McLean Car Accident Lawyer
Auto accidents are unfortunately one of the most common and one of the most consistently dangerous ways in which people in McLean and around the state of Virginia suffer personal injuries. To make matters worse, many of these incidents could have been prevented entirely if everyone involved had acted the way that a reasonable person would—and should—have under the circumstances.
If you were hurt in a wreck caused by someone else acting recklessly or carelessly, you may have grounds to hold them legally accountable for your losses with a dedicated personal injury attorney’s assistance. With a knowledgeable McLean car accident lawyer by your side, you could stand a much better chance not only of proving liability for the incident that harmed you, but also showing that you bear no fault for it yourself that could impede your pursuit of financial recovery.
How Negligence Could Lead to a Roadway Accident
The core principle at the heart of almost every car accident lawsuit is a legal concept known as a duty of care—or more specifically, the unintentional or malicious violation of one. If someone who owns a duty to act responsibly around another person “breaches” that duty by instead acting irresponsibly, they could be considered legally “negligent” and therefore liable for ensuing damages if an accident occurs as a direct result of their misbehavior.
Negligence in a motor vehicle can take a variety of forms, ranging from traffic violations recorded by police officers who respond to an accident scene to criminal actions like drunk driving that may result in criminal prosecution separately from any ensuing civil litigation, to even a momentary loss of concentration at exactly the wrong time. Whatever specific form of neglect leads to a wreck on McLean roads, a qualified car accident attorney could help anyone injured by that wreck take full advantage of their legal right to pursue recovery.
What Makes Car Accident Litigation in McLean Complex?
A successful auto accident claim may allow recovery for both economic and non-economic harm stemming from the incident in question, including medical expenses, physical pain, lost work income, lost enjoyment of life, and the costs of repairing or replacing a damaged vehicle. However, recovery may unfortunately be impossible for any plaintiff found partially responsible for the accident that injured them, thanks to Virginia’s harsh “pure contributory negligence” approach to civil liability.
Under this system, a court may bar an accident victim from recovering any compensation whatsoever if they bear any degree of fault—even one percent compared to the defendant’s 99 percent—for the circumstances leading to their wreck. On top of that, Code of Virginia §8.01-243 limits even plaintiffs with valid grounds to hold someone else 100 percent liable for their damages only two years after their accidents in which to file suit. Assistance from a dedicated car crash lawyer in McLean can be absolutely essential to navigating around these possible obstacles and maximizing available restitution.
Talk to a McLean Car Accident Attorney About Recovery Options
Whether you want to pursue compensation after a car wreck through insurance negotiations, a third-party settlement or lawsuit, or a combination of both, you are very unlikely to achieve a positive case resolution alone. Insurers and defense attorneys alike are all too willing to take advantage of unrepresented plaintiffs and pressure them into undervaluing their cases, leaving them without the money they need to maintain their pre-accident standard of living.
Once retained, an experienced McLean car accident lawyer could help even the odds back in your favor by working diligently to protect your best interests. Call today to learn more.
