Questions About Limited Tort in Pennsylvania
What is limited tort in Pennsylvania?
Limited tort is a lower-cost auto insurance option that restricts your right to sue for pain and suffering damages after a car accident. You can still recover medical expenses and other economic losses in most cases, but recovering non-economic damages requires meeting a serious injury threshold or qualifying under a statutory exception. Most policyholders do not fully understand what they agreed to until after an accident.
Can I still sue if I have limited tort insurance?
Yes, in many cases. Limited tort restricts your right to pursue pain and suffering damages — it does not eliminate it. Several exceptions override the restriction entirely, including serious injuries, at-fault drivers who were under the influence, commercial vehicles, and out-of-state drivers. Call us before you assume your options are gone. The consultation is free.
What makes an injury "serious" under Pennsylvania limited tort law?
Pennsylvania defines a serious injury as serious impairment of a bodily function or permanent serious disfigurement.
In practice, this covers significant fractures, herniated discs with documented functional loss, injuries requiring surgery, permanent nerve damage, and lasting scarring, among others.
Whether your injury meets the threshold depends on medical documentation and demonstrated impact on your daily function — a determination that requires legal and medical analysis, not an insurance adjuster's opinion.
How is limited tort different from full tort?
Full tort coverage preserves your unrestricted right to sue for all damages, including pain and suffering, regardless of injury severity. Limited tort restricts that right unless specific legal conditions are met. The practical difference can be significant — and for a full explanation of how the two coverages compare and what each means for your claim, see our detailed comparison page.
How do I know if a limited tort exception applies to my case?
You will not know without a legal review of your accident, your injuries, and your policy. That review is what your free consultation is for. We identify which exceptions apply, how strong the threshold argument is, and whether the case is viable — quickly, at no cost, and with no obligation to retain us.
Limited Tort Does Not Mean No Case. Call Us First.
Other attorneys may have told you that your limited tort policy closes the door. We have helped clients those attorneys turned away. Call 1-800-247-LEGAL at any hour — we answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we recover for you.