Wrongful Death

Swimming Pool Accidents…a Parent’s Worst Nightmare

Let’s begin with a sad story… a scenario that never had to happen.  Several years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, a young man invited a neighbor over to his mother’s house to help him work on a car.  His neighbor came over and brought his 2 ½ year old child, who played in the front yard while the guys worked on the car in the front driveway.   The house had a swimming pool in the back yard that was surrounded by a fence with a gate.  Initially, the gate was secured by a chain with a lock. A few weeks before, though, the lock was lost.  Instead of replacing the lock, the owner secured the gate by wrapping the chain around the gate and the gate post. At some point as they worked on the car, the men realized that the child was no longer playing in the front yard.  After a frantic search, [...]

By |2019-06-17T17:31:22+00:00June 17th, 2019|Injuries to Children, Wrongful Death|

Important Facts About Wrongful Death Cases in Virginia

Tragically, last year, 819 people lost their lives in car crashes on Virginia roads.  While this number is down slightly from the number of traffic-related deaths in 2017, it is still significantly higher than the 700 fatalities that occurred on Virginia roads in 2014, since which the number of deaths has been steadily increasing, suggesting that our roads are getting more congested, and more dangerous. While I pray that you will never need this information, here are some important things to know about cases arising from traffic-related fatalities in Virginia. Who can file a wrongful death suit? Historically, Virginia law is based on English Common Law (law made by the decisions of judges), under which there was no legal right to recover compensation for a death caused by another person’s negligence.  Indeed, under the Common Law, while there was a long-standing right to seek compensation for one’s personal injuries, if the injured person died as [...]

By |2019-08-06T11:02:23+00:00May 16th, 2019|Auto Accidents, Wrongful Death|