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Car Accident Lawyer in Harrisonburg
Car accidents and other motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injuries and deaths in Harrisonburg and across the county. Rockingham County had nearly 500 traffic accidents involving injuries in 2017, according to the Virginia Highway Safety Office. Many of those were caused by driver errors.
Injured In A Car Wreck In Harrisonburg?
If you have been seriously injured in a car crash in Harrisonburg, or elsewhere in Rockingham County, you may be unable to work and have a stack of medical bills. With thousands of dollars of unforeseen medical expenses, you may wonder how to get your life back on track. If another driver caused your injuries, then you may be legally entitled to claim compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance for your medical bills and other related expenses. You should not have to bear that load by yourself. An experienced Harrisonburg car accident lawyer at the Kendall Law Firm can discuss your legal options during a free consultation.
Kendall Law Firm Injury Legal Team Is Experienced
Founding attorney David B. Kendall and the team at Kendall Law Firm understand that you may be going through an extremely difficult time and need compassion and trusted legal guidance. Our law firm concentrates exclusively on offering legal representation to Virginians who have suffered serious injuries due to others’ carelessness or disregard for safety. David Kendall has received a membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum® by attaining a verdict or settlement of $1 million or more. Our law firm is dedicated to serving Harrisonburg car accident victims and injured people throughout the Shenandoah Valley. That is evident in the client testimonials we have received.
Common Causes Of Car Accidents In Harrisonburg
- Drunk Driving—Thousands of people are arrested each year in the Shenandoah Valley and across Virginia for drunk driving. Alcohol-related crashes caused injuries to 4,430 people and 248 deaths in the Commonwealth in 2017, according to the Virginia Highway Safety Office. Nearly a third of fatal traffic accidents in Virginia are alcohol-related. Most accidents occur on rural roads. A drunk driver may face criminal prosecution for driving while intoxicated and should be held accountable. However, a criminal conviction of the intoxicated driver will not provide any compensation for your hospital and doctors’ bills and other expenses. After a serious accident caused by a drunk driver, you will need to bring a separate civil action against the at-fault driver and his or her insurance company to demand compensation for your accident-related expenses.
- Distracted Driving—Distracted drivers can be as dangerous as drunk drivers. In 2017, more than 15,000 people were injured in accidents in Virginia in which drivers admitted to distracted driving. The number of crashes involving driver distraction continues to increase in Harrisonburg and throughout Virginia. Distracted driving can involve taking your eyes off the road, taking your hands off the steering wheel and talking on a cell phone or texting. Virginia reported nearly 600 injury crashes involving drivers using cellphones in 2017. Sending text messages involves multiple types of distraction including taking your eyes off the road and taking your hands off the wheel. If distracted driving is suspected in a serious accident, our Harrisonburg car accident attorney can obtain a driver’s cell phone records to determine whether a driver was using a cell phone at the time a crash occurred. Distracted drivers who cause crashes should be held accountable when they injure others
- Drowsy Driving—While car crashes caused by fatigued drivers can happen at any hour, they most commonly occur between midnight and 6 a.m., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They frequently occur on two-lane roads and involve drivers falling asleep and their cars drifting off the road or crossing into an oncoming lane and causing a head-on collision with no evidence of braking.
- Speeding— Drivers who ignore the posted speed limits pose a danger to themselves and others who share Rockingham County roads. Across Virginia, approximately 2,000 speed-related crashes occur each month. Rockingham County had 270 speed-related crashes in 2017, the most recent year of data available. The speed-related crashes caused 147 injuries and 3 deaths in 2017. Drivers who speed should be held accountable when their disregard for the speed limit causes traffic accidents and injuries or fatalities.
- Aggressive Driving—Tailgating, running red lights and other types of aggressive driving increase the risk of a car accident. Drivers who accelerate to beat red lights and fail to yield the right of the way put in jeopardy everyone on the roadways. Aggressive drivers in Harrisonburg should be held accountable when their disregard for safety causes accidents and injuries.
If you are trying to recover from a serious injury caused by another motorist, take advantage of a courtesy case review by a Harrisonburg accident attorney at the Kendall Law Firm. We will address your questions and discuss whether you have a valid personal injury claim and what types of damages you may be entitled to claim.
At Kendall Law Firm, our Harrisonburg attorney wants to help you with your legal questions, and you should expect thoughtful answers to your questions.
What To Do If You Are In A Car Accident In Harrisonburg
After a car accident in Harrisonburg, the drivers involved are required to stop immediately at the accident scene without blocking traffic. You should check whether you or anyone else is injured and request emergency medical assistance if needed.
Call Harrisonburg police and report the accident and request an ambulance if needed. Virginia law requires that motorists provide reasonable assistance to an injured person.
Motorists are required to exchange driver’s license and vehicle registration information with other motorists involved in the accident.
However, you should not discuss the car accident or your injuries with the other driver. Any comments you make may be used against you later to dispute your injury claim.
Provide the police the facts of what happened and ask how you can get a copy of the accident report. In accidents involving injury or significant vehicle damage, the police will respond and write a report which will create a record of the accident.
You also can file an accident report with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles by submitting an accident report (downloadable at FR200), along with the Information Request Form (CRD-93), by which you can obtain a copy of the police report. The insurance companies will require an official accident report to proceed with the claim, so it is important to make sure the accident is documented.
If the other driver caused the car accident, you may have a right to pursue a car accident claim demanding compensation from the other driver’s auto liability insurance to cover your losses.
You should have a Harrisonburg car crash attorney review the specifics of the accident and discuss whether you have a valid claim.
If we handle your injury claim, our law firm can document your losses including:
- Hospital and doctor bills
- Property damage
- Lost work income
- Pain and suffering.
If the other driver’s insurance company contacts you and offers to settle your claim, you should have an experienced Virginia car accident attorney review the offer before accepting it or signing anything. Insurers’ initial offers are often a fraction of the fair value of the accident claim.
The role of an experienced Harrisonburg car accident lawyer is to assist you in obtaining full and fair compensation after an accident. Let us put our many years of experience to work for you.
Legal Help From Harrisonburg Car Accident Lawyer
Attorney David Kendall and the team at Kendall Law are ready to review the details of your car accident and explain your legal options. A native of Virginia, David Kendall is a former Judge Advocate General with the U.S. Marine Corps with more than 25 years of experience in injury law. Our law office takes pride in being friendly and approachable.
If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in a car accident in Harrisonburg or elsewhere in Rockingham County, a Harrisonburg car accident attorney can negotiate with the insurance companies and demand justice for you. We represent people injured in car crashes caused by others’ negligence on a contingency fee basis. You will not owe any legal fee unless we are successful in obtaining an insurance settlement or jury award for you.
Virginia has a two-year statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident, so it is important to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. Contact the Kendall Law Firm so we can start to work on your Harrisonburg car accident claim. Our Harrisonburg personal injury lawyer is only a phone call away. We will arrange an appointment at a location convenient to you to discuss your legal options.