Helping You Recover Compensation for Your Injuries and Anguish After an Accident that Wasn’t Your Fault
If you’ve been injured because of another person’s reckless or negligent behavior, consider seeking the support of an experienced Virginia personal injury lawyer. Our team is well-versed in the claims process, statute of limitations, defenses to liability, and other essential factors that may prove relevant to your claim.
Seeking compensation for your injury or on behalf of another warrants the assistance of a dedicated Virginia personal injury attorney. We can provide you with an honest assessment of your options and answer any questions you might have about the claims process. Don’t be intimidated by overly complicated procedures – we’ll handle it for you so you can focus on recovery. Contact our Virginia personal injury law firm for a free consultation at 757-233-0009.
VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER RICHARD SERPE
The Law Offices of Richard J. Serpe, PC is a Virginia personal injury law firm serving clients throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Virginia personal injury Attorney Richard Serpe has more than 36 years of hard-won experience and results helping his clients get justice. We’ve obtained successful settlements and verdicts in personal injury cases of all varieties.
Awards & Recognition: Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating, Named a Virginia “Super Lawyer” – top 5% of lawyers (2006 – Present), Lawyers.com 5/5 Star Rating, Rated 10/10 “Superb” by Avvo.com, Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® (2005 – Present).
SHOULD I HIRE A VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER?
Here are a few ways a lawyer can use their legal education, experience, and expertise to protect your right to compensation:
- Investigate your accident and determine the potential value of your personal injury claim
- Protect you from abusive insurance company tactics
- Negotiate with the insurance company to recover a full and fair compensation
- File a lawsuit if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement
These are just a few of the ways a personal injury lawyer can add value to your claim. Schedule your free consultation today.
UNDERSTANDING VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY CASES
Those who assume responsibility for the health and safety of others are morally and legally required to act responsibly. That’s true whether they operate a business, practice medicine, or simply take their car on the highway.
Under such circumstances, a single moment of inattention or negligence can lead to an accident. Victims may sustain extensive psychological and physical injuries – sometimes, accidents even result in a wrongful death. Such incidents can usually be prevented if responsible parties are cautious and adhere to safety protocol. Too often, though, innocent individuals are left to shoulder the burden that so often accompanies being involved in an accident. Brain injuries, burns, and spinal cord injuries may impact their lives for years to come. Virginia personal injury lawyers help injured victims hold negligent parties responsible for their mistakes.
Virginia personal injury law states that injured victims have the right to pursue compensation for damages caused by another person’s negligence. This includes many kinds of preventable injuries like car accidents, premises liability injuries, and defective product accidents that directly result from carelessness, malice, or negligence.
COMMON TYPES OF VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY CASES
Personal injury cases involve incidents that occur because of unintentional or intentional acts that result in harm to an innocent party. Common personal injury cases include the following:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Drunk driving injury
- Bicycle accidents
- Wrongful death
- Dog bites
- Boating accidents
- Birth injury
- Traumatic brain injury
Personal injury claims center around proving that the injured person was hurt because of the actions or wrongdoing of another. If you can prove fault, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the losses suffered, no matter the type of accident. In some circumstances, a victim may even be able to recover punitive damages from the at-fault party.
HOW LONG WILL MY VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY CASE TAKE?
Every case is unique, but here are a few of the main steps in the process:
- Free Consultation: You’ll share your story and learn about your legal options during an initial consultation. This leads to a decision of whether to work together or not. If the you decide to hire our firm, you’ll sign an agreement allowing us to represent you.
- Investigation: Our team will work to investigate the accident that caused your injuries. We’ll be looking into the statements of witnesses, the police accident reports, and photographs taken at the scene. In more complex cases, we may even hire experts to better understand what led to the incident.
- Your Recovery: It’s important that you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (when your condition cannot be improved any further), before negotiating with the insurance company. This will ensure that all of your medical bills are included in the settlement, as well as any permanent long-term care that you will need.
- Documentation: Our legal team will work with your healthcare providers to assemble all the information needed for your case.
- Settlement Negotiations: We will then submit all of our evidence to the insurance company and state our case. Most cases are resolved at this point, but negotiations with the insurance company can continue for a lengthy period of time. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, a lawsuit may be filed.
- Resolution: Filing a lawsuit puts the timing of your case in the hands of the court system’s legal process. However, during this time, both parties may agree to mediate in an attempt to settle outside of court. If an agreement cannot be made, your case may go before a judge and jury.
UNDERSTANDING VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY SETTLEMENTS
A majority of Virginia personal injury cases seek compensation for compensatory damages. These are designed to compensate plaintiffs for the full value of their losses, both economic and non-economic. Economic damages, or special damages, are those that have an indisputable financial value that can be proven with evidence. Non-economic damages, or general damages, are more subjective, with values that depend on the unique circumstance of the case at hand.
Medical expenses are among the most common type of economic losses. They can be quantified through bills and receipts, and are easy to trace back to a specific incident. Other economic damages may include lost income due to time spent out of work, lost sick or vacation days, and the costs of repairing or replacing damaged personal property. Loss of future earning capacity is also a form of economic loss.
Non-economic damages are the losses related to the plaintiff’s pain and suffering, which can take a range of forms. For instance, an injury that will heal completely over time but is still physically painful in the present may justify a certain degree of civil recovery. An injury that results in permanent disability, on the other hand, may lead to serious emotional anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
Punitive damages are intended to specifically punish a defendant who acted with disregard to human life or with the intent ot cause harm. With those definitional requirements in mind, though, they’re awarded very rarely and at the discretion of a civil court. An experienced personal injury lawyer can explain in detail which damages might be recoverable in your case during a private consultation.
WHAT IS MY VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM WORTH?
The amount depends on your specific set of circumstances. An injured person may be entitled to:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income because of the incident and/or because of the time spent unable to work or to undergo treatment
- Permanent injury or disfigurement
- Loss of social and educational experiences, including missed school, vacations, or special events
- Emotional damages like stress, embarrassment, or depression
The following guidelines typically apply:
- The more painful and permanent the injury, the higher the potential damages
- The more invasive and long-lasting the medical treatment, the higher the potential damages
- The longer the recovery period, the higher the potential damages
- The more serious and visible any permanent injury, the higher the damages
A personal injury attorney can look at the facts of your case and give you honest insight into the value of your claim. While you may be tempted by a quick payout from the insurance company, an attorney may counsel you that it’s in your best interest to wait for a better offer.
EXAMPLES OF VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY SETTLEMENTS
- $2,000,000.00: Norfolk, Virginia birth injury
- $1,600,000.00: Eastern Shore of Virginia drunk driving injury
- $2,500,000.00: Faulty repairs led to wrongful deaths in Portsmouth, Virginia
- $134,000.00: Child dog bite injury in Arlington, Virginia
- $100,000.00: Pedestrian hit by car in Norfolk, Virginia
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS (DEADLINES)
In Virginia, there are strict deadlines for filing a lawsuit. In many cases, Virginia provides a two-year deadline also known as a Statute of Limitations (SOL). However, sometimes special circumstances apply that can alter that deadline. Once the SOL has passed, you will no longer be allowed to seek compensation for injuries relating to your accident. That is why it is so important to contact an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney as soon as possible to discuss your situation.
CONTACT A VIRGINIA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
Choosing the best lawyer for your case can tremendously affect your settlement or verdict. The Law Offices of Richard J. Serpe, PC has helped accident victims like you fight for what they are owed for more than 36 years. Connect with us if you’d like to discuss your situation during a free consultation at 757-233-0009.
