CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER IN SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA
You can drive on the highway, whether Interstate or back road, and do nothing wrong - someone can still hit your car. Car accidents are very common, and when you get hurt as the result of someone else's negligence, you need an attorney to enforce your rights, and get you the compensation you deserve. Get Justice with Joe - call Blaszkow Legal - 703-879-5910
CONTACT A CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER TODAY!
SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY
hOW CAN A SPRINGFIELD CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER HELP ME?
Springfield, Virginia is home to the Mixing Bowl, a huge collection of cloverleafs and overpasses where I-95 and the DC Capital Beltway(495) meet. There are on ramps, and off-ramps, and merges a-plenty. It is a marvel of engineering, and also a hotbed of car accidents, truck accidents, bus accidents, and motorcycle accidents. A lot of people get hurt everyday, merely because another driver does not drive on the roadway with due regard for fellow motorists, and because they violate the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia
If you have been involved in a Springfield car accident, you need a professional and experienced attorney to help you get the justice and compensation that you deserve.
A professional car accident lawyer's job is to fight the insurance company for you - because they are fighting for their stockholders. They want to pay you as little as possible, and we want to get you as much as we can.
What Causes These Accidents?
Failing to Yield
Improper Merging
and more
These accidents are usually preventable, because a driver does not commit full time and attention to the roadway.
When should I get medical treatment?
We get asked this question a lot, and the truth is, we have a lot of fancy degrees on our walls! But none of them say medical doctor! You should get the medical treatment that you need to get better. If you are in considerable pain, or you are worried that the pain is getting worse, you should stop what you are doing and go to the hospital. If your pain is relatively modest, and it has been a day or two since the accident, you can go to an urgent care center, or even your primary care doctor.
As professional car accident lawyers, we can never advise you what treatment you should get. An attorney who makes such a recommendation is actually doing you a disservice. We can only tell you how the treatment that you get, whatever it is, will impact a legal case.
One thing we can say however, is that your care should always be overseen by a medical doctor. There are plenty of wonderful professionals out there who help people who are in pain, but some of those people are not medical doctors, or doctors of osteopathy. This does not invalidate their treatment, but from a legal standpoint, it can give the insurance companies reasons to attack the treatment. As long as treatment is reviewed by, and recommended by a physician, then that is treatment that will be more likely to be claimable as part of your car accident case.
When Should I Talk To A Springfield Car Crash Lawyer?
Immediately! We have had clients call us from the scene of the accident, right after calling the police. You cannot go wrong by calling an attorney too soon. The sooner you talk to an attorney, the sooner you are protected, from everyone who has a vested interest in reducing or minimizing the value of your case.
The sad truth is, is there are a lot of people in this world who take advantage of people who have been hurt. Medical providers will try to go around your health insurance, and insurance adjusters will try to trick you into saying things that they can later on use against you. A Springfield car accident lawyer is on your side from the minute you make that phone call. That's our job! To protect you, and to get you the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
How Do I Pay For My Medical Treatment?
When you go to the emergency room, or the urgent care center, you should always use your health insurance! You may have insurance through work, or through a family member, or even Medicare or Medicaid. But you should always give them this information. The healthcare providers will always ask questions about the car accident, and want to know about the insurance companies. What is happening is they are trying to go around your health insurance coverage.
Virginia law does not allow this. A hospital, urgent care center, or other medical provider has an affirmative duty to submit bills to the health insurance of record, pursuant to Virginia Code 8.01-27.5.
Health insurance companies have contracts with various medical providers to accept reduced rates in return for regular business. The hospitals do this to ensure a supply of patients, but at every turn, they are trying to go around that insurance, if they can. By gaining access to the car accident information, they are trying to file their own claim. They recognize that they will get paid back more out of the accident, then they will by the health insurance. This is improper.
Unfortunately this happens all the time! More often than not, hospitals get away with it, because 75% of people who are involved in car accidents, do not talk to an attorney who knows about this! Remember, as a Springfield car accident lawyer, our job is to maximize your recovery. We do not work for the hospitals. Our job is not get them money, it's to get you the justice that you deserve.
What If I Have Med-Pay Coverage On My Virginia Car Insurance?
Yes absolutely. You always want to use your health insurance, regardless of what kind of accident you have had, and regardless of what car insurance coverage is available to you. Medpay coverage is an additional first party benefit that a good and experienced lawyer can help to get for you. However, the health insurance is still primary. If the med pay coverage is used up, that is money that will not go into your pocket. Getting money into our clients' pockets is our goal, whereas the hospitals only want to get paid. They don't care what source that payment comes from.
What About the Property Damage To My Car?
If you have been injured in a Springfield car accident that was not your fault, then you have a claim for your injuries, as well as the damage to your vehicle.
Your injury claim is generally going to be made against the person who hit you. This is usually true of the property damage, however, sometimes the at-fault insurance company does not accept fault right away. It is a dangerous mistake to wait for them to finally come around and accept liability.
A plaintiff always has a duty to mitigate their damages. This means that you have to make them as small as reasonably possible. While the word "reasonably" is not very clearly defined at law, there is a common example. If your vehicle is in a police impound lot, then the storage fees on this vehicle are considerable, and they increase every day. Insurance companies will pay for a couple of days, sometimes up to a week, for these fees. However, if the other side does not accept responsibility right away, the duty falls on you to get that car moved!
How you do this is by opening up a claim with your own car insurance company. They will then move your vehicle from the police impound lot, to a storage facility that they have a contract with, that will not cost too much. They will pay all of these expenses.
If you have a deductible, then the insurance company will begin a process called subrogation, where they try to get your deductible repaid by the at-fault carrier, at any stage of the case.
So I Should Not Talk To My Car Insurance Company?
Sometimes you have to. This is unavoidable. However, we want to minimize these contacts as much as possible. Your car insurance could very easily turn against you, if the accident that you were involved in becomes an uninsured motorist claim. Our job is to protect you, and that means from everyone. From the other person's insurance, as well as your own insurance, in the event that want to argue about or otherwise minimize your claim.
What should you do after a Virginia Car Accident?
Follow these important steps!
1 - Be Safe, Always!
If you have flares, put them out to warn other drivers - but do NOT ignite them near any spilled liquids. Use orange warning triangles, too. Move your car from the travel lanes to a shoulder, if possible.
2 - Document Everything!
Call the police right away, even if you think the accident is "minor." The call is recorded, and will create a record of the time of the incident. This will preserve the record for later, if needed.
3 - Take Pictures and Videos
You cannot have too many pictures! Don't just capture your car, but everything that may be relevant to the accident: your car, the other person's car, the other driver, passengers, the road way, other stopped vehicles, debris, etc. Always get a picture of the other driver's license, not just insurance card (see No. 4)
4 - Identify the Driver, Not Just the Insurance!
An exchange of information means people trade insurance cards and registrations, but this identifies who owns the car, not who was driving it - and if you have to litigate, you have got to prove who was driving the car! The best way to do that is get a copy of the driver's license or state/federal-issued ID card. Again, you can't have too many pics!
5 - Identify Any Witnesses
People who saw the accident are important to proving your case, because the burden is always on you. Just because the other driver says "it's my fault," doesn't mean he or she can't change the story later on. Make sure you get the name, phone number, address, and email (if you can) of any passengers and witnesses, so they can be interviewed later.
6 - Get Checked Out If You Are Hurt!
If you are in pain, then you should go to an emergency room, or urgent care center. Sometimes symptoms manifest themselves after a day or two - let professional health care workers make sure you are ok. "Sleeping it off" is not a good idea, because you do not know what was hurt, and how bad.
7 - Call Blaszkow Legal - 703-879-5910
Before you call ANY insurance company, call an experienced Springfield Car Accident Attorney. As you see on TV: what you see can and will be used against you - this goes for insurance companies, too, and this includes your own. Always protect yourself!
No case is too big or too small
When you or a loved is hurt, you need legal advice!
Call Blaszkow Legal today for a free consultation. We will review your situation, and point you in the right direction to recover for your injuries!
Virginia, maryland, and DC
Our firm has attorneys who are Members of the Bar in all three of the DMV jurisdictions. So we can fight for you anytime, anywhere.
You need a team that knows how the insurance companies think, and knows how to beat them - Get Justice with Joe!
See what our clients have said about us!
Amazing, friendly staff and professionalism is the experience you’re gonna get. They are always staying on top of their job and I have always recommended the office of Blaszkow legal without no hesitations to relatives and friends. Hands down it’s the best law office for car accidents related cases in the DMV! Thank you Blaszkow Legal for always having my back!
We were involved in a hit n run car accident. Mr. Blaszkow and his team helped us understand and guided us through the process and helped settle the case in our best interest. Someone from his team always kept us informed of the case, and prepared us for the next step. We are very pleased with their work.
I cannot say enough good things about Blaszkow Legal. Throughout the whole process I always felt like I was in good hands. They helped me through my case and were very attentive. Matt was amazing and incredibly helpful! He answered all my questions and he was always prompt in responding to me. He even gave me advice about the best ways to navigate obstacles that came up while I was a client. He was always friendly and a complete pleasure to work with. I was so nervous about the process and from the moment I sat down for our initial meeting he made me feel comfortable and I trusted him through the whole process. Mr.Blaszkow was also wonderful to work with. He fought for me and gave me advice throughout the process and I put my full trust in him and it paid off in the end. I never felt pressured to settle and he made sure that I received the best outcome for my case. Hiring a lawyer during a difficult time can be incredibly scary, but I can say my experience during the time I was a client was as pleasant as it could be. Thanks again Guys! You are rockstars!!
what kinds of springfield crashes do you work?
We focus our practice on representing people who have been hurt by the negligence of others. Normally, this means people hurt in car accidents, and more. We work the following kinds of cases:
Truck Accidents - we have experience working truck accidents, from modest damage to horrific crashes.
Wrongful Death - if your loved one has died in a car accident, we can fight for your family from beginning to end.
Motorcycle Accidents - motorcyclists are everywhere in the DMV, and some people do not see them! These crashes are usually seriously, and we have represented alot of riders over the years
Rideshare Accidents - Uber and Lyft are more common than taxis these days, and rideshare drivers and passengers do get hurt. We have great experience battling the insurance companies in these rideshare wrecks.
Delivery Driver Accidents - Delivery drivers move what we need, where we need it, and some of them have been seriously hurt when a negligent driver has struck their delivery truck.
Slips and Falls - when someone trips over a hazard that a property owner knew about, or should have known about, we are ready willing and able to fight for these injured people!
Diminished Value Claims - cars that are involved in accidents drop in value automatically. Certain car owners, like those who have Teslas or other new cars, have a claim for that lost value.
When Do I Need to Call A Lawyer?
Right away - each time, and every time. Insurance companies are playing the numbers. They know that most people who are involved in car accidents won't call an attorney, because those people think they can do it better themselves. Unfortunately, the insurance companies DO NOT have a duty to tell self-represented people what they can and cannot claim.
Some of these people will take offers they think are high, and not realize that there are other things they can claim, to improve their recovery.
As an experienced Springfield Car Accident Lawyer, we fight for our clients, not for insurance companies. Our job is to maximize our clients' recoveries.