Virginia Car Accident Law Firm

Thousands of Virginians are injured in motor vehicle accidents every year. Whether those accidents are caused by alcohol, speed, distracted driving or not using due care and attention, the effects are devastating for Virginia car accident victims. 

You don’t leave your home expecting to get into a car accident, so when it happens it’s often shocking and traumatizing, followed by confusion and unclear next steps. You likely aren’t familiar with navigating the medical system or dealing with insurance companies after an accident. Trying to do so while suffering from any sort of debilitating injuries may feel next to impossible. 

Dealing with insurance companies while recovering from a Virginia car crash is overwhelming and frustrating.  You are not sure if you should report the accident to your own insurance carrier.  You are a mix of suspicious and desperate when talking with the other driver’s insurance carrier.  You need your car fixed, and you want to know who is going to pay for your medical bills.  Should you use your health insurance or will the car insurance pay it?

Insurance adjusters know that you in a difficult place, but bear in mind, they work for the insurance company, not for you.  Oftentimes, the first thing an insurance adjuster will do is get you to agree to give a recorded statement about your injuries and your accident. You will agree because it seems like a normal request.  The reality is though that statement can later be used against you by the insurance company as they try to look for facts that will allow them to deny your claim, minimize your claim, or deny you were injured. 

These are just some of the reasons why you need an experienced Virginia car accident attorney.

With over 24 years of experience in personal injury law and car accident cases, Jennifer Porter Law can ably help you through this incredibly stressful time. In fact, over the course of her decades of experience, Jennifer Porter worked for Progressive Insurance and other auto insurance carriers for a total of 8+ years; so she is very familiar with how insurance adjusters operate. 

If we work together, Jennifer Porter will help you by

• Collecting evidence needed to support and protect your claim.  Depending on the circumstances of your case that can include things such as:
  • 911 calls
  • Police Bodycam videos
  • Photos of the property damage
  • Photos of your injuries
  • Property Damage estimates
  • Witness statements
  • DashCam videos
  • Police Report
  • Medical records
  • Medical bills
  • Health insurance policy language
  • Auto insurance policy language
  • Wage loss records

• Dealing with insurance companies so you don’t have to
  • Once you retain an attorney to represent you, the insurance adjuster should not call you directly again regarding your injury claim.  This allows you to focus on you and your recovery instead of worrying about what is and isn’t okay to say when an unexpected phone call occurs.

• Pursuing a fair settlement if possible, or taking your case to trial if necessary
  • Many times, an injury claim can be resolved by settlement negotiations, but when negotiations fail, for whatever reason, litigation is the next step. 

• Advocating for your right to fair compensation and proper medical care
  • In addition to being your representative for all conversations with the auto insurance adjuster, the circumstances of your case may also require your lawyer to advocate for your rights with your health insurance carrier and your medical providers

How Jennifer Porter Law Can Help

Jennifer Porter has decades of experience as a personal injury attorney. During her time helping car crash victims in Virginia, she has helped hundreds of people who suffered a range of devastating injuries, including leg amputation, spinal surgery, hip surgery, knee surgery, foot surgery, brain injury, concussion, post-concussion syndrome, broken bones, unresolvable nerve damage, shoulder injury, wrist injury, hand fracture, soft tissue injury, and a myriad of other types of bodily injuries.

Together, you and Jennifer Porter will discuss how your incident happened in order to identify any liability issues, witnesses, and evidence that will later be needed to prove your claim.  You will also discuss your medical injuries and treatment providers, as well as your doctor’s recommendations for next steps for your recovery. 

Once you are a client at Jennifer Porter Law, Jennifer and the team will start work on communicating with the insurance adjusters, collecting necessary evidence and documentation to strengthen and prove your claim, and being available to you for every issue that comes up along the way to your full recovery.

Once you are finished with your full course of medical care, you and Jennifer Porter will discuss the next steps for taking your claim to the insurance carrier for resolution.

How We Work Together

After you contact me, we will schedule a complimentary strategy session, where we will go over the facts of your case.

At the meeting we willl discuss what happened and when, whether the police or emergency responders were involved, what injuries you suffered and whether a claim has been set up. We’ll also go into who the auto carrier is, what types of insurance you have, and whether there are witnesses or evidence related to the accident. 

Jennifer will go over the important concepts for you, including how liability works, how contributory negligence affects your claim, what damages you can seek, and how medpay insurance and health insurance work. 

If we decide to work together, Jennifer and her team will start building your claim file with all the necessary evidence. 

Virginia Car Crash Statistics 

In 2020 in Virginia there were (source): 

• 105,600 crashes in total
• 6,624 alcohol-related crashes
• 22,479 speed-related crashes
• 18,808 distracted driver crashes
• 847 people killed 
• 52,668 people injured

Each of these cases is unique, but one thing is consistent among them–the time immediately following a car accident in Virginia is stressful for the victim, but that’s exactly when you need to protect yourself. 

Even car accidents where blame seems obvious are rarely cut-and-dry. They are often complicated to work through. There are numerous factors and considerations that go into car crash liability in Virginia. 

Common causes of car accidents in Virginia:

• Speeding
• Driving while impaired
• Tailgating or other aggressive driving
• Distracted driving
• Failure to yield
• Driving while fatigued
• Driving a vehicle with defects
• Running a red light

Meanwhile, some common car accident injuries include:

Back and neck injuries: Often involving everything from whiplash to severe spinal cord injuries, back and neck injuries can cause debilitating and lifelong pain. Serious injuries can result in paralysis or limited motion.

Traumatic brain injuries: Brain trauma may take time to appear, and can cause confusion, memory loss, personality shifts, impaired cognition, headaches, nausea and loss of motor functions. 

Internal injuries: Car accident victims may suffer trauma to their internal organs, which can cause dangerous internal bleeding and can also be life-threatening. 

Lacerations and Bruising:  It is not uncommon for seatbelts, broken glass, and air bags to cause injuries such as cuts, bruises and abrasions. 

Broken bones:  Broken bones can occur in car accidents, depending on the seated passenger’s position in the vehicle, the force of an airbag explosion, the lack of use of seatbelts, and the seriousness of the collision.  Broken bones are very painful, take extended time to heal, and can have significant impact on your ability to take care of your daily activities.

Burns: Car accident victims can suffer painful burn injuries that cause permanent disfigurement and scarring. 

Seat belt injuries: Although seat belts save lives, they can also cause injuries. The force of an accident while being restrained by a seat belt can cause broken ribs, dislocated shoulders, a sternum fracture, or soft tissue injuries. 

What to do Following a Car Crash

If you’ve been involved in a Virginia car crash, the next steps can feel very chaotic.  We have put together this list of priorities at the scene of the accident and for afterwards;

Step 1 – Call 911.

Step 2 – If you’re crying from pain, stunned, dazed, bleeding, or feeling hurt in any way, then yes, you want an ambulance to come.

Step 3 – Get together your driver’s license, registration, and insurance card.

Step 4 – Take a picture of the other driver’s license, registration, and insurance card.

Step 5 – If you are able to get out of the car, take photos of the property damage and the positions of the vehicles on the roadway.

Step 6 – Remember that you cannot control the other driver. If they are irate, just stay in your car and wait for the police to come. If they are not willing to wait for the police, take your photos and provide that information to the police when they arrive. If they are hurt, see if they need an ambulance too, and then give them their space.

Step 7 – If there are any witnesses, try to get their name, phone and email address for later reference.

Step 8 – Call your auto insurance to report the accident.

Step 9 – If your vehicle has to be towed, let your auto insurance know.

Step 10 – Get appropriate and timely medical care. Don’t sit back and say to yourself, “Nothing’s bleeding so I don’t need the hospital/doctor.” If you have pain now, it’s going to be even worse later. If you have no pain now, it could very well be adrenaline is high and you’ll feel worse later. Just don’t take risks with your health. Go see your doctor now in order to improve your chances for quick diagnosis and a reasonable recovery plan.

Step 11 – After all of these steps, then CALL A LAWYER to understand your rights and to help you navigate the insurance claims maze.

Virginia Contributory Negligence

Unfortunately for car crash victims, Virginia is one of only a handful of states that follows contributory negligence. That means that if you are shown to be even as little as a few percent responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, your claim will be denied. Insurance companies will try to show that you in some way contributed to the accident, even using a small sentence or some words out of context to try to show you don’t deserve full compensation.

The insurance company’s job is to settle claims for as little money as possible. My job is to fight so you can recover the compensation you’re entitled to. 

I’ll help you:

• Communicate with the insurance company without damaging your claim
• Slow down the insurance company’s claims process so they can’t rush you through it
• Build a strong case to show why you deserve the amount you seek