virginia car crash lawyer
March 22nd, 2021
Virginia is one of around 20 states that requires drivers to purchase uninsured/underinsured driver insurance. This insurance kicks in when drivers are involved in crashes with other motorists who either don’t carry enough insurance to cover their crash-related costs, or they don’t have any insurance coverage whatsoever.
However, the minimum amounts of coverage associated with uninsured/underinsured driver insurance are the same as the minimum amounts of liability coverage. That means that if you’re hurt in a crash, you may be eligible to receive only $25,000 for your injuries and medical bills. And when you factor in costs such as an ambulance ride to the hospital, an overnight stay in the hospital (or longer), physical rehabilitation, and even surgery, you’re looking at a bill that will be much higher than $25,000.
That’s why it pays to have more coverage than the minimum, whether it’s your own liability insurance or your uninsured/underinsured driver coverage. You can also supplement your insurance policy with Medical Payments coverage. This coverage, also known as Med Pay, kicks in after any injury-causing crash, regardless of who was at fault, and it’s paid out in addition to any other compensation you receive.
You can also add lost income benefits coverage, which will help you replace lost paychecks while you’re too hurt to work. This insurance maxes out at $100 per week, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but can make a big difference when you’re waiting for your injury claim to settle.
February 8th, 2021
When it comes to winning an auto accident compensation claim, proof and evidence are king. Without them, insurance companies can reduce or deny claims with near impunity, because they know that even if claims go to trial, victims are unlikely to win. And unfortunately, proof of what happened isn’t always easy to come by.
Even many traditional forms of evidence, such as accident scene debris, skid marks, and witness statements, can be argued in either party’s favor. But there is one form of “smoking gun” evidence that insurance companies can’t ignore: dashcam footage. Previously, drivers had to hope that their crashes were caught on tape by intersection or surveillance camera footage, but now, drivers can cheaply mount their own cameras to record every second that they’re on the road.
And while dashcams don’t always show the entire picture of what happened, as their fields of view can be limited, what they do show can make a big difference when it comes to getting compensation. The footage they capture is especially important and impactful when it’s combined with other types of evidence.
If you purchase and install a dashcam and are ever involved in a crash, it’s important to share the footage with a lawyer first. Not all dashcam footage will be interpreted in your favor, and the insurance company may pick out small, irrelevant details to paint you as the at-fault party! Get in touch with our Virginia auto accident lawyers first, and let the legal team at Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers protect your rights to compensation.
July 23rd, 2012
July 23, 2012
The Norfolk Police Department staged a mock crash scene this past week to educate the public on the dangers of drunk driving and speeding, according to Anglia News.
The mock Norfolk Car Accident was set up to include two vehicles that had collided, resulting in one being turned on its side. The driver of one vehicle had died as a result of the crash, while the passenger of one of the vehicles was seriously injured. The driver who was responsible for the crash failed a field sobriety test and was placed under arrest. The crash scene was cleared as the public observed.
Sargent Ade Hales, a spokesman for the Norfolk Police Department touted the event not only as a great way for emergency responders to brush up on certain skills, but also as a chance for the public—especially young people—to become more educated on the dangers of the road. Hales claimed that in Norfolk, young people make up a disproportionate number of traffic fatalities. He added, “16 to 24-year-olds make up 25 percent of all our casualties on the road a year. At this moment, we’re running at a figure of 50 percent of all casualties on the road in respect of fatal collisions.”
The Norfolk Personal Injury Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley ask that parents keep younger drivers safe by talking with them about the risks involved with driving.
February 20th, 2012
February 20, 2012
With snow falling across the state of Virginia, state police say they are overwhelmed with accident calls. According to reports from WTKR Channel 3 News, police have responded to approximately 1,000 calls in the last two days.
A spokesman for Virginia State Police, Sgt. Thomas Molnar, said emergency crews have responded to 881 crashes and 456 disabled vehicles in the past 48 hours, and that 230 of those calls came from the Richmond area. Troopers added that they responded to roughly 40 crashes in Metro Richmond.
The high number of accidents has prompted the Virginia Department of Transportation to offer the following tips to drivers:
- windshield wipers and de-icing washer fluid,
- headlights, tail and brake lights, blinkers and emergency flashers,
- exhaust system, heater and defroster,
- and oil.
- Leave early and know the conditions for the roads you‘ll be on.
- Keep windows, mirrors, and lights free from snow.
- Always wear your seatbelt.
- Start out in the lowest gear possible.
- Keep a safe distance behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road.
- Don’t pass a snowplow or spreader unless necessary. Treat these as you would emergency response vehicles.
February 6th, 2012
February 6, 2012
The importance of having your child in a safety or booster seat at all times in the car was shown last Thursday when two children were injured in a crash. According to reports from The Virginia Gazette, the accident happened at around 4:30 PM in the intersection of Hampton Highway and Yorktown Road.
Reports from Virginia State Police say that the 35-year-old father of the injured children did not have the kids properly restrained in safety or booster seats when he ran his 2001 Chevy Malibu through a red light and collided with Chevrolet Sienna. The impact caused the 2-year-old child to be ejected from the vehicle.
Both children were taken to Riverside Hospital to be treated for serious injuries they sustained in the crash.
Under Virginia state law, all children under the age of eight years old must be ride in an approved safety or booster seat when in a moving vehicle. The law is vital in protecting Virginia’s children, as research has shown that seat belts are designed to protect adults, not children, in case of an accident. The belts may be too large to properly restrain a child if a crash were to occur.
The Virginia auto accident attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley ask that all Virginians do their part to keep their children safe by always buckling them into a child safety or booster seat when riding in the car.
January 2nd, 2012
January 2, 2012
The Virginia Beach police department increased patrols over the weekend in the hopes of deterring drunk drivers from getting on area roadways. According to a report on WAVY-TV 10 News today, those efforts were successful in netting six arrests on DUI charges in about an hour and a half.
Officers added that the checkpoints also allowed them to cite other dangerous drivers for minor infractions. It was estimated that 17 tickets were written at a single checkpoint Saturday night.
Numbers suggest that the increased patrols, in conjunction with the checkpoints, may be reducing alcohol related fatalities. Virginia Beach police department statistics show that DUI fatalities are down in the city by four percent over last year. In 2010, it was estimated that 17 fatal crashes in the area were alcohol-related. That same year, Virginia Beach police say that they arrested 2,429 people on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The problem of drinking and driving is just as bad across the country. The US Department of Health and Human Services suggests that 37 percent of all fatal traffic accidents in the United States are in some way related to alcohol.
The Virginia auto accident attorneys with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley ask that we keep each other safe on Virginia highways by not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking. Instead, contact a friend or a cab company for a safe ride home from your location.
November 7th, 2011
November 7, 2011
A 55-year-old Hampton, Virginia, woman is dead as the result of a three car accident that occurred Friday afternoon. According to Channel 13 News, the accident happened at 2:15 in the afternoon on West Pembroke Avenue.
Spokesman for the Hampton Police Department, Cpl. Jason Price, stated that the woman was a passenger in a teal, 2000 Dodge Caravan that was traveling east when it collided head-on with a black, westbound 1999 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. The impact caused the vehicles to spin and hit a Ford Taurus that was on the road as well. Investigators stated that two women and a man who was riding in the S-10 were all transported to local hospitals to be treated for injuries. The 55-year-old passenger of the van died upon arriving at the hospital, just after 3:30 PM. The other two were treated and for non-life threatening injuries and were released.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that in 2005, head-on crashes only made up two percent of all crashes, yet accounted for 10.1 percent of US fatal crashes.
A 59-year-old Charlottesville, Virginia man was sentenced to three years in prison stemming from an October 4 drunken-driving accident that killed a local winemaker.
In April the man plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and DUI after causing a wreck that killed a 31-year-old Crozet man who worked at White Hall Vineyards and Sugarleaf Vineyards.
Judge John E. Kloch doled out more than the recommended six-month jail sentence, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, because he was dubious that it was the first time that the accused had driven drunk.
“This is a tough case, because no matter what the court does, [the victim] is never coming back,” said Kloch in a courtroom on Tuesday. “He’s gone. It’s especially traumatic for this family in the way that [the victim] died because they never got to say goodbye.”
The Virginia drunk driver—whose blood alcohol content was .111 percent after the crash—was sentenced to 11 years in prison, of which eight were suspended. He was also sentenced to supervised probation and will be required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and not allowed to drive for a year after his release.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a Virginia auto accident, the injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley can help.
September 1st, 2011
September 1, 2011
A 17-year-old Chesterfield, Virginia, boy who drank as many as seven shots of tequila and then drove the wrong way down a highway, killing two people, has been convicted of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and now faces up to 41 years in prison.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the fatal collision occurred in March 2011 when the high school junior, who had a learner’s permit but not a license, got on the road around 2:30 a.m. and drove the wrong way through a Powhite Parkway Extension toll plaza at Courthouse Road. He then accelerated and began traveling north in the southbound lanes at up to 90 miles per hour.
The boy traveled the wrong way for a mile, during which time he almost collided with two cars being operated by police officers, before slamming into a BMW and killing both a 32-year-old male and 29-year-old male. One man died instantly, while the other died before paramedics arrived on the scene.
“I think the most aggravating factor was that he didn’t even realize he was involved in a (fatal) accident,” said Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney B.J. McGee. “He thought it was a single-car accident … and didn’t realize that he had hit, and unfortunately killed, two other individuals.”
In addition to the manslaughter charge, the teen was charged with drunk driving and will be sentenced on December 5. He will serve a minimum of a year in jail on each manslaughter count, but could be imprisoned for as long as four decades.