• What is a personal injury? A personal injury is any injury to your person whether physical, mental, or both.
• What is a wrongful death? Wrongful death occurs when someone is killed through the wrongful act of an another.
• Who is required to pay for my injuries if I am in an accident? The person who caused the accident is required to pay if they were negligent. In most cases, that person will have insurance which will cover your medical expenses and all of the other damages you suffer like pain and suffering, inconvenience, loss of wages, loss of earning capacity, and any permanent injuries. The insurance company is in the business of making money and paying a claim causes the company to lose money. You need qualified legal representation in order to force the insurance company to pay what your claim is worth.
• Does it make any difference if I am riding a bicycle, motorbike, boat, or am just a pedestrian? No. If you are injured because of another person's negligence then you are entitled to recover for your injuries.
• What does the law in Virginia allow me to recover if I am injured and someone else is at fault? Among other things, you may recover for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, inconvenience, lost income, permanent injuries, and any effect on your ability to work.
• What does the law in Virginia allow me to recover if I am injured by a tractor trailer? The law is the same with respect to tractor trailers as it is for any other personal injury. However, because a collision with a tractor trailer is likely to result in greater damage and greater injury, tractor trailers are required to carry more insurance coverage than an automobile. Tractor trailer drivers are expert drivers. They do this for a living and as a result, there are additional rules that these drivers need to follow in order to safely drive in Virginia. If they fail to follow these rules and cause an injury, then they are responsible for that injury.
• What does the law in Virginia allow me to recover if I am injured by a drunk driver? If you're injured by a drunk driver the law may allow you to recover punitive damages over and above the ordinary damages that would be allowed. Punitive damages are like a fine against the drunk driver to punish him for his wrongful actions.
• What happens if I am injured by a defective product? If you can prove that a product was defective resulting in injury to you then you may have a claim against the manufacturer or seller of that product to recover for your personal injuries.
• What does the law provide if a family member is killed in an accident? The estate of the family member has a wrongful death claim against the person who caused the death. The statutory beneficiaries of your lost loved one are entitled to compensation for mental anguish, sorrow, loss of solace which may include society, companionship, comfort, guidance, kindly offices and advice of your loved one. In addition, you are entitled your loved one's loss of income, services, protection, care and assistance. You should also recover all of the expenses for the care, treatment and hospitalization of the your loved one incident to the injury resulting in death and all reasonable funeral expenses. In some cases, you may also be entitled to punitive damages if the wrongdoer's actions were willful or wanton or so reckless that it is clear that the person consciously disregarded the safety of others. Punitive damages are like a fine against the wrongdoer to punish him for his wrongful actions.