A two-vehicle crash in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA), left two people dead. Many questions regarding why the collision that also injured two individuals occurred.
Portsmouth police and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene at the intersection of Frederick Boulevard and Deep Creek Boulevard at 6:10 am on July 12, 2022. Shortly thereafter, officials tweeted out a statement reading, “Two adult males had fatal injuries. A third adult male and an adult female both sustained non-life-threatening injuries.”
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Photos taken after the crash show a pickup truck with extensive damage to its front end and a passenger car resting against a light pole. No other details appear in news reports, including which people occupied the pickup or car.
Injured Victims and Grieving Family Members Must Learn Which Driver Caused the Crash
Grounds for filing personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits may exist. However, surviving victims and the family members of the deceased will yet not know which driver’s insurance company to contact. Because of the way liability for settling insurance claims works in Virginia, identifying an at-fault driver matters greatly.
Passengers in either the pickup or car should have the right to pursue compensation for injuries or death regardless. But those claims would only succeed if they were filed against the driver who actually caused the crash.
Here, the official police report will prove invaluable. State law requires police who respond to car and truck crashes to conduct investigations and prepare official reports. Such reports typically include a list of evidence, summaries of witness statements, a description of how the crash occurred and, most importantly, the investigators’ conclusion regarding which driver caused the collision.
Official crash reports get filed with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Copies of the reports can then be requested by visiting this website. As explained on the site, the following individuals involved in or affected by a crash can order a copy:
- Driver
- Passenger
- Injured person
- Any person owning a vehicle or property involved
- Personal representative of any person involved (e.g., conservator, executor, next of kin, etc.) of person injured or killed
- Attorney representing any person injured or involved
- Authorized representative of an insurance company
- Parent or legal guardian of a minor (under age 18) injured or killed
Note that a personal injury or wrongful death attorney representing a crash victim or family can obtain a crash report. Consulting with an experienced and caring lawyer will make many aspects of filing insurance claims and seeking compensation simpler.
EJL