FALLS CHURCH CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS
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Falls Church Car Accidents
Being in a car accident is often a sudden and unexpected experience that alters how you live your daily life. Accidents can range from small fender benders in parking lots, to major, multi-car pile ups on Route 50. Regardless of the size of the accident, people get hurt every day in these accidents, and if you have been hurt in an accident that was not your fault, then you may be entitled to compensation.
Many things happen after a car accident, not least of which is the fact that insurance companies begin to circle like sharks in the water. They want to speak to you as soon as possible, to use anything that you say against you. Because of Virginia's law, as a contributory negligence state, anything they can use against you, they will! Always talk to an experienced car accident lawyer to fight for your rights today! Blaszkow Legal is here to protect you, and fight for you!
How can a Falls Church Car Accident Lawyer help me?
The Falls Church car accident lawyers at Blaszkow Legal are going to be able to help you in many ways while you are dealing with the after-effects of your car accident. We are going to do everything we can to remove some of the stresses that are piling on top of you. We are going to fight to get you all of the compensation that you deserve for your injuries and your damages.
One of the most important things that we do, as soon as you become our client, is begin investigating your accident. As the person making the claim, you have the burden of proof to prove not only 1) that you were hurt, but also 2) that the other party caused the accident. We have to prove their negligence, not simply allege it. The best kinds of proof are objective and unimpeachable. We set our team to work right away, trying to find camera footage, dash cam footage, and surveillance camera tapes that show the location of the accident as well as the accident itself. However, camera footage does not stay around forever, so it is important for us to identify and preserve this footage as soon as possible. You need to talk to a Falls Church accident lawyer immediately!
Falls Church car accidents and contributory negligence
Accidents that happen in Falls Church are governed by Virginia law. Virginia practices a legal doctrine known as contributory negligence, which means that you, the person making the claim, cannot have been in any way responsible for the accident itself. If you are even 1% at fault, then you cannot recover (also called the 1% rule).
This is one of the many important reasons you need to contact a Falls Church car accident lawyer immediately. Insurance companies will try to talk to you right away, and will often try to take a recorded statement. This statement will be transcribed, and they will use that against you, to allege that you did something or violated some rule of the road to attack your claim. Never speak to an insurance company without talking to an experienced car accident lawyer first!
Misconceptions about Virginia Car Accidents
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions floating around, and the internet has only made that worse. It is important to know the truth about accidents and accident law to better understand car accidents, and not believe things that insurance companies, among others, want you to believe:
Fender benders do not hurt people. This is not true! People can be hurt in any accident, and with any forced-movement. A person who is in a car has to be taken as you find them (this is called the egg-shell plaintiff rule). While a minor tap on the fender may not harm a 21-year-old in peak physical condition, it may very well cause serious injuries to a 50-year-old with osteoporosis. The insurance companies want you to believe that no one can be hurt, but that's simply not true. Just because someone else would not be hurt in that accident, does not mean that you yourself were not hurt!
Pre-existing injuries bar compensation claims. Not true at all! You can file a claim, but pre-existing injuries really can muddy the waters, because insurance companies will try to say that the accident didn't cause your injuries - they were already there. An experienced car accident lawyer is going to get your pre-accident medical records to be able to compare and contrast your condition from before the accident, to after the accident. This is how you prove the difference in condition, and how you prove how the accident hurt you.
The insurance company will give me fair value for my case. Most definitely not! Insurance companies work for their shareholders, and their stockholders. Their business model is not to pay people what they ask, or they would go out of business. They make people fight for it. The reality is that over 70% of the people who are involved in car accidents do not speak to a lawyer, and the car insurance companies are playing the numbers!
I don't need an injury attorney. Whether or not you speak to an attorney is up to you, but we always recommend it. The insurance companies know what the law is, but they have no duty to tell you. If you are out of pocket $1,000 for a hospital visit, and the insurance company then offers immediately to pay that $1,000 back, you may walk away thinking that you have been made whole. But that is not the case! Your claim is not just what your deductible or copay is, it is the full amount of that medical treatment! The insurance companies don't want you to talk to a lawyer, because they know, statistically, when a lawyer is involved the value of the case is going to increase by a factor of three!
I should give my car insurance information to the hospital. Definitely not! The hospitals will always ask about your car insurance information, because they are intentionally trying to go around your health insurance. After an accident, you should always use your health insurance, because in network medical providers are required by law to submit their bills. They are trying to make more money off of you. You are entitled to have your medical bills paid by your health insurance, and then claim the full value of that medical treatment against the at-fault party, later on!
If the other driver fled the scene, I have no case. Not true! If you have been struck by a driver who flees the scene, and you cannot identify that driver, you still have a claim for your injuries. This is pursued through your uninsured motorist coverage, which is specifically designed for just such an occasion. You should always speak to an experienced car accident lawyer after this, because this will be handled by your own insurance company. They are not on your side in this situation!
Never let an Insurance Company take advantage of you!
Renee, former client:
"I would like to thank the entire Team at Blaszkow Legal PLLC office. It’s not often you have an entire staff of professionals working to make sure you received the results you deserve. I would like to personally thank each of you at Blaszkow law firm for your knowledge , experience and willingness to make sure I received everything I deserve. These reviews and results are true I experienced for myself."
Sem, former client:
"Mr. Blaszkow and his team offer excellent service, demonstrate professionalism and personal attention. They are diligent and proactive. Mr. Blaszkow is an exceptional attorney. He did a phenomenal job in representing me successfully in my car accident case. They gave my case the utmost attention and kept me informed the whole time about all the developments. I would highly recommend them!"
Marvin, former client:
"Omg I came to this office with no idea if they can make something happen and was scared a nervous because I am not very smart with trying to explain or have the Words to properly say things so I went in and expanded it in my way and they were really caring about my injury and didn’t know if they cared about my SLANG. lol but I really respect and owe them a day to the bar or a day to relax they worked so hard on my case that made me want to see life for what it is suppose to be I’m 29 years old and due to the accident I lost my right leg THIS TEAM WORKS FAST AND HAS MOTIVATION n they did an amazing job working with me please don’t regret not going to a group of people that will have sleepless nights just to make sure you get the best results…..WITHOUT THIS TEAM IT WOULDNT NEVER MADE ME WANT TO GET MY LIFE BACK ON TRACK ..💯🙏😤"
The statute of limitations for Virginia Car Accidents
Have been involved in a Virginia car accident that was not your fault, then you have to file your lawsuit within 2 years of the date of the accident. If the person hurt in the car accident is a minor, then the two-year period does not begin to run until the injured person's 18th birthday.
However, this is the time in which you need to file a lawsuit. It has nothing to do with when you should make your claim!
It is also important to know that if you were struck by a government employee or worker, at any level, then there are other laws that have to be considered. You will required to give proper notice to the government. This time period is different between County state and federal vehicles and employees. You always need to speak to a personal injury lawyer right away!
Types of accidents that we handle
There are many kinds of motor vehicle accidents all over Falls church, and we handle all of them. Some examples of the cases that we work include:
Will you have to go to court?
It depends. No personal injury attorney can look into his crystal ball, and tell you with certainty whether or not your case will go to trial. There are many factors that affect this, but generally cases that do go into litigation go there for one of two reasons. Either 1) the at fault insurance company is denying liability, or 2) they have accepted liability, but are not willing to pay the fair value of your claim.
It is true that most car accident cases settle. In fact, statistically, 85% of the car accident cases that we work at Blaszkow Legal will settle before litigation. Of the cases that we do have to file a lawsuit, half of those will still settle before trial. A case can settle at any point, right up until the jury walks back into the Courtroom!
Contact an experienced Falls Church Car Accident Lawyer today
Attorney Joe Blaszkow and his team are ready willing and able to fight for you, against the insurance companies which are trying very hard to minimize your claim or deny it entirely. Don't let the insurance companies walk on you, and trample your rights. Fight for the compensation that you deserve for the injuries that you have suffered.
Call Blaszkow Legal today at 703-879-5910 for a free consultation!