Hampton Car Accident Lawyer
While some car accidents may be just minor inconveniences, others may result in serious injuries that can cost you thousands of dollars in medical bills, lost income, and significant pain and suffering. When the negligent actions of others caused a crash that resulted in major injuries to you or a loved one, they should be held responsible.
This is where a Hampton car accident lawyer can help. Our injury attorneys can investigate the circumstances surrounding your case and evaluate the potential for a successful claim.
On This Page
- What Should Someone Do Following a Car Accident in Hampton?
- Understanding When a Driver is Responsible
- What Damages Could Someone Recover Following a Car Crash in Hampton?
- Statute of Limitations in Hampton
- Types of Car Accidents
- Common Car Crash Injuries
- How Much Do Car Crash Injury Attorneys Cost?
- How a Hampton Car Accident Attorney Can Help
What Should Someone Do Following a Car Accident in Hampton?
Car accidents can happen anywhere in Hampton, but they are especially common on highways like Interstate 64 or Interstate 664, and major streets like Mercury Blvd or Hampton roads center parkway. When a car wreck occurs, you may not know what to do first. Generally, you should take the following actions immediately:
- If possible, stop as close to the accident scene as possible without obstructing traffic
- Contact Hampton Police Department or Virginia state police
- Seek medical attention for any injuries
- Contact our local attorneys
If your injuries allow, you or your family should try to get the name, contact information, vehicle description, license plate number, and insurance information from all parties involved.
However, it is also important to contact an experienced lawyer in Hampton following any car accident. Once our investigators get to the scene, they could help prevent any evidence from getting lost, allowing us to build the strongest claim possible. We also can deal with insurance companies and make sure you avoid saying anything that could hurt your case.
Understanding When a Driver is Responsible
Car accident cases involving allegations of negligence may be proven by showing that:
- The defendant had a duty to exercise due care
- The defendant took, or failed to take, some action that breached that duty
- The breach of duty was the proximate cause of your injuries
- You sustained damages as a result of the harm caused by the breach
If there is sufficient evidence to support each of these elements, then the court may deem a defendant negligent. When the other driver is negligent, he must pay for the harm he caused you. Proving negligence can be difficult. This is why it is important to work with a lawyer on your Hampton car accident claim.
What Damages Could Someone Recover Following a Car Crash in Hampton?
If you suffered serious injuries in a car crash as a result of the negligent, reckless, or careless behavior, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. This compensation may include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Loss of current and future income
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Pregnancy injury
Depending on the severity of the injuries involved, the amount of compensation to which you may be entitled varies, especially if you sustained permanent injuries. One of our lawyers in Hampton can help you by fully investigate the facts of your car wreck case to help you get fair compensation.
Statute of Limitations in Hampton
The statute of limitations places a time limit on pursuing a claim for damages after an incident. According to the Code of Virginia §8.01-243, personal injury plaintiffs have two years after their incident to file a lawsuit in court. If a potential claimant fails to meet this legal deadline, a plaintiff may be barred from receiving any compensation.
When a plaintiff files a lawsuit following the expiration of the statute of limitations, the first step most defendants take is to seek dismissal with prejudice. Outside of certain rare exceptions, the court typically grants these motions. A dismissal with prejudice means that the court permanently bars the plaintiff from ever pursuing compensation for that car accident. This outcome is possible no matter how strong the underlying case for compensation might be.
The consequences of violating the statute of limitations can extend beyond a lawsuit. If a plaintiff does not file their case before the deadline expires, any chance of negotiating a settlement is likely lost as well. This is because the at-fault party and their insurance carrier is unlikely to settle a claim that cannot be pursued in court.
Types of Car Accidents
Not all car accidents are the same. Some accidents involve collisions with more than two vehicles. Other accidents only involve a single driver. In any car crash involving another party’s negligence, an injured victim could pursue compensation with help from an experienced Hampton attorney. Some common types of collisions include:
- Rear-end collisions: these accidents involve the front of one car striking the back-end of another.
- Rollover accidents: rollovers involve a car or other vehicle flipping onto its roof.
- Head-on collisions: also known as front-end collisions, these accidents happen when the front of two cars collide.
- Side-impact accidents: these accidents involve damage to the side of one vehicle.
An attorney in the area could evaluate the facts of a Hampton traffic collision and provide insight into whether a claim is likely to be successful.
Common Car Crash Injuries
Any part of the body could suffer trauma in a crash, and there are countless injuries that could occur in a motor vehicle accident. That said, certain injuries are more likely than others in these cases. Some of the common examples include:
- Broken bones
- Cuts and bruises
- Whiplash
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Sprains or strains
- Ligament tears
It is important to treat a car accident injury right away. Even if it seems like an injury is minor, it is possible for it to worsen in the days that follow a crash. Once a person’s adrenaline wears off, the pain from an injury might become more noticeable.
Seeking medical care immediately after a car accident is important for a victim’s health, but it is also vital for their potential civil claim. By seeking treatment right away, a person receives written record of the injury and a medical professional’s effort to treat it. These medical records could be valuable when it comes time to settling the case.
On the other hand, the failure to seek care could damage a car crash injury case. The defendant and their legal counsel could suggest that the injuries resulted from some other incident or were never real to begin with.
How Much Do Car Crash Injury Attorneys Cost?
Our Hampton injury lawyers offer free consultations for car wreck cases. We exclusively handle personal injury cases helping injured people.
We require no upfront payment or retainer from our clients. Our clients pay no attorney fees unless we are successful in securing them a recovery through a settlement or trial. If we are successful in getting you a payment for your injuries and other damages from an accident, we charge a percentage of the recovery. The percentage we charge depends upon the type of injury case, which we will gladly discuss with you during a free consultation.
If an injured person hires one of our experienced personal injury attorneys there is no upfront cost to the client. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers never requests that our clients pay a retainer or contribute to the cost incurred while handling the case. We are mindful that an accident can place tremendous financial stress on an injured person and their family, and that medical treatment is very expensive.
Any cost or expenses related to handling your case will be advanced and fronted by the law firm until the completion of the case. This often includes costs for experts, conducting investigations, filing lawsuits, and other case-related expenses. Our firm never asks our clients to help finance your case. We spend wisely and are willing to invest the money necessary to present the strongest case possible to get a client fair payment for their harms and losses.
How a Hampton Car Accident Attorney Can Help
Struggling to recover from severe injuries sustained in a car wreck can be overwhelming, and seeking legal advice is not likely to be the first thing on your mind. However, contacting a Hampton car accident lawyer may enable you to focus on your physical and mental recovery process instead of worrying about how to pay for steadily mounting medical expenses. We take care of our clients’ financial and insurance issues so they can heal without these hassles.
Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers is the first law firm in Virginia with access to video footage from 978 traffic cameras throughout the state. If there is footage of your accident, Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers’ Crash Cam may have the critical evidence needed to win your case.
Exercising your right to bring a claim may not only result in compensation, but it may allow you to hold others accountable for their careless or reckless actions. Our skilled lawyers are ready to help, so call today.
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