Introduction
Founded in 1993, Ainsman Levine, LLC has spent more than three decades representing seriously injured people and their families throughout western and central Pennsylvania. The firm’s Pittsburgh office at 310 Grant Street, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, can be reached at 412-338-9030 or toll-free at 800-513-5065. What began under founder David Ira Ainsman has grown into a full litigation team that includes partners Richard C. Levine, Erin K. Rudert, and Daniel Joseph Sammel, along with associates Brandon Keller and Danielle Deklewa. The firm handles personal injury cases of every type and complexity, from motor vehicle accidents to vaccine injuries to sexual abuse claims, and it goes to clients: home visits, office visits, and hospital visits are available throughout the firm’s service area when injury or mobility prevents clients from traveling.
Over thirty years of negotiating with the largest national insurance carriers has produced a specific kind of institutional knowledge. Ainsman Levine knows how these companies evaluate claims, what evidence they respond to, and where they apply pressure to drive settlements below true case value. That accumulated experience benefits every client the firm represents.
Practice Areas
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents, including car-on-car collisions, rear-end crashes, intersection accidents, and head-on collisions, are a central part of the firm’s practice. Pennsylvania is a choice no-fault state, which means drivers select either a “limited tort” or “full tort” option when purchasing insurance. Full tort drivers retain the unrestricted right to sue for pain and suffering. Limited tort drivers face a threshold requirement for non-economic damages unless their injuries meet specific definitions of serious injury. Understanding which coverage applies and how it interacts with the specific injuries suffered is a threshold legal question in every Pennsylvania auto accident case.
Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries include spinal cord damage, severe burns, amputations, and other conditions that permanently alter a person’s physical function and life trajectory. These cases require damages analysis that extends decades into the future, covering future medical care, home modification, assistive technology, lost earning capacity, and the substantial non-economic losses that accompany permanent disability. Ainsman Levine has the experience and the expert resources to build these comprehensive damages cases.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Closed Head Injuries
Traumatic brain injury is a case category that demands specific attention at Ainsman Levine. Even seemingly minor impacts can cause significant brain injuries. The absence of visible trauma does not mean the absence of serious harm. Symptoms of closed head injury include memory loss, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, persistent headaches, and difficulty with concentration. These symptoms may not appear immediately after the accident and may be attributed to stress or fatigue in the days following the incident, leading to delayed diagnosis.
Closed head injuries are, by definition, often invisible initially. No external wound, no apparent structural damage, yet profound functional impairment. The firm works with neuropsychologists and other medical experts to document the full impact of TBI, including the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes that affect the client’s ability to work, maintain relationships, and live independently. This documentation is essential to recovering compensation that reflects what the client is actually facing.
Wrongful Death
Wrongful death cases at Ainsman Levine involve the full range of circumstances that lead to fatalities caused by another party’s negligence. Vehicle accidents, medical errors, workplace incidents, and product failures all generate wrongful death claims. The firm represents surviving family members and manages the legal process while families are simultaneously managing grief and practical matters.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice cases require establishing the standard of care applicable to the defendant’s specialty, demonstrating deviation from that standard, and connecting the deviation causally to the patient’s harm. Expert testimony from qualified medical professionals is essential. Ainsman Levine pursues claims against hospitals, physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare providers where negligent care has caused preventable harm.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation claims in Pennsylvania provide benefits for medical treatment and lost wages when an employee is injured in the course of employment. The firm represents injured workers through the claims process and in litigation before workers’ compensation judges when claims are disputed. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation involves specific notice requirements, medical treatment management provisions, and return-to-work obligations that can affect the value of the claim if not properly managed.
Premises Liability and Slip and Falls
Premises liability claims cover dangerous conditions on property: wet floors, uneven surfaces, inadequate lighting, missing handrails, and other hazards that property owners are required to address. The firm documents the condition, establishes what the property owner knew or should have known, and builds the causation chain connecting the hazard to the injury.
Products Liability
Defective products, whether the defect is in design, manufacturing, or the adequacy of warnings provided to users, can cause catastrophic harm. Products liability cases often involve multiple potentially liable parties along the supply chain from manufacturer to retailer. The firm investigates these cases thoroughly and pursues all available recovery.
Negligent Supervision and Playground Injuries
Children injured due to inadequate supervision in schools, daycare centers, camps, and other institutional settings have legal recourse. Playground injuries involving defective equipment or inadequate maintenance are handled as part of the firm’s broader premises liability practice. These cases require careful investigation of the supervision standards that should have been in place and why they were not.
First Responder Injuries
Police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel who are injured in the line of duty may have legal claims beyond standard workers’ compensation, depending on the specific circumstances of the injury. The firm handles first responder injury cases with an understanding of the specific legal frameworks that apply.
Vaccine Injuries
Vaccine injury claims in the United States proceed through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) before a lawsuit in civil court is available. The VICP is a federal program that provides compensation to individuals injured by vaccines covered by the program. The firm advises clients on the VICP process and pursues claims when vaccine-related injuries meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
Sexual Abuse Claims
Civil claims arising from sexual abuse allow survivors to pursue financial accountability from perpetrators and, in appropriate cases, from institutions that enabled or failed to prevent the abuse. Pennsylvania’s statutes of limitations for sexual abuse civil claims have been subject to legislative change in recent years. The firm advises survivors on their current legal options and handles these sensitive cases with the care and confidentiality they require.
Dog Bites
Pennsylvania dog bite law imposes liability on dog owners under specific circumstances, including strict liability for medical costs and negligence-based liability for other damages when the owner knew or should have known of the dog’s dangerous propensities. The firm handles dog bite injury claims as part of its broader personal injury practice.
Attorney Profiles
The firm was founded by David Ira Ainsman, who has since retired. The current partners are Richard C. Levine, Erin K. Rudert, and Daniel Joseph Sammel. Associates Brandon Keller and Danielle Deklewa complete the litigation team. The depth of the team reflects the volume and complexity of the firm’s case inventory.
Location and Service Area
Ainsman Levine, LLC is located at 310 Grant Street, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2300. Phone: 412-338-9030. Toll-free: 800-513-5065. The firm serves clients throughout western and central Pennsylvania and travels to clients’ homes, offices, and hospitals when mobility limitations prevent travel to the Pittsburgh office.
Client Focus
Ainsman Levine’s three-decade history of representing seriously injured people across western and central Pennsylvania reflects a practice built for durability and results. The contingency fee model means clients pay no attorney fees unless the firm recovers compensation. The home, office, and hospital visit policy means geography and mobility are not barriers to quality representation. The full trial team means the firm’s capacity does not cap out at settlement negotiation.
FAQ
What are the symptoms of a closed head injury that might not be immediately apparent?
Memory loss, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, headaches, and difficulty concentrating are all symptoms that can result from a traumatic brain injury that produced no visible external trauma. These symptoms sometimes appear days after the accident. Anyone who experiences these symptoms following an accident, even one that seemed minor, should seek medical evaluation promptly and consult with an attorney about preserving their legal options.
Does Ainsman Levine come to clients who are hospitalized or cannot travel?
Yes. The firm offers home, office, and hospital visits throughout western and central Pennsylvania. Injury should not prevent access to legal representation, and the firm structures its client intake to accommodate clients in any condition.
What is a vaccine injury claim and how does it work?
Vaccine injury claims in the United States generally proceed first through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a federal program funded by an excise tax on vaccines. Claimants who meet the program’s eligibility requirements can receive compensation without the need to establish manufacturer negligence. If the VICP denies the claim or the claimant rejects the award, a civil lawsuit may be available in some circumstances. The firm advises on both the VICP process and subsequent civil options.
How does Ainsman Levine’s experience with national insurance carriers benefit me?
Thirty-plus years of negotiating with the same large insurance companies produces specific knowledge of their evaluation methodologies, their settlement tendencies, and the arguments they use to undervalue claims. The firm uses that knowledge to anticipate the insurer’s strategy and counter it effectively, producing better outcomes for clients than would be available to someone without that institutional experience.
What types of premises liability cases does the firm handle?
Slip and fall cases involving wet or uneven surfaces are the most common type, but the firm also handles cases involving inadequate lighting, missing or defective handrails, negligent security, and other dangerous conditions. The analysis in every case focuses on what the property owner knew, what they should have known, and what a reasonable property owner would have done to address the hazard.
Closing
Ainsman Levine, LLC has been operating in Pittsburgh since 1993, and the depth of its practice, from motor vehicle accidents to TBI to vaccine injuries, reflects what three decades of focused personal injury work produces. The full trial team, the policy of traveling to clients who cannot come to them, and the contingency fee model are all expressions of a firm that has structured itself to serve seriously injured people effectively. For anyone in western or central Pennsylvania who needs legal representation after an accident or injury, the firm can be reached at 412-338-9030 or toll-free at 800-513-5065, and the office is located at 310 Grant Street, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Website: https://aldlawfirm.com