McLean Personal Injury Lawyer
Even if you are able to leave the scene with only minor injuries, the experience of being involved in an accident can still be traumatic and psychologically scarring. If such an incident leads to significant physical harm, the consequences of those injuries could, unfortunately, extend far into the future, adding immense financial strain to your life and potentially putting permanent limitations on your occupational and personal opportunities.
If you got seriously hurt solely because another person acted irresponsibly around you, you should strongly consider discussing your legal options with a qualified McLean personal injury lawyer. You may have important legal rights that a knowledgeable attorney could help you enforce, and civil litigation could be key to protecting your best interests in the wake of an accident you did nothing to cause.
What to Know About Personal Injury Litigation
To hold someone else financially liable for an accident, an injured individual generally must be able to prove that the other party—the “defendant(s)” named in their claim—was legally negligent in some way. In non-legal terms, this means proving all the following criteria:
- The defendant had an explicit or implicit responsibility to act safely and reasonably under the circumstances in which an accident occurred
- The defendant violated that responsibility by engaging in careless or reckless behavior
- The defendant’s irresponsible act or failure to act was the direct cause of an accident
- The accident in question was the direct cause of specific compensable losses
Importantly, though, injured “plaintiffs” can bear liability for accidents resulting in personal injuries just as much as defendants can—and in Virginia, a plaintiff found partially liable for their own damages to any degree is prohibited from recovering any restitution whatsoever.
Additionally, Code of Virginia §8.01-243 limits most potential plaintiffs to a maximum of two years following the discovery of their injuries to get the civil litigation process started, or they may be “time-barred” from seeking recovery for that incident. Assistance from a McLean personal injury attorney could be crucial to ensuring these possible roadblocks do not unfairly inhibit an accident victim’s ability to seek the recovery they deserve.
Recoverable Damages Through a Personal Injury Claim
The impact of a severe injury cannot be measured in just the physical consequences it has on someone’s mobility and day-to-day comfort, although those can of course be substantial. Depending on the nature of the harm an accident caused, a personal injury victim may quickly find themselves struggling with medical bills, missed work paychecks, expensive repair or replacement costs for damaged personal property, and possibly even long-term expenses like rehabilitative care and medical equipment for a newfound disability.
A seasoned personal injury lawyer in McLean could help demand recovery for all these losses and more, including non-economic forms of harm like physical pain, emotional distress, lost consortium, and lost enjoyment of life. In rare cases involving egregious neglect or malicious actions by a defendant, a court may even elect to award up to $350,000 in punitive damages on top of a plaintiff’s compensatory damages.
Seek Help from a McLean Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injuries can be life-altering in multiple respects, even if you are ultimately able to heal from the physical impact of your injury over time. Associated financial costs, emotional damage, and loss of personal opportunities may wreak havoc on your short-term and long-term plans—especially if you do not take effective action to hold the person who caused your injury responsible for the losses it resulted in.
A McLean personal injury lawyer could review your recovery options with you and identify the best course of action for your unique situation during a confidential meeting. Call today to schedule your consultation.