Virginia/Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers: Focus on West Virginia Personal Injuries Caused by Drunk Drivers

• Virginia & Carolina Lawyers: Personal Injury or Death Caused by DUI/DWI Drivers in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina or South Carolina
  Focus on North Carolina Personal Injuries Caused by Drunk Drivers

DUI in West Virginia is prosecuted using two standards of evidence -- common law and per se. Common law evidence for driving under the influence consists of proof that a person was physically or mentally unable to drive due to consuming alcohol or drugs. Acceptable common law evidence includes eyewitness accounts of the driver's driving pattern, results from a field sobriety test, descriptions of the driver's appearance and results from blood tests. Per se evidence of DUI is the breath or blood test BAC result by itself, and that result is not needed for a DUI or impaired driving conviction based on common law evidence.

Like Virginia and North Carolina, West Virginia allows people injured in a traffic accident caused a drunk or drugged driver to sue the at-fault driver for punitive damages. Such monetary awards, which family members of people killed in car, truck and motorcycle DUI or impaired driving accidents can also seek, are awarded over and above any compensation for the victim's medical treatment expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal 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 including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by another person's carelessness. 

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, making them among the 5 percent of lawyers so honored. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury 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 alsooffer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemaul and we will get back to you shortly.