Highway traffic in Washington, DC moves fast, and when a serious crash happens, the consequences can be life-changing. Serious collisions frequently occur on major commuter routes like I-295, I-395, the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, Suitland Parkway, US-50, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, where heavy traffic, merging vehicles, and sudden slowdowns are common.
In the moments after a highway accident, injured drivers and passengers are often left dealing with medical treatment, missed work, insurance calls, and uncertainty about what to do next.
Understanding your legal options and what compensation may be available can be an important part of the recovery process.
The Washington, DC car accident lawyers at Regan Zambri Long have more than 30 years of experience handling complex highway accident and motor vehicle injury cases. Our attorneys investigate the cause of crashes, evaluate liability, and work with medical and technical experts when needed to support a client’s claim.
Regan Zambri Long has recovered multi-million-dollar results in serious motor vehicle accident cases, including verdicts and settlements of $15 million, $14 million, $10.6 million, and $10 million. Our attorneys work with medical, economic, and accident reconstruction experts to document the full extent of a client’s injuries and losses, and we advance litigation costs so clients do not pay upfront expenses.
If you were injured in a highway accident in Washington, DC, our attorneys are available 24/7 to review your case and explain your legal options. There are no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
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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 appear, 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 our 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. Drivers can become distracted by many things on the road, but taking their attention away from driving can lead to serious accidents and even fatal crashes. 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 3,208 deaths in 2024.
NHTSA data says that 32 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 11,288 in 2024.
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.
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 set highway and interstate speed limits at 70 miles per hour, with a few allowing speeds up to 80 miles per hour. In Washington, DC, however, speed limits are significantly lower, typically ranging from about 25 mph on local streets to 45–55 mph on major roadways and highways.
Even with lower posted limits, high-speed travel still occurs on key DC corridors such as I-295 (Anacostia Freeway), I-395, the Southeast/Southwest Freeway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (BW Parkway) just outside the District. These routes carry heavy commuter and regional traffic, including buses, commercial vehicles, and daily interstate travel between DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Because these highways combine dense traffic patterns with frequent merging, congestion, and sudden slowdowns, serious crashes can still occur even at speeds that are lower than those in many other states.
While you have no control over how another person operates their 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:
Driving safely is important because the decisions drivers make on the highway can have serious consequences both during and after an accident.
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.
Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia all use a rule called contributory negligence, which can prevent an injured person from recovering compensation if they are even slightly at fault for a crash. Because of this rule, actions like speeding, distracted driving, unsafe lane changes, or other careless behavior may affect your ability to recover damages after an accident, even if another driver was primarily responsible.
However, all three jurisdictions generally do not allow a person’s failure to wear a seat belt to be used against them in a personal injury case or to reduce their damages.
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 push back 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 attorneys at Regan Zambri Long will help you recover what you may be entitled to.
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 their 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.
Yes. Washington, DC generally has lower speed limits than nearby Maryland and Virginia suburbs. In DC, highway speed limits are typically around 40–55 mph depending on the roadway. In surrounding jurisdictions, interstate speed limits are often higher, commonly 65–70 mph on major highways.
Liability in a multi-vehicle crash depends on how the accident occurred. In some cases, one driver may be primarily at fault for triggering the chain reaction. In others, multiple drivers may share responsibility based on actions like following too closely, speeding, or unsafe lane changes. These cases often require accident reconstruction and a detailed investigation to determine fault.
Liability in a multi-vehicle crash depends on how the accident occurred. In some cases, one driver may be primarily at fault for triggering the chain reaction. In others, multiple drivers may share responsibility based on actions like following too closely, speeding, or unsafe lane changes. These cases often require accident reconstruction and a detailed investigation to determine fault.
Choosing an attorney to represent you and protect your best interests can be overwhelming, especially when you’re already trying to recover from a highway accident. The attorneys at Regan Zambri Long understand how important it is to have a legal team you can trust, and we are committed to honoring the confidence our clients place 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.
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.