Practice Areas

• Car & Motorcycle Accidents
• Crashes Caused by Trucks
• Medical Malpractice/ Doctor Mistakes
• Railroad Injury/ FELA
• Brain Damage/ Head Injuries
• Wrongful Death
• Slips, Trips & Falls
• Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)
• Dangerous Drugs/ Product Recalls
• All Serious Injuries

HSInjury Blog

Car & Motorcycle Accidents

• Hit-and-Run Accident on I-95 Leaves Franklin Man Seriously Injured
• Senator’s Wife and Daughter Suffer Serious Injuries in Chain Reaction Car Accident
• SUV Hits, Kills Woman in Wheelchair in Suffolk, Virginia (VA)

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Norfolk-Portsmouth Personal Injury Lawyer

• Wheelchair-Bound Suffolk Woman Hit, Killed While Crossing Street

Virginia Beach Personal Injury Lawyer

• Johnson & Johnson Internal Documents Reveal Unsavory and Potentially Illegal Marketing of Risperdal

Northeast NC Personal Injury Lawyer

• Are You a Victim of a Slip, Trip and Fall Accident?

Firm News

• Attorney Discusses Speed Limit Increase in Parts of Virginia (VA)
  Posted on 2/22/2010
• Attorney Discusses Shift from Jury Trials to Settlements in Virginia
  Posted on 2/9/2010
• Attorney Discusses the High Car Crash Rate in Hampton Roads
  Posted on 2/4/2010
• Attorney Examines Increase in Wrong Way Car Wrecks in HOV Lanes
  Posted on 2/3/2010
• Attorney Discusses Insurance Issues for "Road Warriors"
  Posted on 1/31/2010

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Library

Car & Motorcycle Accidents

• What to Do if You Hit a Deer
• No Text is Worth Dying For
• Don't play the insurance company's games of delay, defend and deny. Review this article, check out our videos and free consumer reports, then give our firm a call so you can talk to an experienced injury lawyer for a free consultation.

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If you've suffered an injury due to the negligence of a hit-and-run driver or uninsured driver, you should be able to get the necessary financial recovery from your insurance policy to cover medical costs and car repairs. That's what this page focuses on. After you've had a chance to review the information, please take advantage of our free consumer report about uninsured/underinsured motorists.

Our law firm is often contacted by people injured in a hit-and-run or uninsured driver car accidents. The way that car insurance provides coverage in a hit-and-run or uninsured driver incident is complicated. In Virginia (VA), a typical car insurance policy states that if you are in a car accident and suffer injuries caused by a hit-and-run driver or someone with no car insurance, your own car insurance will provide coverage to protect you.

This works in a strange way: your car insurance company provides a legal defense to the hit-and-run driver, even if never located, and must pay up to the total uninsured motorist insurance coverage the policy provides (this depends on the severity of the injuries and the damages). This type of insurance coverage in a hit-and-run car accident is called the uninsured motorist (uninsured driver) coverage.

In other words, even if the hit and run driver does not have car insurance, most state laws have this special uninsured motorist (UM or UIM) coverage automatically attached to every car owner’s insurance policy. The coverage means that an insurance company must provide this coverage to pay you for your medical expenses, permanent injuries, lost wages, disfigurement, pain and suffering, and all other damages that clearly arise from the other driver’s fault or negligence.

Given the complexity of determining the type of insurance that applies to your particular car accident situation, we've written a special, in-depth consumer report about how to deal with an uninsured/underinsured driver and ways to protect yourself. Download the uninsured/underinsured driver report here for free.

Uninsured motorist coverage is actually the most important part of your car insurance policy because it is the part that will cover you (the client) if you are in an car accident caused by a drunk driver with no insurance, by a hit-and-run driver who flees the scene of the accident, or just by a person who does not have car insurance.

Other parts of your car insurance are protecting the other person in the sense that your insurance company will pay the limits of your insurance if you are the negligent party. On the other hand, uninsured motorist (UM) coverage protects you and provides insurance coverage to you if a negligent or careless driver in a car crash with you does not have insurance or even if their insurance expired or lapsed. More importantly, this is exactly what often happens when a drunk driver causes a serious car crash or accident and does not even have car insurance because of a previous conviction for example. Also, this can happen when a negligent person borrows a friend's car and the negligent driver or car owner does not have any car insurance.

In Virginia (VA), and many other states, your car insurance rates may not be increased simply for making this type claim, as long as the accident is not your fault.

Some states require proof of actual collision or contact between the uninsured or hit-and-run driver's car and your “host” car. Other states do not have an actual contact or property damage requirement, but all states require that there be proof and solid evidence that the hit-and-run driver caused the crash in question and if unknown, that evidence exists that the “phantom” driver fled the scene.

In addition, uninsured motorist/driver coverage can usually be found in an employer’s car insurance or truck insurance policy. In other words, sometimes our clients are actually working or driving a company car or truck at the time they are in an accident caused by hit-and-run, underinsured or uninsured driver. In these circumstances, there are multiple possibilities of what companies must provide car insurance coverage. Our client's own car insurance is a possible source along with the employer's insurance on the company car or truck.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses exclusively on injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth. Our office is based in Virginia Beach, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition, named Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law  (2009 Ed., less than 5% of lawyers are chosen), and selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We provide FREE injury case consultations, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. We also offer FREE special reports along with editing the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a public information service. Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube and a Railroad Accident/FELA Lawyers Blog. 

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Case Results

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT, AND THE VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS MENTIONED ON THIS WEBSITE, WHILE ACCURATE, DO NOT REPRESENT WHAT WE MAY OBTAIN FOR YOU IN YOUR CASE.

Car & Motorcycle Accidents

• Motorcycle Passengers Recover $1,512,000.00

Awarded: $1,512,000.00

• Rear Ender-Neck/Cervical Fusion Surgery, Lost Income and Earnings
• Pedestrians Struck by Automobile Recover $540,000.00

Awarded: $545,000.00

• Car Accident-minivan-knee surgery
• Crosswalk Accident With Broken Leg Settles For $227,000.00

Awarded: $227,000

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FAQs

Car & Motorcycle Accidents

• I've been hurt in a car wreck and the insurance company for the other driver has called me to give a recorded statement.  Should I do it?
• Should I use my regular health insurance to pay for the medical care I need as a result of a car accident?
• Our new clients in car accident cases often asked, "Can I accept a check which has been offered to me for my car repairs or will that mess up my claim for injuries and medical bills?"
• Why shouldn't I just take a quick settlement for whatever the car insurance company for the other driver will pay me?
• What do I do if the at-fault driver's car insurance is not returning my calls or dragging its feet after a Virginia car accident with injuries?
  
  
  

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InjuryBoard Resources

• Our Virginia Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
• Our Norfolk-Portsmouth Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
• Nationwide Personal Injury Lawyer Blog Network
• All About Tort Reform
• Our Northeast North Carolina (NC) Personal Injury Lawyer Blog