What is Negligence?
Negligence is the failure to take proper care when doing something. It is simply failing to be careful. When another person's poor choices hurt you, you shouldn’t pay the cost for that person's negligence or reckless actions. The personal injury lawyers at Harty Jewell, PLLC understand the stress and anxiety that can come from being injured through no-fault of your own.
If you were in a car accident, injured by a defective product, or suffered an injury due to the fault of someone else, the personal injury attorneys at Harty Jewell, PLLC are committed to obtaining justice for you. Harty Jewell, PLLC is a Virginia law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of those who are injured as a result of the negligent and reckless conduct of others.
Common types of personal injury claims include:
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Motor Vehicle Accidents, including:
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Car Accidents
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Uber or Lyft Accidents
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Truck Accidents/Tractor Trailer Accidents
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Motorcycle Accidents
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Pedestrian Accidents
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Bicycle Accidents
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Animal/Dog bites
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Boating accidents
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AT
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Injuries resulting from Defective Products (Product Liability Claims)
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Injuries on someone else’s property (Premises Liability Claims, including slip and falls)
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Wrongful death
Motor vehicle accidents most commonly involve cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Car accidents caused 967 deaths in Virginia in 2021, and statistics show that 161 people are injured every day in auto accidents. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists are also often injured by drivers of cars and trucks, which can result in traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Car accidents are often caused by speeding, running a red light or stop sign, illegal turns, failure to yield, tailgating and aggressive driving, driving while impaired or distracted, driving while fatigued, and driving a vehicle with defects. Some of the types of car accidents that Virginia car accident attorneys handle include:
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Rear-end collisions: Rear-end collisions are the most common type of car accident, and account for 29 percent of all motor vehicle accidents. These types of car accidents commonly occur if the driver is following too closely (i.e. tailgating, speeding, or not paying attention.
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Head-on collisions: Head-on collisions are often deadly, with a 58 percent fatality rate reported by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Distracted driving is the number one cause of head-on accidents.
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Rollover accidents: Rollover accidents account for a smaller percentage of accidents, but occur when a vehicle rolls over on to its roof, which can result in significant injuries and death.
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Side impact accidents: Side impact accidents are often referred to as being “t-boned” or broadsided, and occur when the front of a car hits the side of another car, resulting in a “T” shape. Statistics show that 23 percent of t-bone accidents result in a fatality.
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Sideswipe accidents: Sideswipe accidents happen when two vehicles going in the same direction collide. Generally, the right side of a vehicle will impact the left side of a vehicle, when the first vehicle is trying to make a lane change without realizing that it is not safe to do so.
What is a Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury claim is a claim for compensation for harm suffered to an individual as the result of another’s negligence, carelessness, or wrongful conduct. A personal injury can include injury or harm to a person’s body, mind or emotions. If you are hurt as a result of someone else’s actions, you may suffer physical harm, emotional harm, and financial loss, and a personal injury claim will allow you to recover compensation for the harm you have suffered. Generally speaking, if you or a loved one was hurt as a result of someone else’s negligent actions or failure to act, you can bring a personal injury claim.
Other Types of Personal Injury Claims
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Animal and Dog Bites
Animal and dog bites can end up being more serious injuries than expected. Pet owners own a duty of care to reasonably prevent their animals from biting and attacking. That duty of care could be breached by letting a dog run at large, ignoring leash laws, or otherwise failing to control a dog. Pet owners with aggressive dogs who have previously bitten or attacked a person must also follow specific precautions to prevent another bite or attack. Failure to follow those precautions under the Virginia Code could be negligence per se on the pet owner’s part. Negligence per se is when a person is impliedly liable for an accident because he or she broke a law. If someone else’s pet attacks you and harms you, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Product Liability Claims
Product liability claims are claims brought because a defective or dangerous product causes your injury. Consumers expect and trust that manufacturers have made a safe product when you purchase a product. However, that isn’t always the case. If a product is defective or unreasonably dangerous, consumers can be at risk of severe injuries, illnesses including cancer, or event death. Product liability injuries can occur from the use of a product one time, or from a use of a product over time that contains a toxic substance that causes a latent injury, such as long-term use of a product that unknowingly causes cancer. Manufacturers who fail to provide proper safety guidelines and warnings, and who fail to test their products prior to sale can be held liable for injuries caused by defective or dangerous products. Product defects can occur based on design defects, manufacturing defects, or labeling defects. If you or a loved one suffered an injury from a defective product, then you may be able to file a claim for compensation under Virginia law. Contact our Virginia product liability lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your legal options
Premises Liability Claims
Premises liability claims occur when unsafe conditions occur on someone else’s property to cause your injuries. You have a reasonable expectation of safety when you are at a business, hotel, store, or other property lawfully. A fall can occur because a negligent property owner failed to address a problem, whether that be a spill on a floor, a faulty steps or railings, or any other potentially dangerous condition a property owner was aware of but failed to correct.
Property owners should use reasonable care to ensure that conditions on their premises are not dangerous or unsafe. Common types of premises liability claims include:
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Slip and fall accidents
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Swimming pool accidents/accidental drownings
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Recreational property injuries.
Wrongful Death Claims
Wrongful death claims are brought by a victim’s family to compensate the family for the loss of their loved one. In Virginia, anytime a person’s death is caused by a wrongful act, or the negligence of another person, or corporation, a wrongful death action or lawsuit may be filed. For example, a wrongful death could occur as a result of a car accident, truck accident, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, or from a latent disease or a serious injury caused by a dangerous product, a toxic substance or a defective drug. Wrongful death lawsuits hold the defendant accountable for the deceased person’s death. Of course, no amount of money can fully compensate for the loss of a loved one. However, financial compensation available from a wrongful death lawsuit may assist surviving family members with the loss of income and services, medical and funeral expenses, and assistance to family members in coping with their grief and loss of their loved ones.
What should I do if I have been in a car accident?
It is important to preserve evidence if you have been in an accident. First, if you have been in a car accident, there are a few things you can do:
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Call 911 to report the accident and get prompt medical attention
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Exchange contact information with the other driver
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Take photos and videos of the accident scene
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If there are other witnesses, try to get their name and phone number for contact later if needed
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Contact your own insurance company to report the accident
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Seek timely medical treatment for your injuries
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Contact a personal injury lawyer to understand your rights and to help you obtain justice for your injuries
If you have been in a car accident or injured by another person's negligence, your injuries can cause a tremendous amount of stress and worry. Navigating that process can also be incredibly frustrating, particularly when your injuries were caused by another person and no-fault of your own. The Lawyers who Listen, the personal injury lawyers at Harty Jewell, PLLC can help ease some of that fear and anxiety and obtain the compensation you are entitled to. You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain, suffering and inconvenience, lost wages, loss of economic opportunity, and more. If you or a loved one was injured by someone else’s negligence, actions or failure to act, call us for a free consultation at 757-568-9633 to discuss your legal rights. We don’t charge an attorney’s fee unless, and until, we can recover for you. We can help.