Car accidents

Because of geographical location, our more significant litigation involving car accidents has resulted from high speed catastrophes on Interstate 64, Interstate 85, Interstate 95, Interstate 295, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 360, and U.S. Route 460. If you were injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, you deserve to be compensated. If you are eligible for damages, your compensation may include medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and pain and suffering.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is a “tort” state, meaning that vehicle operators are liable for any damage or injury they cause in a vehicle accident. In general, it is best to consult an attorney and seek damages against the driver of a motor vehicle under these circumstances:

• There was a fatality.
• Bones were broken or fractured.
• There is permanent and serious injury or disfigurement.
• Medical bills and damages exceed $2,000.

Proving negligence takes the investment of time, experience and resources – advantages that only a qualified attorney can provide.

If you have been in a car accident, it is important to take action to protect your rights. Every insurance company employs adjusters, investigators and attorneys whose job is to minimize the compensation paid to those injured people. It is in your best interests to contact Cuthbert Law Offices before talking with an insurance representative.

Accident victims should be thoroughly examined by a doctor, since seemingly minor injuries often develop into major health problems. Even if you do not have obvious injuries — broken bones, cuts, lacerations or bruises — you may have sustained a connective-tissue or brain injury which, if left untreated, could cause major health problems in the long term.

Keep your auto insurance information in the glove compartment, including a pre-printed form allowing you to provide the particulars of any accident such as a sketch of the scene. (Even better, keep a disposable camera in your car.)

If you’re involved in a car accident, you should:

1. Stay at the scene of the accident until police have come and gone, making sure you have the name of the officer(s) and that they have your version of what happened. Do not assume a police report will "take you off the hook" or even that one will be generated in the event of a minor accident ("minor" may mean no one is injured even though your car suffers a direct hit).
2. Exchange names, addresses, driver's license and insurance information with the driver of the other car.
3. Review your policy to make sure of your coverage. Make a list of questions and related information you want to know.
4. Report the accident promptly to your insurance company. This may not seem wise or necessary to you. The accident may be minor, you may not want to risk seeing your rates rise or you may live in a no-fault state and think that the other driver's insurance company will pay for everything. But state laws generally protect you from higher rates unless an accident was your fault. And even though you may think no-fault lets you off the hook for the other driver's medical expenses, it does not.

If you were injured by another person’s carelessness or recklessness, you may be entitled to recover damages that include medical costs, property loss, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

The attorneys of Cuthbert Law Offices understand that as an accident victim or the family of a victim, you may be overwhelmed and suffering from emotional, physical and financial injuries. Defending your rights is probably secondary to the recovery process. However, the justice system strives to return the victims of personal injury to some semblance of life they led prior to an injury. While monetary compensation cannot change the past, it can help lessen anxiety about medical bills, employment, rehabilitation, and your future.

Cuthbert Law Offices is on call for emergencies 24 hours a day. Contact us online today. To reach an attorney on an emergency basis after hours, please telephone us at (804) 733-3100 (Petersburg) or (804) 643-3100 (Richmond) and tell the answering service that you must talk to a lawyer on an emergency basis about a serious car accident.