Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death and severe injuries in Wise County and across Virginia. The Virginia Department of Transportation reports 105,600 crashes in the state in a single recent year, leading to 52,668 injuries and 847 deaths. Wise County alone saw 407 crashes, 195 injuries, and five deaths that same year.
Even in situations where someone survives a car crash, they can be left with debilitating injuries and staggering medical bills, not to mention lost income, pain, and emotional trauma.
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident in Wise County, the personal injury attorneys at the law office of Arrington Schelin want to help you put your life back together. Our Wise County car accident lawyers have over 40 years of experience assisting people to recover resources to pay for their injuries from negligent drivers and their insurance companies. Let us help you claim the money you need to cover your medical bills and other costs.
Contact us today for a free consultation with our personal injury law firm.
Why You Need Our Wise County Car Crash Lawyers
Here are a few reasons to hire a car accident lawyer from Arrington Schelin if you’ve been hurt in a collision in Wise County:
- You need to focus on your recovery. If you’ve been badly injured in a crash, you’re in no condition to gather evidence, conduct settlement negotiations, or bring your case to trial. You need to focus on your medical treatment and recovery while letting your attorney handle your case.
- Hiring a lawyer can help you recover more compensation. Many people settle for less money than they should after an accident because they don’t know what they could be compensated for. When you’ve just been in a severe injury accident, every dollar counts. A car accident lawyer can calculate the full extent of your losses and aggressively pursue fair compensation in negotiations with the insurer.
- A lawyer has a better understanding of Virginia’s negligence laws. Fault is a critical issue in personal injury cases. Virginia’s negligence laws can make it extremely difficult for accident victims to recover compensation. Because of Virginia’s contributory negligence rule, you could be barred from recovering compensation if you are found to have contributed to an accident in any way. No matter how small your fault for the accident was, this rule could cost you the money you need.
How Much Is My Wise County Car Accident Settlement Worth?
The question of how much a motor vehicle accident settlement may be worth is difficult to answer until a lawyer has a chance to evaluate your case. But you can get an idea of how much monetary compensation you may be able to recover by adding up all the losses for which you can be compensated. Potential losses you can be compensated for under Virginia law include:
- Your medical bills, both in the past and in the future
- Your lost income while you recover from the accident
- Your reduced earning potential due to a disability
- The pain and suffering from your injuries
- The emotional distress you’ve suffered due to the accident
- The value of any damaged personal property
- Wrongful death benefits for surviving family members in fatal crashes
Depending on the severity of your injuries and other factors, those losses could add up to a significant amount. Talk to a personal injury lawyer for more information on how much your case could be worth.
Leading Causes of Car Accidents in Wise County
Some of the most common reasons auto accidents happen in Wise County include:
- Impaired driving
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Speeding
- Aggressive or reckless driving
- Failing to yield the right-of-way
- Unsafe merges or lane changes
- Tailgating
- Vehicle defects
Common Types of Car Accidents in Wise County
A few of the common types of car accidents that occur in Wise County, VA, include:
- Rear-end collisions — Rear-end collisions are often the result of drivers following too closely, speeding, being distracted, or impaired.
- T-bone accidents — T-Bone accidents are frequently caused by drivers either failing to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or making an illegal turn.
- Sideswipe accidents — Sideswipe accidents occur when a vehicle leaves its lane and collides with another vehicle traveling next to it in the same direction, often because one of the drivers is distracted, driving aggressively, speeding, or impaired.
- Low-speed accidents — High-speed accidents often cause significant injuries, but low-speed accidents can be equally damaging under the right circumstances.
- Head-on collisions — Some of the most severe car crashes involve head-on collisions. Because a head-on collision requires a driver to leave their lane and enter another lane with traffic coming the opposite way, the offending driver is often impaired, distracted, or otherwise negligent.
- Hit-and-runs — Drivers sometimes leave the crash scene if they are impaired, don’t have insurance, have a warrant for their arrest, or simply get scared. The hit-and-run driver is never found in many cases, but injured victims may still be entitled to compensation under their own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage.
- Single-vehicle crashes — A negligent driver could swerve off the road and damage your property if they are distracted, driving aggressively, impaired by drugs or alcohol, or suffering from severe fatigue. You may also have a claim if you were a passenger in a single-vehicle crash.
Types of Injuries Caused by Car Accidents in Wise County
Wise County car crashes frequently leave victims with catastrophic injuries, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- External head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Back injuries
- Burns
- Internal bleeding
- Damage to internal organs
- Fractures and broken bones
- Disfiguring facial injuries and scars
- Neck injuries and whiplash
- Knee injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Nerve damage
- Psychological distress (post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, nightmares, flashbacks, etc.)
How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in Virginia?
In most cases, you have two years from the date of an accident to file a personal injury matter in court. If you miss this deadline, you will most likely be blocked from recovering any benefits for your physical injuries and related losses from the crash.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Wise County Today
The Wise County car accident lawyers at the law firm of Arrington Schelin are here to fight for your best interests if you have been injured in a crash. Contact us today for a free consultation with our personal injury lawyers.