Personal Injury

Partially Blamed for an Injury That Wasn’t Your Fault? You Need a Lawyer!

by admin@gotechark.com | December 12th, 2022

In most other states, you can still get compensation for an injury even if you are ruled partially at fault for the accident. For example, if you’re rear-ended by a driver who was speeding and following too closely, but your brake lights were burnt out, you may be assigned partial fault. You will be penalized an equivalent percentage of your settlement, but you wouldn’t be prevented from getting one.

In Virginia, however, being ruled even 1% at fault makes you ineligible for ANY compensation. This harsh legal doctrine is called contributory negligence, and it’s only used in a few states in the U.S., including ours. That makes it extremely important to push back on any level of fault assigned to you if you believe it’s in error and that the other party is solely at fault.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our Virginia personal injury lawyers build claims not only to prove the other parties’ negligence, but also to prove our clients’ lack of fault. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply prove the other person was at fault in many cases—it’s also necessary to prove the victim did nothing, no matter how minor, to contribute to the accident or injury.

After an accident or injury that wasn’t your fault, you don’t have to accept or deal with the consequences of unfair blame. There’s too great of a cost in Virginia to be pinned with even 1% of fault for something you didn’t do. Contact us anytime for a free consultation and to learn how we can put our experience to work for you.

Virginia’s Personal Injury Laws Mean Victims Need Legal Representation

by admin@gotechark.com | September 26th, 2022

In most states, people who are injured in accidents can file compensation claims against at-fault parties to get money for their medical bills, lost wages, and other damages, even if they are partially at fault themselves.

For example, if a driver gets hit from behind by another driver who was following them too closely, but the first driver’s brake lights weren’t working, they may be assigned partial fault, but not enough fault to make them ineligible for compensation.

But in Virginia, being assigned even 1% of fault makes injured victims ineligible to get ANY compensation. That’s because the state uses a contributory negligence system for injury claims. Only Virginia, Alabama, Maryland, and North Carolina use this model, and it makes it very tough for victims to file claims, as small amounts of fault can be assigned in many cases.

It’s important to have an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side in any state, but it’s particularly important in contributory negligence states. At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we not only prove other parties injured our clients, but we also prove they weren’t at fault for their injuries.

We do this by collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, reconstructing accident scenes, and more. There are no steps we won’t take in our quest to clear our clients’ names and their paths to maximum compensation.

If you were recently injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault, but you were assigned partial fault anyway, we want to help. Contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation.

Don’t Accept the Insurance Company’s Offer Without a Lawyer Looking it Over

by admin@gotechark.com | May 23rd, 2022

After an accident or injury, many people assume that the insurance company will range from uncooperative to downright hostile. Imagine their surprise when the insurance company isn’t just helpful, but offers them a settlement with no strings attached and no questions asked!

As the old saying goes, when something in life seems too good to be true, it probably is. And that’s often the case with unprompted and fast settlement offers. When insurance companies offer settlements without any work from victims, it’s often because they are attempting to minimize their financial hits. They know that if victims hire lawyers who will dig into what they are truly owed, the checks they’re writing will be MUCH larger.

If you get an unsolicited settlement offer from the insurance company either immediately after an accident or injury or while your lawyer is building your claim, don’t accept it. Instead, talk to a lawyer. In rare cases, the amount they’re offering may be fair. But in most cases, it’s a “lowball” offer that will leave you needing more money just months or even weeks later.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we can review all the facts of your accident, including how much money you’re truly owed. From there, we’ll advise you on all settlement offers while continuing to negotiate with the insurance company to get you paid fair and square. Contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation.

Unsure if You Have an Injury Claim? Contact Us and Find Out.

by admin@gotechark.com | May 2nd, 2022

Injuries can happen anywhere and at any time. At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, it’s our job to help people who were injured through no fault of their own get full compensation for their damages. However, countless preventable injuries go unreported and never see the light of day in the legal system, and it’s often because victims either don’t want to make a fuss or because they’re unsure if they have valid claims.

Our Virginia personal injury lawyers make it easy to determine if you have a claim. Simply contact us online or by calling our office and telling us what happened to you or loved one. Our consultations are always free, and there’s no obligation to hire us. We’ll review the facts of what happened in your accident or injury, and we’ll determine the strength and overall validity of your potential claim.

If we believe you have a claim, we’ll let you know, and it’s up to you if you want to move forward with our firm or not. In addition to offering free consultations, we also don’t charge for our legal services unless we get money for our clients. That means there’s no risk to contacting our firm or even hiring us, as you’ll never a see a single bill unless you get a compensation check.

If you were hurt because of another person’s or party’s negligence, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to get an experienced legal opinion on your rights to a settlement. Contact us today for a free consultation and to find out how we can help you during this difficult time.

What Our Free Consultations and Contingency Fees Mean for You

by admin@gotechark.com | January 10th, 2022

Getting a lawyer doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost you a penny out of your pocket.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we know that the idea of spending a lot of money on an attorney when you’re already facing medical bills and lost wages can be intimidating and stressful. We also believe that access to the legal system shouldn’t be limited to people who can afford to pay expensive lawyer fees.

By offering free consultations, we allow injured victims from all walks of life and with all types of injuries to tell us their story without worrying about invoices or hourly rates. They can take their time and give us all the information about what happened. From that point, there’s no obligation to hire us.

When clients decide to move forward with our firm, they still won’t face any costs associated with our services. The only time we get paid is when we win our clients’ cases. And even then, we only take a percentage of their settlements. That means there’s no risk to calling our firm or hiring us to take on your claim. If you don’t get a check, you don’t owe us anything!

You have enough on your plate after an injury that wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t have to worry about additional expenses from an expensive law firm. Contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation. We want to help you get the money you’re owed.

Why Should You Hire a Lawyer to File a Personal Injury Claim?

by admin@gotechark.com | November 29th, 2021

Personal injury lawyer ads are everywhere—on television, on billboards, and even on buses. It’s easy for people to roll their eyes at the idea of calling a personal injury lawyer, as they’re commonly associated with “frivolous” lawsuits and injuries. But when you’re hurt through no fault of your own and are facing big expenses for medical bills and lost wages, you may change your tune on the value of personal injury lawyers.

Hiring a personal injury lawyer is important for a few reasons:

  • It helps you get all the money you’re entitled to.

Injuries are expensive, and insurance companies rarely pay victims what they’re truly owed. That means that even if the insurance company offers you a settlement, it may not be enough to cover your current bills, let alone your future bills.

  • It allows you to focus on your recovery.

When you’re trying to heal from a serious injury, the last thing you need is to deal with an uncooperative insurance company. When you hire a personal injury lawyer, you don’t have to talk to the insurer anymore. Instead, your lawyer will handle all communication on your behalf.

  • It can help create change in a company or industry.

When companies or industries are liable for injuring people, they’re often resistant to change unless there are major consequences for not doing so. Paying “lowball” settlements to victims or ignoring them completely rarely results in change, but being held liable by lawyers can help make change a reality.

The Virginia personal injury lawyers at Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers are here to help after an accident or injury that wasn’t your fault. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Unsure if You Have an Injury Claim? Contact Us to Find Out.

by admin@gotechark.com | October 11th, 2021

Although many of the injuries that people suffer are covered by the “Cases We Handle” section of our website, we know that not everyone’s situation will fall neatly into one of those categories. But when you’re injured because of someone else’s negligence, you still need compensation, regardless of how common or easily categorized your accident or injury is.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we help many different people who were injured in a variety of different situations. Accidents and injuries can occur anytime and at any place, but they shouldn’t happen because someone wasn’t paying attention or failed to take precautions. Everyone has a duty of care that they owe others, especially when it comes to driving, behaving in public, practicing medicine, or inviting others onto their property.

When they fail to uphold that duty of care and other people are injured, they can and should be held liable for their injuries. There are many law firms that can assist with personal injury claims, but not all law firms will fight tooth and nail to get their clients the money they’re truly owed. Instead, many firms will accept the first settlement offers they receive to maximize case turnover and increase their profits.

Our legal team wants nothing more than for our clients to make full financial recoveries, and that’s why we go the extra mile to get maximum compensation. Contact us today to find out how we can help you get the money you need for your medical bills, lost wages, and more after an injury that wasn’t your fault.

What’s the Difference Between an Injury Lawsuit and an Injury Claim?

by admin@gotechark.com | July 12th, 2021

After an injury, you may have many expenses. You may need medical treatment, which can include everything from a cast for a broken bone to surgery to weeks or months or physical rehabilitation. You also may be unable to work, which means no paychecks until you’ve recovered enough to get back on the job.

When many people are in your shoes, they look to the parties that caused their injuries to get compensation for their expenses. And there are two ways to go about getting that compensation: filing a damages claim against their insurance, or filing a lawsuit against them.

Filing a claim against the at-fault party’s insurance is almost always preferred by everyone involved—including the insurance company. In this situation, payment for damages is negotiated between the victim, their lawyer, the negligent party, and their insurer. When all sides agree on an amount, it’s paid up and the claim ends without ever going to court.

But when the at-fault party or their insurance company either refuse to admit fault or pay a fair settlement, filing a lawsuit is the next step. That’s when the damages claim goes to court and is heard by a judge and jury. Insurance companies usually want to avoid this, as it’s costly and risky. But sometimes, they dig their heels in and refuse to pay unless they’re ordered to by a judge and jury.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, we use both methods to get our clients full compensation. Although we strive to avoid going to trial, we aren’t afraid to do so if it means getting victims the money they’re owed. Contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation.

Injured Less Than 2 Years Ago? You May Still Have a Claim!

by admin@gotechark.com | February 15th, 2021

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, our Virginia personal injury attorneys always stress the importance of contacting a lawyer right away after accidents and injuries. But we know that not everyone wants to get involved in the legal process or is even aware of what their accident-related expenses will be. In fact, many victims don’t fully understand how much money they’ll be out until several months after their injuries.

At that point, many victims assume it’s too late to pursue a compensation claim. But because Virginia’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date they happened, victims can still file claims long after they were hurt. Of course, filing a claim several months or even more than one year after the injury occurred can make it more difficult to win, but there’s always a chance—especially when evidence is available.

Because we offer free consultations, there’s no risk to contact our firm and let us know what happened, even your accident occurred well over one year ago. Evidence is evidence, and when we can prove you weren’t at fault for your injury and that you’ve incurred serious damages because of it, we may be able to win you the money you’re owed. All it takes is making a phone call or filling out the form on this page.

Don’t be dissuaded from filing a compensation claim simply because you think too much time has passed. If the statute of limitations hasn’t expired, it’s always worth exploring your options, and we’re here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation.

There’s No Cap for Personal Injury Settlements in Virginia

by admin@gotechark.com | December 28th, 2020

Getting compensation for an injury you suffered because of someone else’s negligence is a right afforded to virtually all Americans. But not all citizens can pursue the full amount of compensation they’re owed. That’s because some states place caps on injury damages, whether it’s economic (i.e., medical bills and lost wages) or non-economic (i.e., pain and suffering or loss of consortium).

Fortunately, Virginia has no such caps on either economic or non-economic damages. Capping personal injury settlements can make sense for the people and parties who are on the hook for paying settlements, but it can seriously hurt victims. That’s because some injuries can result in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in damages.

How can an injury be so expensive?

  • Medical bills can be lifelong—Some injuries require lifelong care. Consider an auto accident victim who is paralyzed in the crash. They may need care and rehabilitation for the rest of their lives. A capped settlement will never be enough to cover these costs.
  • Disability can be permanent—There are few bigger life stressors than being unable to provide for your family. But some accident victims become permanently disabled, which means they can never work and earn paychecks again.
  • Pain and suffering can be immense—Accidents can be both physically and mentally traumatic. Victims may develop intense depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These psychological and emotional problems can severely impact relationships and day-to-day life for victims.

At Lowell Stanley Injury Lawyers, it’s our job to help victims get every penny they’re owed. Contact our Virginia personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation or call (757) 461-5555. We’ll determine how much money you deserve, and we’ll fight to get it for you.