Personal Injury

Many kinds of incidents can lead to the pursuit of a personal injury claim in Virginia. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that close to 40 million Americans visit the hospital each year due to suffering a personal injury. The Insurance Research Council reports that personal injury settlements were 40% higher when claimants were represented by an attorney.  Situations where a personal injury can occur include the following:    Car accidents;   Tractor Trailer Accidents;   Boating Accidents;   Slip and fall;   Dog Bites;   Household Products Causing Injury;   Commercial/Industrial Products Causing Injury; […]

When someone dies, their loved ones are often left overwhelmed. Decisions need to be made. Paperwork needs to be filled out. Funeral and burial arrangements need to be planned. Steps need to be taken to protect the deceased individual’s assets. Of equal importance – especially in cases where the death was caused by another’s negligence – considerations need to be made to protect the interests of the decedent’s statutory beneficiaries. Statutory beneficiaries are the individuals that may have the right to recover damages [CDM1] for their loved one’s wrongful death. The first question that needs to be determined is this […]

As Virginia personal injury and wrongful death attorneys, our clients often ask us—how much is my car worth? How do I negotiate the value of my vehicle with the insurance company? Am I still entitled to a rental vehicle from the at-fault driver even if my vehicle is a total loss? Surprisingly, the vehicle/property damage claim is the top priority for many clients and the injury claim is sometimes an afterthought. Even if the client suffers a catastrophic injury, they still worry about how their family will get from place to place without their primary vehicle. We represent clients who […]

Matt Broughton was featured on Roanoke news station WSLS 10 about the dangers of snow and ice falling from vehicles and how Virginia’s negligence laws apply. Watch the Feature Here In the wintertime, weather advisories are often issued cautioning drivers to be extremely careful on roads and interstates. Snow and ice on these surfaces can result in extremely low friction between the tire and the pavement, often resulting in horrible crashes and sometimes involving serious bodily injury or death. Unfortunately, it is not only the snow and ice on the road surfaces that pose a substantial danger. Snow and ice […]

If You Are a Victim of a Plane Crash If you or a loved one are the victim of a plane crash, it is crucial that you know and understand the following information to improve your chances of obtaining a successful outcome and hold those responsible accountable for your losses. Potentially responsible parties are extremely challenging to identify. They may include the pilot, airplane owner, charter operator, fueler, mechanics, and manufacturers to name a few. Plane crashes often involve the most catastrophic polytrauma-type injuries – meaning they frequently involve brain injuries, loss of limbs, orthopedic injuries, tendon and muscle injuries, […]

Work-related injuries occur in an endless and variety of ways. In those instances where injuries happen when an employee is in the course of his/her employment and the accident arises out of a risk of that employment, workers’ compensation benefits should be available to the injured worker. If the actual injuries themselves were “caused” by a defective product or the negligence of a third party, then the injured employee can collect both workers’ compensation benefits and recover money damages against the third party at the same time. At first blush, Virginia law on this subject might seem like a double […]

When an individual starts looking for a personal injury lawyer in Virginia, they are often doing so shortly after one of the worst days of their lives. This is doubly true when a parent is looking for legal advice after the death of a child. Virginia, like many states, has a cause of action for wrongful death.[1] This statutory cause of action allows for a personal representative of a deceased individual to bring suit on behalf of the deceased individual’s “statutory beneficiaries.” This statute did leave some questions, however, that were in need of interpretation. For instance, what if a fetus […]

When you are injured at work, whether you can sue anyone depends on the identity of the person who caused your injury.  An experienced personal injury lawyer can give you advice which considers the circumstances of your case. 1. Who you CAN’T sue:   If your accident is covered under workers’ compensation, you are NOT permitted to sue your employer or any co-worker.  Your employer is responsible only for paying you a weekly benefit for wage loss and paying the cost of necessary medical treatment for your injury, both as provided in the Virginia Workers Compensation Act. 2. Why you should […]

There’s no doubt that social media has changed our daily lives – for the better and for the worse. We post important life updates, photos from joyous occasions, and even videos of the latest dance trend. Sure, when you’re only being “followed” by friends, family, and colleagues, these posts are relatively harmless. But when you’re pursuing personal injury attorneys in Virginia, you should think twice whether or not to hit that “Post” button. When you file a personal injury claim, you’re inviting the defendant or defendants to scour and scrutinize every post from that moment forward. As the plaintiff, you’re […]

Article co-written by Matt Broughton and Investigator Danny Brabham Introduction A private investigator is an essential part of a Virginia personal injury attorney’s team. The private investigator and everyone involved in the investigation of a Virginia truck or car accident must have a “go team” mentality. When a crash occurs, every minute that passes allows for the opportunity for crucial information to disappear. Some of the information disappears simply by the weather conditions. For example, skid marks can be washed away or faded by the sun. Debris in the roadway will gradually move away from its initial location – either […]