The short answer to the title question is no. A driver who operates negligent or recklessly cannot use wet or slick pavement as an excuse to avoid settling insurance claims for property damage, personal injuries or wrongful deaths. My Virginia Beach-based law firm colleagues and…
The majority of personal injury cases are resolved with settlements before they even head to trial. Settlements can benefit both parties for a number of reasons. Settlements save money because they avoid the expenses of a trial, which can be costly because of legal and…
Do not be surprised if the first phone call you receive after getting home from the hospital comes from a claims adjuster for the at-fault party’s insurance company. Insurers act quickly to settle claims they cannot find an excuse to deny outright. Agreeing to accept…
Urban planners and transportation engineers describe them as “micro-mobility solutions.” Riders consider them convenient and fun. Emergency room physicians increasingly see them as a risk for major injuries. What your views on electric scooters, you need to understand that riding one of these motorized devices…
Getting hit and hurt by an HRT bus or a public school bus raises a host of legal difficulties that most traffic accident victims will not encounter. Receiving an injury or wrongful death settlement is still possible, but partnering with a dedicated and knowledgeable Virginia…
Virginia, along with North Carolina, is one of four states that still imposes the outdated and, frankly, unjust common law principle of contributory negligence. A widely cited lawbook definition of this rule states, “Under contributory negligence, a plaintiff was totally barred from recovery if they…
In a word: Yes. In another word: Absolutely. Using your own health insurance to cover emergency room, hospital and follow-up care after a car crash will not affect your ability to file and collect on insurance claims against the at-fault driver. In fact, using your…
Virginia requires drivers who work for what state laws call transportation network companies (TNC) to carry full auto insurance liability and collision coverage. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft require this of their drivers, as well, and the companies also offer separate liability insurance. One…
A federal appeals court decision in a case out of Tennessee could invalidate unjust statutory caps on punitive damages in many other states, including Virginia. My Virginia Beach-based personal injury and wrongful death attorneys would welcome that result. LEARN MORE When Can a Virginia…
We have reached the top five civil justice stories of 2018. This is Part II of Legal Examiner’s annual compilation of the 10 most important civil cases of 2018, created by Virginia Beach, VA attorney-author Richard N. (Rick) Shapiro and his research assistants, a year…