Under Virginia law, when a victim is injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another party, that victim has the legal right to sue that party to recover damages for any losses their injuries have caused them to suffer. There are a number of different types of incidents that fall under the umbrella of personal injury law. Some of the most common types of personal injury cases that each Virginia personal injury attorney from our firm have successfully litigated include the following:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of accident injuries in Virginia. Injuries can range from minor to catastrophic, depending on the circumstances of the accident and types of vehicles involved. Factors such as distracted driving, speeding, and driving under the influence often leave traffic accident victims suffering from brain, head, neck, back, and spinal cord injuries.
A personal injury attorney can help victims who have been injured in:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrians accidents
- Mass transit accidents
Premises Liability
Virginia law says that property owners have a legal responsibility to properly maintain their property in order to ensure the safety of others. If an owner fails to remove hazardous conditions or alert visitors that these conditions exist, then an injured victim may be able to recover damages for their losses through a premises liability lawsuit.
Some of the more common premises liability accidents include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Animal bites
- Poorly lit common areas
- Broken or loose stairs or handrails
- Inadequate security
- Swimming pool accidents
- Snow or ice accidents
Product Liability
As consumers, we depend on companies to provide us with carefully tested and safe products. The number of recalls that occur each year reveals that far too often, dangerous or defective products flood the market, leading to serious injury and even the death of innocent victims. These defects can occur during the design of the item, the manufacturing of the item, or in the failure to provide consumers with adequate warnings of any potential risks the item may pose.
In order to be successful in a product liability case, a personal injury attorney must prove:
- The item posed a danger when it was used in the way it was meant to be used.
- The danger existed when the victim purchased the product.
- The defect or danger injured the victim.
Medical Malpractice
When patients go to their medical provider with a health issue, they are literally trusting their life to that provider. Unfortunately, more than 250,000 people die each year in this country because of medical negligence and errors. A personal injury attorney can help victims of malpractice in the following situations:
- Failure to diagnose
- Failure to provide proper treatment
- Incorrect medication
- Incorrect medication dosage
- Incorrect reading of diagnostic testing
- Misdiagnosis
- Premature discharge
- Surgical errors
- Unnecessary surgery
- Wrong-site surgery
Have You Been Injured?
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, call Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to meet with a Virginia personal injury attorney and discuss what legal options you may have. Our legal team will work diligently to make sure you get the best possible outcome based on the circumstances of your case.
RELATED CONTENT