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Auto Accidents

Car accidents are a fact of life. If you have a country with 40,000 miles of Interstate highway and tens of millions of licensed drivers, collisions between drivers are inevitable.

It’s because of the sheer numbers of drivers in America that auto insurance is a requirement. But while the states make sure that everyone on the road has at least minimum coverage, they do a very poor job in making sure that the insurance companies themselves live up to their financial obligations. On what is quite literally a daily basis, insurance companies delay payment, offer insufficient settlements before the crash victims fully understand the extent of their damages, or sometimes simply flat out deny any claims made against them. And this is how they act when they are dealing with their own policyholders. They are even worse when it comes to the claims of those that don’t have policies with them.

If you have been in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you can be sure that it will be an uphill battle. If the accident resulted in extensive physical injuries, the insurer will make the process as difficult as possible. They will extend every effort in order to minimize their responsibility. Having an attorney that understands both liability law and how the insurance companies operate is a must.

The Law Firm of Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis and Appleton are currently accepting cases involving those who have been severely injured in auto accidents and feel that their needs are not being taken seriously. Dealing with medical bills, an inability to work, or the loss of a loved one due to the negligence of others is difficult enough without dealing with indifference or cruelty from their insurers. Our firm is dedicated to fighting for fair compensation for damages, including:

Medical Bills: This includes more than just handling the charges for your initial stay in the hospital. This also means expenses for physical therapy or any extended treatment that you might need. You can be sure that insurers will either drag their feet or omit payment for this in any initial settlement offer. It is for this reason that you should be absolutely sure of the full extent of your injuries before accepting a settlement.

Loss of Wages/Loss of Future Earnings: Loss of wages damages will address the fact that the victim was unable to work while recovering from the accident. Loss of Future earnings comes into play if the accident leaves the victim unable to continue at their current job. These damages take into account what the victim would have made had they been able to work.

Loss of Consortium/Emotional Distress: Despite the media spin to the contrary, these damages are REAL losses suffered by REAL victims. Loss of consortium damages would address the financial and emotional difficulties that the spouse of an accident victim would go through if the victim either died or suffered such a catastrophic injury that he or she would be unable to work or contribute to the household in the way that they used to. In other words, a household that relies on two paychecks now has to rely on one.

Emotional distress would occur if the accident caused the victim to be unable to enjoy a facet of his or her life that was important before the accident. For example, if a person who has played the piano his entire life gets in an accident and loses three of his fingers, he has lost something that he has done his entire life. Although the insurance company would place a claim like that directly under the “frivolous” category, we believe that these claims have merit, and will pursue them as vigorously as possible.

We cannot place enough emphasis on the importance of acquiring the services of legal counsel in the event of a serious accident, especially if the accident wasn’t your fault. You should always remember that the insurance company does not represent you, and if they know that you don’t have an attorney looking out for your interests, they will do everything possible to minimize their financial obligations. The Law Firm of Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis and Appleton will be a firm and strong advocate for your needs, and we will fight for fair and realistic compensation for your injuries. If you or a loved one has been severely injured in a car accident, contact our law offices of a free case analysis.

Library for Auto Accidents:

North Carolina Seat Belt Laws
Description: An overview of North Carolina's seat belt laws.
Two more lawsuits over 2005 school bus accident
Princess Diana was killed by negligent driving
Description: The Virginian Pilot recently published an article written by the New York Times regarding the death of Princess Diana. According to the New York Times, after six months of hearings and testimony by nearly 300 witnesses, a jury in Britain found that Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi al-Fayed were killed by the negligent driving of their chauffeur and the paparazzi that pursued their vehicle.
Air Bag Safety
Description: Airbags, which were designed to prevent adult passengers and drivers from colliding with the steering wheel or dashboard in a car crash, can be deadly for child passengers.
Saving Lives: Virginia's Seat Belt Law
Description: Virginia's seat belt laws require that all passengers in the front seat must wear a safety belt and that all passengers under the age of 16 must also wear one.
The Number of Motorcycle Riders Increases in Hampton Roads, Virginia and Across the Country
Potential Virginia Law to Ban Texting While Driving
Description: The new epidemic on Virginia roads, the chronic multi-tasker, poses a risk of injury or death to other motorists. You’ve seen them on the highway, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on their Blackberry or Palm Pilot scanning, and sometimes even, typing emails as they make their way through traffic. Or maybe you’ve been next to the novice driver in her late teens, fresh our of Driver’s Ed, texting her friends while attempting to drive, her license still hot off the DMV press. Though differing in their tasks, both types of drivers will inevitably cause the same unfortunate result, an automobile crash.
ONE INJURY DUE TO DRUNKEN DRIVING IS TOO MANY
Description: The Virginian-Pilot has reported that the percentage of people killed by drunken drivers increased in 2006 for the first time in several years.
Two Car Crashes Kill Motorist in Isle of Wight County, Virginia (VA)
Description: On a recent Friday, in Isle of Wight County vehicle wrecks took two lives in rural Isle of Wight County, Virginia (VA).
$400k Verdict For Plaintiff's Back Injury
Description: According to a recent report in the Virginia (VA) Lawyers Weekly, a Norfolk, Virginia (VA) Circuit Court jury awarded a $400k verdict for a plaintiff’s back injury resulting from a rear-end vehicle collision.
Keeping Our Kids Safe: Child Car Seat Safety-Amazingly Little Federal/State Regulation Leaves Kids Vulnerable
Keeping Our Kids Safe: A Practical Parent’s Guide For Safe Use of Child Safety Seats (CSS)
Description: This article discusses ways parents can investigate a CSS and be sure that the one they select is not only a good one, but how to investigate the proper securing of a safety seat in their vehicle. The author is indebted to Douglas Gentile, of Kansas City, MO who provided an excellent review of these safety issues in Chicago at an AAJ legal seminar.
Keeping Our Kids Safe: A Review of Child Safety Inside Cars, Including Proper Installation of Car Safety Seats and Other Alternative Safety Restraint Systems
Description: This is a continuing series of articles about keeping our kids safe while they are in our cars.
Keeping Our Kids Safe:What To Do And Know If You Suspect A Faulty Car Safety Seat
Description: This is a continuing series of articles relating to keeping our kids safe and focuses on what to do if you or a family member has been in a car crash, with personal injuries to a child and you suspect that there was a faulty car safety seat (CSS) or a defect in the safety seat.
Virginia Attorney for Injured Child Has Flexible Settlement Option
Description: The rules in Virginia (VA) courts related to personal injury cases is often less favorable for the family with an injured love one than other states like North Carolina (NC).
Serious injuries decrease with Virginia’s (VA) seatbelt law
Description: A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that within a year of Virginia (VA) putting in a mandatory seatbelt law there were less injuries to front seat passengers.
Personal Injury in a Pedestrian Crosswalk--Virginia Law Offers Extra Protection
Description: When Personal Injury or Death Occurs in a Pedestrian Crosswalk certain Virginia LawsOffer Extra Protection in Favor of Pedestrians
The Virginia (VA) / North Carolina (NC) border has impact for automobile accident lawyers.
Description: The insurance law pertaining to automobile accidents is different in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC). Both states have medical payments coverage instead of PIP or personal injury protection coverage on their automobile policies where applicable. However the rules about how to calculate the exact amount of coverage for instance stacking the number of cars with medical payments coverage to reach the total available medical payments insurance available in Virginia (VA) is different from North Carolina (NC).
Working With Doctors Is Key To Being A Successful Personal Injury Lawyer.
Description: Successfully working with the doctors and other health care providers is critical to getting a maximum recovery in personal injury litigation. I bend over backwards to try to keep the doctors happy who are treating my injured clients and whose testimony is key to winning the injury case in court.
The United States Government Has Recently Announced That It Is Requiring Stability Safety Features To Be Put On All Vehicles In The Future To Prevent Roll-Over Accidents.
Description: The car manufacturers have known about the dangers of vehicle roll-overs for a long time. However, many car makers have not installed the stability control technology on all of their vehicles as they should. This danger of accidents where the car tips over on its side or on its top is a significant safety issue.
Cell Phones Causing Alarming Numbers of Motor Vehicle/Car Crashes
Description: Cell Phones Causing Alarming Numbers of Motor Vehicle/Car Crashes, as this causes inattentive blindness or distracted driving
Insurance Company Contact Numbers
Description: Insurance companies don't make it easy to file a claim. Here are the contact numbers of every major insurance company in America.

Frequent Questions for Auto Accidents:

Case Results for Auto Accidents:

Pedestrians Stuck by Automobile Recover $540,000.00 - $545,000.00
Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome brings verdict of $194,000.00 - $170,000.00
Crosswalk Accident With Broken Leg Settles For $227,000.00 - $227,000
Soft Tissue Injuries Caused by Auto Accident - $30,000.00
Serious Auto Accident Causes Death of Infant - Confidential Sum
Motorcycle Passengers Recover $1,512,000.00 - $1,512,000.00

Web Resources for Auto Accidents:

Roseville Injury Lawyer
Description: Edward Smith - Roseville Injury Lawyer - West Sacramento Accident Attorney.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Description: Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes.
National Transportation Safety Board
Description: Official Web site of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent US Federal agency.
Motor Vehicle Accident Liablility
Description: FindLaw article
NHTSA
Description: Crash information
Crashtest.com
Description: Agencies and explanations
Most Dangerous Intersections in America
Description: As reported by State Farm Insurance
Road Accident Compensation Claims UK
Description: Suffered a road accident injury? A Claimant Law personal injury solicitor will provide expert advice on making a road accident compensation claim in the UK. Qualified solicitors, 100% compensation on all road accident claims

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Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, P.C.
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Toll Free: (800) 752.0042
Phone: (757) 460-7776
Fax: (757) 460.3428

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