RESTON CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS

Reston Car Accidents

A car accident has the ability to impact your life in ways that you cannot realize at the scene of the crash. Very few people recognize all of the lasting impacts that a crash can have, from medical issues to insurance claims, to lawsuits. Often times, people fall back on what they know, and think that just because they pay for car insurance, their car insurance carrier is on their side. Unfortunately that's not the case. No insurance company stays in business by paying you what you ask for! You need an attorney fighting on your side, to get you the compensation that you deserve, from any and all sources available. From a fender-bender on private property, to a serious crash on US-50, you should always call a lawyer after a car accident, and Blaszkow Legal is here to help you, from the beginning.

If you have been hurt in a car accident anywhere in Reston, Virginia, contact an experienced Reston, Va car accident lawyer today. Call 703-879-5910 for a free consultation!

Why is it so important to call a lawyer immediately?

Virginia is a state that practices a very unique theory of law, known as contributory negligence. This means that if you, the person hurt in a car accident, is found to be even 1% at fault for the accident, then you cannot recover for your injuries - at all, zilch. This is sometimes called "the 1% rule." This rule can make certain cases very difficult, because it allows insurance companies to deny your claim, on the flimsiest of excuses - the sooner you call an attorney, the sooner we can protect you.

Anything you say can and will be used against you. This is just as true in civil cases, as in criminal cases. Only instead worrying about a prosecutor, we are talking about insurance adjusters. Insurance companies work very hard to minimize or deny your claim, in any way possible. That is their business model. This includes your own car insurance company. Yes, even the one that you pay every month!

Consider this: if you are in a hit and run car accident, where is your recovery going to come from? These are handled as uninsured motorist cases. An uninsured motorist (UM) case is handled through your own insurance carrier. The people who you would think that you could rely on, are instead actively working to deny your UM claim!

As a general rule, you should never speak to an insurance company without talking to a car accident lawyer first. Call Blaszkow Legal as soon as possible after a car accident, and we will help to protect you at every step of the way. We have the experience necessary to fight for you.

Investigating Reston Car Accidents

After you call Blaszkow Legal, we set our team to work investigating your case. We handle every case using the Blaszkow Legal Method. This is a specific practice in how we open up files, and how we handle them. Unfortunately, some law firms don't devotes sufficient attention to proving a case at the outset, and instead wait for an insurance company to deny the claim. That's not how we do it - at Blaszkow Legal we prepare every case for trial from day one. This way the insurance companies know that we are not afraid to press your claims, and fight for your rights all the way to, and including, trial.

Our team of paralegals, investigators, and attorneys is very experienced in investigating car accidents, bus accidents, truck accidents, and more. Our team begins immediately locating witnesses, interviewing witnesses, documenting the scene, and attempting to obtain camera footage. When a business will not give us a copy of the camera footage we need, such as a bank, we work zealously to ensure that that footage is preserved until a subpoena can be generated.

What if the other driver left the scene?

As we hinted to above, a hit and run case is pursued as an uninsured motorist claim. When you have car insurance, you automatically have two different sections of that car insurance coverage:

1. your bodily injury liability coverage is the amount that insurance company will pay to protect you in accidents that you cause, and

2. uninsured motorist coverage, when the driver of the other vehicle cannot be identified. There is a sub-part to UM coverage known as underinsured motorist coverage (UIM), when the at-fault carrier doesn't have enough coverage and fully compensate you.

Uninsured and Underinsured motorist claims in Virginia are an "adversarial" process. This means that your car insurance company is actively working against your interests, despite the fact that you are paying them. They will do anything they can to kick the legs out from under your case. It is our job to prove your case, and fight against your car insurance company for the damages that you are entitled to.

An uninsured or underinsured motorist claim in Virginia cannot make your insurance rates increase. This is a matter of black letter law.

Some frequently asked questions about Reston Car Accidents

How long is my car accident case going to take?
The short answer is, that depends. It really depends upon you, and your medical treatment. Some people have a couple of doctors visits after going to the hospital, and then feel fine. Some people require several months of physical therapy, whereas other people may have a concussion, and maybe in treatment for a year. Every case is different. As long as you are in medical treatment, your case will be actively investigated, and in our initial intake stages.

How much is my car accident case worth?
Here again, it depends. What you can claim in a car accident varies from case to case. A person who has lost an arm does not have the same claim as a person who had some neck pain and was in physical therapy for a few months. No law book tells us that back pain is worth X, and shoulder pain is worth Y. We have to prove your damages. Some common elements of damage include:

• Medical expenses

• Time loss from work

• Loss of earning capacity

• Permanent injury

• Scarring

• Pain and suffering

• Impairment to your daily life

• and more.

How much does it cost to hire a Reston car accident attorney?
Blaszkow Legal works on a contingency fee basis. Just like the commercials say: we do not get paid unless you collect money. Our fees are a standard percentage of a case, depending on whether the case is settlement before, or after litigation. Our rates are set out in our retainer agreement, which you will always have a copy of. There are no surprise billings, or surprise fees. You can talk to an attorney without any risk, and you can pursue a case, without incurring any fee whatsoever. It is always free to call Blaszkow Legal about a car accident or other Reston personal injury case

How long do I have to file car accident claims in Virginia?
Virginia law has a two-year statute of limitations for car accidents, and other personal injury matters. However, that is not the only deadline that you need to be worried about. Depending on the facts of the crash, certain claims have to be filed or "noticed" much sooner. Some examples of shorter deadlines include when your car accident was caused by a federal government vehicle, a military vehicle, or a county or state vehicle or employee. There are very different deadlines outside of the two-year limit that the state law imposes. You should always call a lawyer right away!

Do I have a case if I was in a car accident at work?
That depends. If you were not at fault for the accident, and the person who caused your accent was not an employee of your employer (the company that you also work for), then you very well may have a third-party liability claim. This is a different claim from workers compensation. Workers compensation does not revolve around negligence, whereas a third party liability case does. You can have a workman's comp case if you were at fault. You cannot have a third party liability case if you were.

Give us a call as soon as possible after the crash, so we can begin to review the evidence, and see if you have a workers comp claim, as well as a car accident claim.

Contact a Reston Car Accident lawyer today!

Car accident cases can be complicated, due to liability, injuries, and negligence claims. Remember that insurance companies are working hard against you. They have teams of adjusters, defense lawyers, and investigators who are working hard to pick apart your case. Blaszkow Legal is here to fight for you. We know the arguments that the insurance companies are going to make, and we work hard to build your case, and get you the compensation that you deserve.

Call today for a free consultation, and Get Justice with Joe!

703-879-5910

Let Blaszkow Battle For You!