Being involved in a car accident can put your life in a tailspin. With piling medical expenses, damage to your car, and time away from work, it can make you feel overwhelmed when you’re already in pain. This is where a Northern Virginia car accident lawyer comes in.
If you or a loved one have been hurt in a car accident in Northern Virginia, Regan Zambri Long is here to help you secure the compensation you need to move forward.
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Not all car accident cases are clear-cut. While most are settled outside of court, contentious insurance battles can leave you with mounting medical expenses and no one to foot the bill. With an expert Northern Virginia personal injury attorney, skilled at handling car accident claims, you don’t have to handle the adjusters alone.
To work with a top-rated Northern Virginia car accident attorney, call Regan Zambri Long.
With more than 100 years of combined experience and a track record of success that has yielded more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements, Regan Zambri Long is dedicated to your Northern Virginia car accident claim.
Our legal team has extensive personal injury law experience and will develop a customized legal strategy to secure the maximum compensation for your car accident.
A car accident can occur at any time. However, certain factors make collisions more likely. Below are some of the most common causes of car accidents in Northern Virginia.
Most people think they can’t afford a car accident attorney. However, hiring a lawyer should be free of upfront costs.
Most personal injury law firms work on a contingency basis, meaning clients do not pay for legal services upfront. Instead, they pay a percentage of the settlement or verdict they are awarded.
This works in two ways. First, it allows more people to seek legal representation when they otherwise may not have. Second, it keeps law firms dedicated to your case.
You can schedule a free consultation with Regan Zambri Long to learn how our car accident cases are handled and our associated fees.
Of the reported 122,434 crashes across the state in 2022, over 26,000 occurred in Northern Virginia. Knowing your options as a car accident victim will protect your rights against the insurance company and liable driver.
Although no two car accidents are the same, some car crashes occur more frequently than others on Virginia’s roadways. Car accident claims we handle in Northern Virginia include:
Head-on collisions are one of the most dangerous types of car accidents, accounting for ten percent of all fatal motor vehicle accidents in 2020. Even in less severe wrecks, a head-on collision can result in catastrophic injury and a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Head-on collisions often occur when a driver veers into oncoming traffic for several reasons. Most frequently due to intoxication, distraction, or fatigue. People unfamiliar with roadways may also be in a head-on collision if they travel the wrong way down a one-way road.
Sometimes, a rear-end collision can be as minor as a fender-bender at a traffic light or in a parking lot. However, they also result in more severe wrecks when the at-fault driver is speeding, tailgating, or does not account for poor weather conditions.
A sideswipe collision occurs when one driver hits the side of another. It most commonly occurs on busy highways when one driver tries to switch lanes without checking blind spots.
Most sideswipe wrecks only result in vehicle damage, but when they occur at high speeds, drivers may lose control of their car, resulting in a multi-vehicle wreck.
Left-turn accidents occur when a driver turns into oncoming traffic after misjudging the distance between oncoming cars. Further, they may also occur if a driver fails to signal into traffic that they are turning, making the oncoming driver unaware the vehicle is turning.
A T-bone accident occurs when one car hits the side of another, making a T shape. These accidents can be catastrophic as passenger vehicles tend to be less padded on the sides than the front or back.
T-Bone collisions often occur at intersections when drivers do not follow traffic lights.
When a car is hit, flipping onto its side or roof, this is considered a rollover accident. In severe rollover cases, the vehicle may flip multiple times, causing severe injuries to the victim.
Rollover accidents often occur due to being sideswiped or during poor weather conditions that make roads slick.
A multi-vehicle accident involves two or more vehicles, while a pileup involves five or more cars in a wreck. Most multi-vehicle collisions occur due to a chain reaction from an impact that initially only impacted two vehicles.
In Virginia, six primary Interstates and ten auxiliary Interstates traverse through the Commonwealth, including in Northern Virginia. Interstates 95, 81, 85, 64, 77, 66, and 295 see heavy congestion, which unfortunately means car accidents are likely.
In Virginia, drivers must carry at least a minimum amount of auto insurance.
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles requires drivers to carry the following policy minimums:
These rates will increase for policies that go into effect after January 1, 2025.
However, for drivers who do not have insurance and are involved in a wreck, victims can still seek compensation through their insurance policy if they have uninsured motorist coverage.
Like an uninsured driver accident, for victims involved in a hit-and-run collision where police cannot identify the at-fault party, car accident victims may seek compensation through their insurance with uninsured motorist coverage.
In 2022, there were 59,404 injuries and approximately 1,000 deaths reported in Virginia car accidents. Of those injuries, the most commonly reported are:
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a Northern Virginia motor vehicle accident, you have options for financial recovery.
Following a car accident, you have one of two options to recover compensation for your serious injuries. The first is to file a claim against the insurance company. In Virginia, you file a claim with the auto insurance provider of the at-fault party.
These claims are not always cut and dry as the insurance company will try to minimize their client’s liability to reduce your financial compensation.
Another way to seek compensation is to file a car accident lawsuit. Most car accident cases do not go to court and can be settled in negotiations, but you should work with an experienced attorney to have a successful case.
Virginia is a at-fault insurance state, meaning the driver or party that caused the car accident is financially responsible for the damages. However, if the other driver does not have insurance or you were in a hit-and-run crash, you can file a claim with your insurance company.
To establish liability, all crash information must be readily available. This includes police reports, eyewitness testimony from those in the collision or saw it happen, any physical evidence, and photos and videos of the accident scene.
Sometimes, showing proof of injury via medical bills will also be used to establish liability as it can show how severe your injuries are and, with the help of an accident reconstruction specialist, show how you could not have caused those injuries had it been your fault.
Virginia is a contributory negligence state. This means that if you contributed to the car accident in some way, no matter how minor, you may be barred from financial recovery.
Knowing this, it’s vital to have an auto accident attorney who can establish negligence and prove you were not liable for the accident, maximizing your compensation.
You are never required to hire a personal injury lawyer for an accident claim. However, it will most likely improve the outcome of your claim. First, a law firm specializing in Northern Virginia accidents will have the experience and connections to build a successful case. A lawyer will also get the needed evidence from industry experts like medical and accident recreation specialists.
Additionally, you will likely spend time away from work and family after an accident trying to heal and recover. It may be difficult for you to work with the insurance companies to file a claim. But with a lawyer by your side, you don’t have to. A law firm dedicated to handling cases anywhere in Northern Virginia, can represent you and handle communication with the insurance companies.
Lastly, an automobile accident lawyer will consider your best interests and develop a unique legal strategy to maximize compensation.
The injury attorneys at Regan Zambri Long can help you by:
If you or a loved one were injured in a car accident in Northern Virginia, call the personal injury lawyers of Regan Zambri Long. We help car accident victims and their families recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, personal property damage, and more.
For a no-obligation, free consultation, call Regan Zambri Long today.