Virginia (VA) Personal Injury law firm news

Malfunctioning Lift Gate Blamed for Severe Injury to Leg

Virginia (VA) accident lawyers achieved a good result to help a worker get a recovery from a negligent party in a recent case.  On March 5th, 2009, a settlement of $700,000 was reached in a case involving defective equipment.  The injured employee, while on the job, in Roanoke County, was moving a drapery cart that weighed about 1,200 pounds.  In order for workers to move the heavy item, the company hired a “city van.”  After the man believed the cart was in proper position on the gate on the van, he gave the operator the go ahead to lower it.  According to expert opinion, the gate, which is supposed to lower at about 6 inches per second, took only a second to fall.  The rapid fall of the gate caused the cart to crush the right leg, breaking both the leg bone and ankle. 

Air transport brought the victim from the local hospital to VCU Medical Center.  As time passed, after the accident, the leg injury continued to grow worse.  The worker’s shattered leg made him permanently disabled. 

The defendant’s attorney contended that there was no problem with the gate but that they had inappropriately positioned the cart.  The insurance company eventually offered a fair settlement.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton personal injury lawfirm (VA-NC law offices) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, as well as the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.

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How can you identify a top Virginia injury lawyer for your case? Look no further.

Our VA personal injury lawyers have been selected for many accolades.

Two of the attorneys with our Virginia Beach accident injury law firm, James Lewis and Rick Shapiro, have been named the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Two of our VA injury lawyers -- Lewis and Shapiro - have been named to Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury since 2010. In addition, Lewis and Shapiro have been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. 

Our VA accident injury law firm was the first in the commonwealth nvited to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Rick Shapiro was named as one of the Top 100 Injury Lawyers in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained what was then the largest verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person. Our brain damaged client received an initial award of $46 million that rose to $60 million with interest when the defendant abandoned an appeal and agreed to settle. 

Geographical Areas

Our personal injury lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern USA, and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.

In Virginia, this includes Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond, Petersburg, Roanoke, Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Ashland, Big Stone Gap, and every community on the Eastern Shore, including Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, and Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague and Wallops Island.

In West Virginia, we can handle personal injury claims in Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling and any other town or county.

Injury Lawyers licensed in VA, WV, North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Kentucky (KY), Florida (FL) and Washington, DC.