When a Virginia victim has suffered serious personal injuries in an accident caused by another party, not only do they have the medical and physical ramifications to deal with, but they are often stressed over the financial impact their injuries are causing. There are often unexpected and mounting medical bills to worry about. Many accident injuries are severe enough that the victim is also unable to work while they are recovering, causing a loss of income on top of all the other issues their injuries are causing them. Filing a personal injury case may be the answer.
Virginia law allows victims to pursue legal action against the at-fault party to recoup financial compensation for these losses. In most accident cases, the at-fault party’s insurance company pays this compensation, such as in a vehicle accident or premises liability claim. In most personal injury cases, the insurance company settles with the victim, and the case never goes to trial. However, the question for many victims is when is the right time to settle. A Virginia personal injury attorney can answer that question for you.
Factors to Consider Before Accepting a Settlement Offer
When a Virginia Beach car accident victim is injured, the insurance company will often try to settle the case with them as quickly as possible, especially if the victim has not obtained the services of an injury attorney. The insurance company’s goal is to pay the victim as little as possible, not paying the victim what they deserve.
Before a victim accepts a settlement offer from the insurance company, they should be confident they know the answers to the following questions:
- What is the victim’s case worth? Has the victim reached their medical maximum, or will future medical care be needed, and how much will these treatments be? The at-fault party and their insurance company are liable for the victim’s past, present, and future medical bills.
- How has/will the victim’s injury affect their ability to work or earn future income? In some cases, the injuries a victim suffers may be so serious that they are left unable to return to the occupation they had before the injury. In these situations, the victim is entitled to future loss of income.
- What are all the ways the victim’s life has been impacted by their injuries? Personal injury damages also include non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering, emotional trauma, scarring, disfigurement, permanent disability, and more.
Before accepting any settlement offer, a victim should consult a personal injury lawyer who will evaluate the case to determine the full amount of damages that any settlement offer should cover. Remember, once you accept settlement funds from an insurance company, that closes the door tightly to any future claims that arise from your injury.
Call Our Personal Injury Law Firm for Legal Assistance
If you have been injured in an accident caused by another party, whether in Virginia Beach or elsewhere in Virginia, contact a Virginia personal injury attorney to determine your legal options. The legal team at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp has decades of experience advocating for injured victims and their families and will help you get the financial compensation you deserve, like the $1.5 million insurance settlement we obtained for our husband and wife clients who suffered serious injuries when their motorcycle was struck by an on-duty Albemarle County sheriff’s deputy. Since 1985, all our firm has concentrated on is personal injury and wrongful death law.
Each personal injury attorney at our firm is a skilled negotiator, but each one also has extensive experience in litigation should the insurance company fail to negotiate in good faith. Contact our office today for a free and confidential case evaluation.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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