Call Us Now
202-463-3030
Schedule a Free Consultation
Highway traffic across Washington, DC moves fast, and when something goes wrong, the results can be life-altering. Regan Zambri Long’s Washington, DC car accident lawyers have over 30 years of experience in handling these complex cases. Our board-certified attorneys investigate every detail, from road design and visibility to driver fatigue and mechanical failure, and we’re not afraid to take on government agencies or major insurers when negligence leads to disaster.
We’ve achieved multi-million dollar results for clients, including $15 million, $14 million, $10.6 million, and $10 million in car accident recoveries. All six of our award-winning partners are ranked among the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America, and our firm is trusted by clients who have left more than 100 5 star Google reviews. We front all case costs and retain leading experts to prove the full scope of harm and loss.
Have you been in a highway accident in Washington, DC? We know how fast life can turn upside down. Contact Regan Zambri Long today, and one of our attorneys will call you back personally. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you don’t pay unless we win your case.
Complete this form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible
Injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents vary—including everything from superficial scrapes, bruises, and sprains to traumatic brain injuries, paralyzing spine injuries, and permanent disabilities.
In highway accidents, often more severe than car accidents on town and city roads, injuries can tend to be more severe.
Drivers and passengers involved in highway accidents should anticipate and/or watch for:
Before doing anything else, you should seek medical attention after a highway accident. While investigating and collecting eyewitness statements is important, your safety and well-being are paramount.
Make sure to keep any follow-up appointments—injuries may take time to fully manifest and some aches and pains that seem superficial at first may later reveal serious internal injuries.
Regan Zambri Long lawyers car accident lawyers have helped their clients secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. If you’ve been involved in a highway accident, our experienced car accident attorneys can help explore your legal options for FREE.
Distracted driving is a leading cause of many highway accidents. A myriad of things vie for a driver’s attention while on the road, but choosing to focus on the wrong thing can lead to devastating car crashes and ultimately fatalities. Common distractions while driving include:
This doesn’t mean you should drive in silence, ignoring passengers and refusing to use the radio, but drivers must be aware and honest about road circumstances that require their full attention. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 3,142 deaths in 2020 caused by distracted driving. By 2023, that number had increased to 3,275.
NHTSA data says that 34 people die each day in drunk driving accidents, accidents that are entirely preventable. Alcohol impairs thinking reasoning and coordination. At highway speeds, drivers cannot afford to have these voluntary impairments.
Driving under the influence extends beyond just alcohol; narcotics, marijuana, some prescription drugs, and even some over-the-counter medications can impair driving. Taking multiple drugs or medications together can also cause serious impairments, affecting the driver’s coordination and judgments, making the driver more aggressive or reckless, or causing side effects such as dizziness or drowsiness that are dangerous on the road.
“I’m just keeping up with traffic.”
It’s a common excuse, and one that sounds reasonable when you consider that driving slower than other highway traffic can be dangerous and potentially fatal. But the NHTSA found that speeding-related deaths totaled 11,775 in 2023.
Speeding-related deaths are often preventable because speeding is a choice. With the busyness of modern life, drivers need to get from point A to point B as fast as possible, often having little time in their schedules for delays. The result: speeding on the road to make up some time. But the consequences of speeding increase in conjunction with your miles per hour. Greater speed means greater potential for losing control, reduced effectiveness of safety equipment, more time and distance needed for stopping, and greater severity of injuries and damages in the event of a crash.
Construction zones can be hazardous for drivers and workers, especially on highways where speeds are high. 4,316 people died in crashes in US highway work zones between 2018 and 2022. If a construction zone is not properly signed, it can cause accidents as drivers must try to make last-minute speed adjustments, lane changes, or otherwise adapt to an unexpected work zone.
A poorly maintained road can also be a cause of highway accidents. Roads riddled with potholes, uneven lane edges, lack of signage or poor visibility of signage, roads that don’t drain water, or too short on-ramps and off-ramps are examples of how highway designers and maintainers may be liable for car crashes that aren’t caused by driver negligence.
Many factors can impact the severity of a crash and many of these factors can work together to increase or decrease the severity. But on the highway, where speed limits are high and speeding is common, the rate of travel can cancel out safety features in a vehicle.
Tests have shown that even small increases between 6 and 10 miles per hour can result in more significant injuries, despite the ever-increasing safety of many vehicles.
When speeds reach 50 miles per hour, the risk of a car crash being fatal increases. As speed increases from there, the likelihood of surviving a crash decreases. By 70 miles per hour, the chance of survival is very slim.
Many states allow highway and interstate speeds of 70 miles per hour, with a few states allowing 80 miles per hour. As speeds exponentially increase the severity and risk of fatality in car crashes, it is crucial to hold liable parties accountable for the crashes they cause.
While you have no control over how another person operates his or her motor vehicle, you have complete control over the safety choices you make when you choose to travel on the highway. Properly using your vehicle’s safety features can be the difference between life and death in a highway accident. Best safety practices include:
Your safety is reason enough to make wise choices on the highway, but the reality is that failure to do so could hinder your ability to claim compensation.
In a third-party insurance claim, the at-fault driver’s insurance provider will investigate the accident. The insurance company will likely use any of your negligent behaviors to deny your claim or offer a very low settlement.
Under contributory negligence, your negligence negates your right to claim compensation. And while failing to wear a seat belt might not be allowed as evidence of your negligence in a claim, speeding and distracted driving will certainly get in the way of claiming compensation, even if the other driver is more responsible for the accident.
Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland all adhere to contributory negligence rules. And while these states don’t consider failure to wear a seat belt a factor in contributory negligence, other negligent driving behaviors can and will influence your claim if you engage in them. Partnering with an experienced highway accident lawyer will ensure that you are protected from being held liable for negligence that you didn’t commit so that you can claim the maximum compensation you are entitled to.
When you are involved in a car accident, it often seems very obvious what happened. You were obeying the rules of the road and another driver changed lanes without looking and hit you or a reckless driver lost control and involved you in a crash.
But the unfortunate reality is that, though insurance is good and helpful for drivers, many insurance companies try to pay as little as possible after a motor vehicle accident. If they can sniff out any bit of negligence in your driving, many insurers will try to use that to deny your claim or offer a very low settlement.
Knowing that the responsible party’s insurance company will likely want to pay you as little as possible, you must have a strong, experienced legal team on your side to help protect your interests and to fight against low-ball settlements. When you hire an experienced and esteemed car accident attorney, the at-fault insurance company will know that they can’t take advantage of you.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a highway accident, you are going to need to focus on recovery and adjusting to temporary or even permanent injuries. The last thing you need is to fight for the compensation you deserve to make recovery possible. The trusted attorneys at Regan Zambri Long will fight alongside you until we recover what you deserve.
The actual dollar amount you can claim from your highway accident will depend on the details specific to your car crash. But in most cases you can claim:
In rare cases, you may also be able to claim punitive damages, payments intended to punish the at-fault party for his or her negligence.
One of the primary factors in the amount of compensation you can claim for your highway accident is the severity and longevity of your injuries. The more severe and/or permanent your injuries, the more you can claim in medical expenses and lost wages. However, intense pain and suffering or mental anguish can occur even if your highway accident wasn’t catastrophic in nature.
Working with a knowledgeable highway accident attorney is the best way to make sure you receive a fair settlement or compensation verdict. You won’t always know the depth of your injuries and damages right away, but your lawyer will better know what to anticipate and how to calculate the value ahead of time so that you don’t suffer further.
Choosing an attorney to represent you and fight for your best interests can be overwhelming, especially when you’re already fighting to recover from a highway accident. The attorneys at Regan Zambri Long know that having a team you can trust is important to your entire well-being, and we are committed to honoring the faith you put in us.
With nearly 200 years of cumulative experience, our legal team is regularly recognized among peers as some of the Best Lawyers in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Our attorneys are all rated as Washington, DC Super Lawyers , with Patrick Regan and Paul Cornoni listed among the Top 100 and Salvatore Zambri named to the Top 10.
Our three named partners are all AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell, one of the oldest law firm directories in the United States, and are all board certified in Civil Trial Law and Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Our team also boasts past presidents and active leaders in the District of Columbia Trial Lawyers Association, and members of illustrious invitation-only organizations such as the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the International Society of Barristers.
We will bring all our experience to bear on your case, giving you the feel of a small, personal law firm while tapping into the resources and expertise of a larger firm. With Regan Zambri Long, you’ll get the best of both worlds.
Our firm has achieved over $1 billion in settlements and verdicts for personal injury victims, and we’ve recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our car accident and highway accident clients. These include:
A $3.8 million dollar verdict for a client who suffered a traumatic brain injury and other damages in a collision is the highest jury verdict for a car accident in the last decade for DC.
Our highway accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we don’t collect any payment until we’ve won a recovery or settlement in your favor. Schedule a free case evaluation today by calling 202-937-2067.
Have you or your loved one sustained injuries in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia? Regan Zambri Long PLLC has the best lawyers in the country to analyze your case and answer the questions you may have.