Personal Injury Law Firm in Manassas VA

Every year, there are countless unintentional injuries reported in the state of Virginia. While some of these injuries truly are pure accidents that no one could foresee or prevent, others would never happen but for the negligence of an irresponsible party. When negligence is the cause of an injury suffered by you or a loved one, our experienced personal injury lawyers are here to represent you and make sure your rights are protected. We know how to investigate personal injury cases, build claims, and provide our clients with the superior service and personalized attention they deserve. Do not delay in taking action – request your consultation by contacting us today.

Have You Been Injured? We Can Help

We have represented clients in Virginia who have been injured in different accident types. While injuries and the type of negligence may vary significantly on a case-by-case basis, the criteria for bringing forth a successful personal injury claim remains the same. As such, our attorneys are able to represent you, no matter the cause of your injury, and have successfully represented clients injured in the following accident types–

• Car accidents
• Commercial Truck accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Dog bites
• Slip and falls
• Premises liability claims, and
• Criminal and intentional acts

What is Considered a Serious Personal Injury?

A serious (catastrophic) injury will often permanently affect an individual’s ability to function and live in a normal manner. Such injuries are typically disfiguring or disabling in nature, and commonly include the following:

• Spinal cord injury
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Amputation
• Crushing injuries
• Severe burns
• Dismemberment
• Paralysis

Severe injuries, such as described above, can cause varying degrees of paralysis, reduced cognitive function, chronic pain, and physical impairments for victims. This can lead to a lifetime of physical, emotional, and financial issues.

In general, serious injuries will make it impossible for an individual to resume work for extended periods or entirely prevent the victim from working again and requiring specialized medical care for the remainder of their lives. This can lead to extreme financial difficulties, particularly when dealing with high medical bills associated with treating severe and debilitating injuries.

Compensation in Serious Personal Injury Lawsuits

The following types of compensatory damages are commonly awarded in personal injury claims:

Medical Treatment – A compensatory damages award in a personal injury case almost always includes medical care costs related to the accident, including reimbursement for medical treatment you have already undergone as well as the approximate cost of medical care you will require in the future due to the accident.

Pain and Suffering – For the pain and discomfort, you experienced during the accident and afterward may entitle you to receive compensation, including compensation for any ongoing pain due to the accident.

Loss of Income – You may be able to receive compensatory damages for the accident’s effect on your wages and salary. This may include not only income that you have already lost but also future income that you would have been able to earn, if the accident had not taken place.

Emotional Distress – Compensation for emotional distress is associated with more serious accidents and is meant to compensate the victim for an injury’s psychological effect, including anxiety, insomnia, and fear.

Loss of Enjoyment – You may be entitled to receive compensation for “loss of enjoyment” if serious injuries from an accident prevent you from enjoying routine pursuits such as exercise, hobbies, and other recreational activities.

Loss of Consortium – “Loss of consortium” usually relates to the effect of the injuries on the relationship between the plaintiff and their spouse. For example, the inability to engage in a sexual relationship or the loss of companionship could be considered a consortium loss.

If you have been injured, it is important to find an attorney and law firm that you can trust. We have a reputation in our community of case success and client satisfaction.

You Deserve to Be Compensated for Your Injuries

When you are involved in an accident caused by the fault of another, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Olmstead & Olmstead work hard on your behalf to recover the full value of damages you’re owed. In Virginia, you have the right to recover both economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are precise financial costs that you have incurred, such as the value of your medical expenses. Noneconomic damages refer to the value of intangible harm you have suffered, such as the value of your pain and suffering.

While most damages are not capped in the state of Virginia – meaning that you can recover the full amount of your losses – there are two types of damages that are capped. First, damages in medical malpractice cases are capped at just over $2 million (the amount increases slightly every year, as laid forth in Code of Virginia Section 8.01-581.15).

The other type of damages that are capped in Virginia are punitive damages, which are damages designed to punish the defendant rather than compensate the victim. In Virginia, punitive damages are capped at $350,000.

It Is Important to Act Quickly

If you believe that another party’s negligence was the direct cause of your injuries and you want to see compensation for the damages you have suffered, you must act quickly to bring forth your claim and begin the recovery process. If you do not file your suit for damages within two years time from the date of your injury, you will be barred from seeking damages. At the law offices of Olmstead & Olmstead we recommend scheduling a consultation with our personal injury lawyers as soon as possible following your accident.

Important Laws About Fault & Negligence in Virginia

Fault and negligence are often used interchangeably, but negligence is the failure to exercise a reasonable amount of care in a given situation, and helps to determine which party is at fault for an accident and injuries.

Each state has its own fault laws, which affect how much a plaintiff can recover when and if they contribute to their injuries in any way. Virginia is a contributory negligence state, and has harsh laws when it comes to a plaintiff’s fault. To be sure, Virginia’s pure contributory negligence laws hold that if a plaintiff contributes to their injuries in the slightest way, even as little as one percent, they are completely barred from seeking damages from the at fault party.

The pure contributory fault law can make recovering compensation for your injuries difficult, as the defendant may argue that you contributed to your injuries, and are therefore barred from compensation. For this reason, working with an experienced Virginia car accident attorney is absolutely essential; attempting to represent yourself could mean that you are unable to gather the evidence necessary to prove that the defendant should be 100 percent liable for your losses.

How Long Will It Take to Settle My Personal Injury Claim?

Following the initial investigation, a letter of demand will be sent to the insured and their insurer. In case the insurance provider refuses to pay or offers a lowball settlement, you can lodge a formal complaint in court. At this point, the personal injury claim process can start to drag on.

After filing a complaint, the process of discovery begins. In this process, both your lawyer and the defendant’s will collect information for the case via interviews, reviewing of paperwork and reports, and other investigative techniques. This part of the process is vital for building a robust claim that can be proved in court, should the need arise. But most cases do not reach court, and more than 90 percent of personal injury claims are settled before that occurs.

After the discovery stage, your lawyer and the defendant’s lawyer may initiate settlement negotiations. Sometimes the process ends here. In other cases, the case moves into mediation.

At the time of mediation, both parties will meet with a neutral third party, usually appointed by the court, to present their cases and try to reach a settlement. Almost all personal injury claims are settled before or during this stage of the process. But if your claim involves substantial compensatory damages, or if settlement is not possible, the case will end up at trial.

The statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit in Virginia is two years. The clock on this deadline typically starts running on the date of your injury in most cases.

Why You Should Choose the Law Offices of Olmstead & Olmstead, P.C.

Our law firm is comprised of experienced professionals who have been involved in many areas of the law, and therefore have the unique perspective and background your case deserves. We have decades of combined experience and our case results speak to our level of skill. When you hire our law firm, we will handle all components of your personal injury case, including establishing that a relationship existed between you and the defendant, gathering and organizing the evidence necessary to prove that the defendant breached the duty of care owed to you, proving that the breach of duty of care (negligence) was the direct cause of your injuries, and demonstrating the full extent of damages you have suffered.

Contact Us Today

When you are injured, picking up the phone to call a lawyer and talk about your injuries can be challenging; we know that reliving your accident can be painful and emotional. We want to reassure you that we will do everything we can to improve your chances of recovering every penny you are owed.

If you are ready to take your life back and seek justice, please contact us today. A consultation with the experienced and aggressive car accident attorneys at Olmstead & Olmstead is free, and there is no fee for our services unless we recover damages. You can reach us online, or at 703-361-1555.