Richmond Car Accident Lawyers
Auto accident attorneys helping victims of car accidents in Richmond & throughout Virginia
When you choose the Richmond auto accident attorneys at Phelan Petty to handle your car accident case, you can rest assured that a dedicated team of professionals is handling your case. Our track record of success, reputation for excellence, and personal commitment to your case mean you can relax and focus on recovery from your crash. At Phelan Petty, our Richmond car accident lawyers pride ourselves on communication and attentive service. When you hire us to fight for you, you will never have to play phone tag or go through paralegals and office staff to get updates about your case. You will receive the direct phone number of the attorney handling your claim, and we will keep you informed at every step of the legal process.
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Car accident statistics in Virginia
Car accidents are a serious concern statewide. The Virginia Highway Safety Office reported 122,434 accidents in 2022, a 3.25 percent increase from the previous year. In 2022, Virginia car accidents:
- Injured 59,404 people
- Involved roughly one out of every 50 licensed drivers
- Killed 1,005 drivers, passengers, and pedestrians
Nearly half of the city’s car accidents involved either serious or fatal injuries, and 5,721 of those accidents occurred in the city of Richmond alone, injuring 2,719 people and killing 34.
We also know that many of these car accidents are avoidable. Almost 20 percent of Virginia’s car accidents in 2022 were speed-related. Other common contributors to Virginia car accidents are drunk, drugged, fatigued and distracted driving. At Phelan Petty, our Richmond car accident attorneys believe that car wreck victims deserve accountability and justice. That is why we carefully investigate our clients’ claims and aggressively pursue claims against those who caused their injuries.
What should I do after a car accident in Richmond?
Regardless of how or why your accident happened, you should take a few standards steps after a car wreck. These simple things can have a significant impact on your case and help you get the compensation you deserve.
However, if you need emergency treatment, always prioritize your visit to the ER or urgent care over the following steps. Collecting information for your personal injury case is important, but not as important as your health and well-being.
At the scene of the crash
- If possible to do safely, move your vehicle out of the way of traffic.
- Assist anyone who is injured and call an ambulance if needed.
- Call 911 and file an official report with police.
- Obtain the other driver’s contact and insurance information.
- Ask any witnesses for their contact information.
- Take pictures of the crash scene and damage to both vehicles.
- Seek medical attention if you are experiencing even minor aches and pains.
After the accident
- Notify friends/family and your employer about the accident and your condition.
- Follow up with your doctors as needed.
- Speak with a Virginia motor vehicle accident attorney.
- Preserve important evidence, such as defective auto parts and a commercial vehicle’s logbooks, with help from your lawyer.
- File a claim with your insurance company.
- Keep copies of all of your crash-related bills and expenses.
Types of car accidents in Richmond, VA
The type of car accident in which you’re involved can have a big effect on the type of injury you suffer, the amount of damage to your vehicle and how much compensation you may be entitled to. Some of the types of car accident cases we work with include:
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When you’re injured in a motor vehicle accident that was not your fault, you have the right to seek compensation against the person who caused you harm, and our Richmond personal injury attorneys can help.
Related: What’s the Most Common Type of Car Accident in Virginia?
Head-on collisions
Head-on collisions occur when two vehicles traveling in opposite directions crash into each other. These types of accidents are often serious and often fatal, usually because of the speed involved and because of the impact caused by both vehicles crashing into each other. Head-on collisions are typically caused by negligent or reckless drivers.
In 2018, head-on collisions caused 4,900 fatalities and 256,000 injuries, as well as making up nearly 30 percent of all traffic crashes. Causes of head-on crashes include:
- Falling asleep at the wheel
- Driving while distracted
- Taking a curve too quickly
- Failing to follow traffic signals
- Traveling the wrong way on a one-way road
Alcohol also often plays a factor in these types of crashes.
Rear-end accidents
A rear-end accident happens when a car hits the one in front of it. These accidents typically occur when the at-fault driver is distracted or tailgating and has to hit the brakes suddenly. Rear-end collisions can also happen during icy or rainy weather when a driver fails to take road conditions into account.
These types of accidents make up about 29 percent of all traffic accidents resulting in serious injury, and are responsible for over seven percent of all traffic-related fatalities. In most cases (but not all), the driver who rear-ended the other car is typically at fault in these types of collisions. Other causes of rear-end accidents include:
- Sudden stops or slowdowns
- Turning without a signal
- Failing to move a disabled vehicle
Passengers in rear-end crashes often suffer whiplash and other soft tissue injuries.
Broadside collisions
Also called a T-bone or side impact collision, a broadside happens when the front of one vehicle crashes into the side of another. A common example of a broadside crash is when one driver fails to stop at a red light or stop sign, and hits another car in the intersection. The majority of these accidents are caused by a driver’s failure to yield or give other vehicles right of way.
Broadside crashes tend to result in serious injuries. In fact, side impact collisions accounted for 23 percent of passenger vehicle fatalities in 2019. Common causes of T-bone crashes include:
- Impaired driving
- Drowsy or distracted driving
- Speeding or reckless driving
- Failure to follow traffic signals
- Bad weather conditions or visibility
These types of accidents can result in serious injuries to both drivers and passengers.
Sideswipe collisions
A sideswipe is much like it sounds; when two vehicles driving next to each other make contact with each other, causing an accident. These commonly occur when one driver changes lanes without properly checking first. Other causes include:
- A car “drifting” into another lane
- A vehicle crossing the center line of traffic
- A driver intentionally running a vehicle off the road
- When a driver over- or under-turns and hits another car
The Insurance Information Institute (III) reports 913 fatal sideswipe crashes in 2019, making up 2.7 percent of all fatal accidents that year.
Single-vehicle crashes
Some examples of a one-vehicle crash include a driver falling asleep at the wheel, a drunk or drugged driver, reckless driving, or bad weather conditions like snow or ice. Collisions with animals are also considered single-vehicle crashes.
In these types of accidents, the driver is often held at fault, but there may be situations where a third party can be liable. For example, if:
- The driver was forced off the road by a reckless driver
- The crash was caused by a defective auto part, like faulty brakes
Our Richmond car accident attorneys can explain these types of circumstances in more detail.
What type of compensation is available for a VA car accident case?
Many of our clients want to know what they might be able to recover after a motor vehicle accident. Typically we, and the court, start with your injuries and medical issues.
- What are the costs of your medical bills, physical therapy and medications so far? What will be the costs of further treatments in the future?
- Have you lost wages from being unable to work? Will your injuries or disability prevent you from working in the future or restricting you from your former job duties?
- Have you suffered permanent scarring or disability? Pain and suffering? How is your day-to-day life different than it was before the accident?
Our attorneys take all of this into account when negotiating and fighting for compensation and to hold the person responsible for your injuries accountable.
What are some common injuries from Richmond auto accidents?
As you see, there are many different kinds of car accidents, so it stands to reason there are also many kinds of car accident injuries our Richmond auto accident lawyers encounter. Depending on the circumstances of your car accident, physical injuries can range from minor to severe to fatal. These can include:
Back and neck injuries
Accidents like rear-end car accidents can cause the upper body to whip back and forth. This can result in injuries like whiplash and other neck, muscle, tendon and soft tissue injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries
These types of injuries, also called TBI, can range from minor, like a concussion, to severe, like a coma. And, brain and head injuries can be difficult to diagnose, causing long-term disability in some patients.
Spinal injuries
Spinal cord damage from a car accident is a common and tragic injury. Depending on where the damage occurred, an accident victim can experience loss of sensation or movement in the lower extremities.
Loss of limb
Extremely serious car accidents can cause catastrophic injuries. Some injuries can require amputation, a life-changing injury that leave a victim disabled and unable to work.
Bone breaks and fractures
During a car accident, a great amount of force is put on your body and sometimes that force can cause your bones to break. Common bone breaks from a car accident include arms, wrists, collarbones, feet and legs.
What is the value of my Richmond car accident claim?
Calculating a Virginia injury claim’s full value is an art. It requires detailed investigations, insight from experts, and well-crafted legal strategies. Phelan Petty’s Richmond auto accident lawyers have one mission: getting our clients the compensation they deserve.
Depending on your injuries and the circumstances of your crash, you may be entitled to receive compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future wage loss
- Pain and suffering
- A decrease in quality of life and living
- Property damage to your vehicle and other possessions
- In the case of wrongful death, funeral and burial expenses
When you work with our team, our Richmond car accident lawyers will spend time getting to know you and your case’s value. We also work closely with expert witnesses, including doctors, long-term care planners and accident reconstruction specialists to meticulously calculate our clients’ damages. Then, we go into action, uncovering the factors that contributed to their collisions and helping them hold the negligent parties responsible. We help you secure the full compensation you deserve for your injuries.
What is negligence in Richmond car accidents?
When someone else’s reckless and careless actions cause you or your loved ones harm, you can hold that person responsible. And, the way you do this is by filing a claim for compensation to recover financially for your losses and damages. In order for a successful case, you must prove the other party was negligent. However, because Virginia follows the law of pure contributory negligence, if you’re also found in any way responsible for the accident, you will not be eligible to seek compensation. Our accident attorneys can help explain these laws and prove that the other party was 100% responsible for your injuries.
Our Richmond car accident lawyers believe everyone has a role to play in putting an end to drunk and drugged driving and the terrible toll it takes on victims and their families. That is why we are a proud sponsor of the Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and its annual public awareness event, Walk Like MADD.
How can a Richmond car accident attorney help with my case?
Our Richmond auto accident lawyers will investigate the collision that led to your injuries, assigning liability to the responsible party or parties. Then, we will determine the extent of your injuries and how they are affecting your day-to-day life, as well as they will affect your future.
The amount of compensation to which you may be entitled depends on a variety of factors specific to your accident, including the:
- Expected cost of your current and future medical treatment
- Ability to return to your job and earn future income
- Likelihood of a full recovery from your injuries
- Scope of your pain and suffering
- Amount of insurance coverage involved in your injury claim
When our car accident injury lawyers in Richmond take your case, we make it our goal to secure the best possible outcome for your case. We are not afraid to go to trial if that’s what it takes for success. Give us a call as soon as possible after your accident, as the Virginia statute of limitations on personal injury actions is two years.
Richmond car accident attorneys advocating for your rights
Phelan Petty’s Richmond car accident attorneys have a reputation for aggressive litigation strategies and a sophisticated approach to settlement negotiations and court cases. If you or a loved one have been the victim of a car accident in Virginia, contact the auto accident lawyers at Phelan Petty Injury Lawyers today.
To schedule a free consultation, please call 804-980-7100 or fill out the contact form. We’re located near I-64 and Route 250 in Richmond.
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