Automobile Accidents

• Standing Her Ground Pays Off Against Allstate

  Rick Shapiro | July 22, 2006 4:33 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  By James C. Lewis, HSCLA Attorney One of the clients of our firm was recently involved in an automobile collision which resulted in personal injuries to her. She had the nerve to stand her ground against Allstate's low and unfair offer--and we achieved a nice victory for her. The careless defendant ran a red light and crossed out in the road in front of her. She was unable to avoid colliding...

• Tick Tock for No Helmet

  Staff Writer | July 10, 2006 6:46 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Previously, I wrote a blog on the benefits of wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle. In fact, this blog was based upon my personal experience of seeing many clients who had suffered a brain injury, while riding without a helmet. Our law firm has an office in Virginia, that requires motorcycle riders to wear a helmet. We also have an office in South Carolina, where there is no helmet law...

• Lawyer Wins $11,000,000.00 verdict against Allstate

  Staff Writer | July 10, 2006 9:04 AM | 0 CommentsRoanoke, VA

  A New Mexico jury has awarded nearly $11,000,000.00 in damages against Allstate Insurance Company to an Albuquerque lawyer because they ruined her legal practice. Allstate Insurance Company had routinely hired Suzanne Guest, an Albuquerque lawyer, to represent the company in defense of personal injury claims; however, when Guest and Allstate were sued by two people she had injured, the company...

• Working Carefully With Doctor's Treating Injured Clients Makes A Difference

  John Cooper | July 07, 2006 1:32 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  By: John Cooper, HSCLA attorneyOne of the key things in any injury case is working with experts. The primary expert in any injury case is the treating doctor; typically, a specialist, like an orthopaedist or a neurosurgeon. Good communication between the attorney and the treating doctor is key to successful conclusion of a case. Some attorneys simply write a letter to the doctor asking them...

• Get Off That Cell Phone While Driving

  Ben Glass | July 06, 2006 4:38 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  It should come as no surprise that there is increasing data that driving while talking on a cell phone, even a "hands free" device, is causing death and injury on our roads. There are groups of people who study this. It's called "human factors." Now a brand new study of cell phone using drivers shows that cell phone use can make you as "impaired" as a drunk driver. The researchers concluded: "We...

• Allstate Lawyer Wins $11 Million--From Allstate

  Ben Glass | July 06, 2006 4:28 PM | 0 CommentsNorthern Virginia, VA

  Now here's an interesting story. It seems that one of Allstate's car accident personal injury defense attorneys sued Allstate, claiming that the company had "ruined her practice." According to the Insurance Journal Website Allstate Insurance Co. routinely hired Suzanne Guest to represent the company in accident claims.But when two accident victims sued Allstate and Guest, the company went back...

• Cell Phones Used While Driving As Dangerous As Drunk Drivers Per New Study

  Rick Shapiro | July 06, 2006 7:57 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Have you ever noticed that during some interesting cell phone conversations (while you are driving your car!) that you forget your speed? Or that those bright green, yellow and red lights overhead actually have a meaning? Well, new research is good (or bad) depending on whether you are a chronic cell phone driver. The amazing new research recently published by the Human Factors and Ergonomics...

• Boating Injuries: Does Federal Maritime Law or State Law Apply?

  Rick Shapiro | June 30, 2006 7:00 AM | 1 CommentVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  A tricky point that applies when a personal injury occurs on a boat (commercial or otherwise) is whether the closest state negligence law applies, or whether federal maritime law applies. The point can be critical on many evidence issues, as Virginia still holds that contributory negligence of an injured person totally bars recovery, whereas federal maritime law only considers the injured...

• Virginia & North Carolina Boating: Personal Watercraft Accidents & Injuries Increasing

  Rick Shapiro | June 28, 2006 8:51 AM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  Virginia and North Carolina offer special amenities to residents and visitors: beautiful oceans, bays and waterways. One of the most popular aquatic pastimes is the use of a personal watercraft (PWC), including jet skis, waverunners, waterbikes and waterscooters, representing a market that has ballooned in the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, the explosive growth has led to more...

• Highway Motor Vehicle Death Rates Increased in 2005

  John Cooper | June 21, 2006 3:01 PM | 0 CommentsVirginia Beach, Chesapeake & Suffolk, VA

  The highway death rate increased in 2005 for the first time in about 20 years, according to recently released federal statistics. Although more people are using safety belts and there have been various national campaigns against drunk driving, 43,200 people died in motor vehicle wrecks in 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Many of these deaths are caused by...