Virginia Automobile Accident Personal Injury Claims

If you have been injured in a Virginia motor vehicle accident and are thinking about making a personal injury claim, there are few things you need to know if you hope to be compensated for your physical and emotional suffering. The Virginia automobile accident attorneys understand that the legal process can be daunting and so we’re here to help clear a few things up and make you feel comfortable and assured in your personal injury claim.  

Negligence of the Other Driver
Under Virginia law, in order to successfully gain compensation for injuries that you have suffered in a car accident, you need to prove that the operator of the motor vehicle that hit you was “negligent.” This means you must prove that the other driver acted in an unreasonable manner considering the circumstances.

Often, one can prove the negligence of the other driver by demonstrating that they broke a traffic law, or other widely accepted “rules of the road.”

Some common examples of negligence include:

• Running a red light or stop sign
• Speeding
• Turning in front of oncoming traffic
• Changing lanes without using a signal

Contributory Negligence
If you are able to prove that the other driver was someway negligent in the accident, then the focus becomes your behavior behind the wheel, and whether or not you contributed in any way to the collision. If so, then your personal injury claim is over and you are entirely barred from collecting any compensation for your injuries.

This Virginia law is called contributory negligence, and while it may seem harsh, it means that even if you are 1% to blame in the cause of the accident, you get nothing. Contributory negligence is a favorite of insurance companies and is used as often as possible to make sure that you receive nothing for your claim.

Recovering Damages
If you are successful in proving both that the other driver was negligent and that you were not contributorily negligent in the accident, you can use your car accident personal injury claim to recover damages. Here are some common damages under Virginia law:

• Lost wages (both past and future)
• Permanent injuries
• Medical Bills (both past and future)
• Physical disfigurement/deformity/scarring
• Loss of earning capacity
• Inconvenience
• Pain and Suffering

To ensure that you present the best possible case in court, you need to contact the Virginia automobile accident personal injury lawyers, who have the inside information garnered from once working for insurance companies ourselves. They know the personal injury claim process inside and out and will fight for your fair compensation.

Call today at (703) 906-4229 or fill out a free case consultation form and tell us about your accident.

The above article is a guest blog post by the personal injury lawyers at The Parrish Law Firm.

Be Prepared in Case of a Michigan Car Accident

After a car accident you might not know what to do. When a car accident takes place, many of times you are disconcerted, scared, and shaken up. The Michigan car accident lawyers at Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. realize the devastating effects car accidents have on the victim, and the victims’ family. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In 2005, approximately 6,400,000 car accidents occurred, killing nearly 42,000 people each year. In addition, the financial burden of these car accidents reach up to $230 billion in insurance claims, replacement services, lost wages, attendant care, and more.

What Should You Do If Involved in a Car Accident

 

There are tips everyone should know an advance to help deal with the stress and the Michigan No-Fault Insurance Benefit claims process of an unexpected crash.

1. Be prepared (insurance card, vehicle registration, emergency contacts, flashlight, blanket, flares, jumper cables, rags or paper towels, trash bags, disposable camera)
2. Be safe (move your car to a safe nearby location, but be careful not to leave the scene, check to see if anyone is hurt, contact the police)
3. Stay calm (remain calm and polite, do not admit fault, cooperate with police)
4. Exchange information (collect contact information for anyone who was there, obtain police report information, collect information about all vehicles involved
5. Report the accident to our insurance company

In addition, the Michigan car accident lawyers of Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. have an app for iPhone and android owners to prepare an individual in case of an accident. The free Accident Lawyer App provides you with important contacts, such as 911, tow truck, and taxi cab locations and numbers and information about your rights in the event that you or a family member are involved in an accident. The Accident Lawyer App also includes vital tools that will ensure you capture all information needed at the scene of the accident, such as insurance information, accident reports, witness statements, and photographs of the vehicle damage. The app is a way to provide means for drivers to know that they are well prepared in case of an accident and knowledgeable of their rights.

Oh No! That Shoulder Belt Might Wrinkle My Shirt!

Improper use or lack of use of a vehicle’s passenger restraint systems can increase your chances of sustaining fatal injuries by 60 percent. Seat belts were designed to spread out the force of the crash over the strongest parts of the body to significantly reduce injuries and to keep you within the vehicle.

The driver and all passengers should use the occupant restraint systems installed by the factory and not exceed the recommended number of passengers for that vehicle. Children should be restrained using a car seat or booster appropriate for their age and size that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. An unrestrained passenger can move throughout the cabin of the car and either injure other passengers or be ejected.

One of the most common misuses of wearing a seat belt is by placing the shoulder belt or shoulder harness under the arm rather than on the shoulder mainly because the belt is not comfortable on the shoulder, it rubs the neck, or it might wrinkle a shirt. Not only is wearing a seat belt like this in most areas a violation, underarm use of the shoulder belt can cause significant internal or fatal injuries in what could have been a survivable car accident and also cause your upper body to move violently forward in a collision thus defeating the purpose of the shoulder belt. There have also been cases of amputations by wearing a seat belt this way. The shoulder belt should fit crossing the center of your chest and on the shoulder. If the shoulder belt is uncomfortable or does not fit properly, most vehicles allow you to adjust to fit, you can get a device to adjust the belt from the vehicle’s manufacturer, or you can place a comfort sleeve on the belt. You should only get these types of devices from the vehicle’s manufacturer as aftermarket accessories may not have been properly tested.

Being injured in a car accident is a traumatic and stressful event. To make sure you get the compensation you are entitled to such as medical expenses and lost wages, consult with a reputable and experienced personal injury lawyer to review your case.

Protecting Your Neck in Rear End Collisions

As an auto accident attorney in Louisville, Kentucky I have seen many clients who were the victims of rear end collisions and have suffered greatly because of the injuries they sustained. One of the most common is a neck injury known as whiplash.

Whiplash is caused when you get a jolt from behind which causes your head to jerk back and forth. This not a natural movement and our bodies are not made to comfortably do that. This jerking motion affects the muscles and ligaments around the neck and shoulders. It is a painful and lasting injury that can be prevented by a head restraint system that is correctly in place. A head restraint system is what most consider a headrest. It is not a headrest; it is designed to restrict head movement during rear end collisions reducing the chance of neck and shoulder injuries.

A regulation implemented in 2008 governs the placement of the manually adjustable head restraints. They have to be adjustable from no lower than 29.5 inches to at least 31.5 inches from the occupant’s hips. Taking the time to adjust your head restraint is properly adjusted in case you are involved in a collision.

Of the three head restraints available; manual, automatic and dynamic, the dynamic is thought to be the most effective. Dynamic head restraint systems are designed to deploy automatically in the case of an accident. They also incorporate the seatback in the system which in effect cradles the body as well as supporting the head in an accident.

If the cars you and your loved ones are driving have manual head restraint systems please take the time to properly adjust them. It could save a lot of future pain.

ATV Accident Seriously Injures Lowell Man

The Lowell Sun reported this morning that an unidentified 25-year-old man from Lowell sustained serious injuries in an ATV accident yesterday afternoon in Chelmsford.

What Happened
The unnamed man had been riding an ATV on a track at a friend’s house on Middlesex Street in Chelmsford. His friends briefly left him riding the ATV and when they returned to the area of the track, they found the man pinned underneath the ATV and semiconscious.

Emergency responders arrived to the scene just before 5:00 p.m. and arranged for the man to be transported by helicopter to a Boston hospital for medical treatment.

When Should You Call a Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Accidents Attorney?
If you have suffered serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident in Massachusetts because of another’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.

Attorney Tom Kiley has over 30 years of experience and a successful track record of obtaining seven figure wins for clients in a variety of personal injury cases.

Only the best personal injury law firms offer free consultations, so it doesn’t have to cost you anything to get professional advice about your case. Call us today at 800-410-2769 to schedule your free legal consultation with an experienced Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents lawyer.


DISCLAIMER: The Kiley Law Group is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited within the article. If you were involved in this accident or a similar incident and have questions about your rights and legal options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a legal evaluation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to all not-at-fault persons named in this article and to their family members as well.