Auto Accidents

Steve is driving home from work, approaching a 4-way intersection.  Steve does not have a stop sign, but traffic on the side-street, attempting to enter the intersection from Steve’s right or left does, so Steve has the right of way.  Steve is driving in his lane, under the speed limit, doing everything right, except . . . he’s texting.  At the same time, John is driving a car that is approaching the intersection from Steve’s right.  John is in a hurry, is speeding and distracted, and does not see the stop sign.  John blows through the stop sign and the two cars collide.  In the Commonwealth of Virginia, does Steve have a winnable claim against John?  Maybe not.  Why?  Virginia is one of a handful of states that still follows the law of contributory negligence.  Let’s take a look at contributory negligence and how can it affect your potential car accident case? What is contributory [...]

Why should I use my insurance to pay for anything? It might seem a little odd, but sometimes, it makes sense to use coverages on your auto insurance policy to pay for expenses you incur as a result of a collision even though the collision was not your fault. Why? 1. You may have no other choice If the driver who causes the collision is unknown or does not have insurance, the only potential source of recovery for you is your own uninsured motorist insurance. See my report: "Am I Covered For This? A Quick Guide to Your Auto Insurance Coverages and How They Work. 2. Time is of the essence If your car is damaged and you are injured in a collision caused by someone else, that other driver, and his insurance, is ultimately responsible for your damages. But, it can often take a long time for a liability claim to be processed and, [...]

A quick guide to your auto insurance coverages and how they work If you've been in an auto collision, there are four basic coverages that might come into play, depending on the policy you have purchased: Liability; Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage; Collision; Medical Payments coverage Liability Liability coverage, whether it's for property damage or bodily injuries, applies when you are responsible for causing a collision and someone else who was involved in the collision brings a claim against you. If a liability claim is made against you, your insurance company will investigate, and possibly defend against, the claim, but may be obliged to pay an amount up to the limits of your liability coverage to dispose of the claim. Every auto insurance policy that is written in Virginia is required to afford at least $25,000 in liability coverage, so you must purchase at least that much. But if a claim against you turns out to be [...]