Court Opinion

ID: 9763686
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:52:13.766078+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:48.190194
License: Public Domain

*101VAN der VOORT, Judge,
concurring and dissenting:
I agree with the majority’s disposition of the issues in this case, except that I would remand for a new trial on the issue of the amount of damages owing to appellees Carmen A. and Carol Perigo.
Appellant argues that the lower court erred in failing to instruct the jury that Carmen Perigo’s medical bills and loss of wages had been paid, and that the jury could not consider any medical expenditures on lost wages in determining damages. Appellant requested the trial judge to charge the jury as follows:
“3. If you find Carmen A. Perigo is entitled to a verdict, you cannot under the Pennsylvania law consider any medical expenditures in determining damages.
“4. If you find Carmen A. Perigo is entitled to a verdict, you cannot . . . consider any lost wages in determining damages.”
The trial judge refused the request.
It is the trial judge’s duty to clarify the issues for the jury. I do not agree that the requested instructions would have resulted in confusion. On the contrary, they might have prevented confusion.
Under No-fault section 301(a)(5), the recoverable damages are limited to “Non-economic detriment”, that is, “pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, and other non pecuniary damage”. Pecuniary losses, such as medical expenses and loss of earnings, are recoverable from the injured party’s insurance company under the Act.1 As appellant points out, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association volume on The Pennsylvania No Fault Motor Vehicle Insurance Act recommends appropriate instructions. In the present *102case, the trial judge correctly instructed the jury that if appellee Carmen A. Perigo was entitled to recover damages, he was entitled to be “fairly and adequately compensated for such physical pain, mental anguish, discomfort, inconvenience and distress” as he had endured to date and would endure in the future. The trial judge recalled for this purpose the testimony of the physician, the appellee, and his witnesses. The trial court noted that the jury should rely on its collective “good common sense”, “common experiences”, and “common judgment of pain and suffering.” Possible confusion would have been avoided if appellant’s points for charge numbers 3 and 4 had been approved and read to the jury, particularly since the trial judge affirmed appellee’s fourth point and informed the jury: “One who is responsible for an accident is required to make the victim of the accident whole to the extent that money can accomplish this.”
In the instant case, appellee’s medical bills and lost wages were paid to him once under the provisions of the No-fault Act. He should not be paid twice for them. The jurors would know that appellee had expenses for medical treatment and that he had lost wages as a result of the accident. The jury would not know that the appellee had been reimbursed for these losses unless it was told about it. In a trial, the jury should be able to see all the cards face up on the table. In order to accomplish this it should be told by the judge, not only that medical expenses and lost wages were not to be considered, but also why not. I would remand for a new trial on the amount of damages to be awarded to Carmen and Carol Perigo.

. Loss or earnings in excess of $15,000 is a proper element of damage.