A car crash can leave you dealing with medical appointments, missed work, vehicle repairs, and an insurance company asking questions before you know how badly you are hurt. A Richmond car accident lawyer at Allen & Allen can investigate the crash, deal with the insurance companies, and explain what comes next.
Our firm has represented injured Virginians since 1910, handling thousands of car accident claims over the years. That experience matters when fault is disputed, several insurance policies may apply, or an injury will affect you for years.
We look beyond the initial repair estimate and emergency room bill to understand what the collision has cost you and what care you may still need. Contact our team today for free to learn how we can help.
Richmond car accident guide
- Why choose Allen & Allen after a Richmond car accident
- What causes car accidents in Richmond, Virginia?
- How Virginia car accident laws affect your claim
- What should you do after a Richmond car accident?
- How insurance companies handle Richmond car accident claims
- What compensation may be available after a Richmond car accident?
- Can a Richmond car accident lawyer help if the other driver has no insurance?
- How is fault determined after a Richmond auto accident?
- Our Richmond car accident results
- FAQ for Richmond car accident lawyer
- Get help with your Richmond car accident claim today
Why choose Allen & Allen after a Richmond car accident
Allen & Allen combines more than a century of Virginia personal injury experience with individual attention to each client. Our work is guided by integrity, respect, compassion, and trust.
Experience built in Richmond
Allen & Allen has kept our headquarters right here in Richmond since 1931. We understand the local roads, courts, medical systems, and practical issues that shape a Richmond car accident case, from crashes on Broad Street to treatment at VCU Medical Center.
A comprehensive approach
A car crash claim involves more than proving that another driver made a mistake. We examine your medical treatment, work losses, future needs, insurance policies, and the personal effects of the injury before evaluating a resolution.
Preparation for disputed cases
Some claims can be resolved through supported negotiations. Others require depositions, retained professionals, court filings, and trial preparation. We build the evidence needed for the case at hand and remain prepared for court in case an insurer refuses to make a reasonable offer.
Personal attention and honest answers
You deserve to know what is happening and why it matters. Our Richmond car accident attorneys explain the process in plain language, answer your questions, and give you an honest assessment of the strengths and problems in your claim.
When an insurer questions your injuries or tries to shift responsibility, we make your fight our fight. That’s what we mean when we say, “I am an Allen.” Contact us today to learn how we can help.
What causes car accidents in Richmond, Virginia?
Most Richmond car accidents happen because a driver was distracted, moving too fast, impaired, or failing to follow the rules of the road. Identifying the cause helps determine who may be responsible and what evidence can prove the claim.
Traffic moves quickly where I-95, I-64, and I-295 carry commuters, commercial trucks, and travelers through the Richmond area. A brief distraction or unsafe lane change can cause a serious collision before another driver has time to react.
Crashes also happen along US 1 and at busy city intersections where drivers must watch for turning vehicles, pedestrians, and changing traffic signals.
Common causes include:
- Distracted driving, including texting, scrolling, or looking away from traffic
- Speeding or driving too fast for traffic and road conditions
- Following another vehicle too closely
- Failing to yield while turning, merging, or entering an intersection
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Making an unsafe lane change
- Falling asleep or driving while dangerously fatigued
- Losing control in rain, ice, fog, or other poor weather
Bad weather does not automatically excuse a driver who causes a crash. Drivers must adjust their speed and following distance when rain, fog, or ice makes the road harder to see or control.
The type of collision can also point toward its cause. Rear-end damage may support evidence that a driver was following too closely, while a side-impact crash may raise questions about a traffic light, right of way, or failure to yield.
Allen & Allen examines the vehicles, roadway, witness accounts, and available data to determine what happened rather than relying only on the other driver’s version.
How Virginia car accident laws affect your claim
Virginia uses a fault-based system, so the driver or other party who caused the collision may be held responsible for the resulting injuries and losses. You can generally pursue compensation through the responsible party’s liability insurance.
This means that proving fault is a central part of a Virginia car accident claim. The insurance company may dispute how the collision happened, argue that your injuries came from another cause, or question whether all of your treatment was necessary.
When it comes to proving the other driver was at fault, a Richmond car accident lawyer offers a huge advantage. They can collect medical records, photographs, witness accounts, vehicle data, and other evidence to answer those arguments.
Virginia’s filing deadline
Virginia also places a deadline on injury lawsuits: Most car accident injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the crash. Negotiating with an insurer does not normally stop that deadline from running.
A claim can appear to be moving toward settlement while the time to file a lawsuit continues to pass. Beginning the investigation early gives your lawyer more time to gather evidence, follow your medical progress, and file suit when necessary.
Different deadlines may apply to property damage, claims involving government vehicles, or claims brought on behalf of a child. A Richmond car accident attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to the facts of your case.
What should you do after a Richmond car accident?
After a car crash in Richmond, Virginia, get medical care and preserve whatever information you still have access to. These steps can protect your health while creating a clearer record of the collision and its effects.
Some injuries are obvious immediately. Others become noticeable after the initial shock and adrenaline begins to wear off. A headache, neck pain, back stiffness, dizziness, or numbness that develops later may still be connected to the crash.
Once you are home and safe, take these steps:
- Get medical attention: Seek prompt care even if you initially thought your injury was minor. Tell the provider when the crash happened and describe every symptom you are experiencing.
- Follow your treatment plan: Attend appointments and follow reasonable medical instructions. Tell your provider about new symptoms or changes rather than assuming they will go away.
- Save evidence: Keep any images of the vehicles, roadway, traffic signals, skid marks, debris, weather conditions, and visible injuries. Save the driver’s name, contact details, license plate number, and insurance information.
- Request the crash report: The police report may identify the drivers, witnesses, road conditions, reported violations, and each person’s initial account.
- Track your losses: Save medical bills, pharmacy receipts, repair estimates, wage records, and other documents showing how the collision has affected you.
- Be careful with insurance calls: You do not have to give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney. Give truthful information, but do not guess about speed, distance, or responsibility when you do not know the answer.
You should also avoid posting updates about the crash, your injuries, or your physical activities on social media. Insurance companies may review public posts and use an isolated photo or comment to question the severity of an injury.
How insurance companies handle Richmond car accident claims
The insurer may call you soon after the collision to ask for a recorded statement. The adjuster might ask how you feel, whether you could have avoided the crash, or whether you have had similar pain before. Answers given before you understand your diagnosis can later be taken out of context.
Allen & Allen can take over communication with the insurers early to protect your claim. We’ll provide supporting information about the claim and respond when the company starts challenging it. That gives you room to make decisions based on the evidence rather than pressure from an adjuster.
An early settlement offer also deserves careful review. The amount may cover an ER visit and vehicle repairs, but not follow-up treatment, time away from work, or symptoms that have not yet resolved. Signing a release usually ends the claim, even if surgery or long-term care becomes necessary later.
Your own insurance company may also be involved. Medical expense coverage, collision coverage, rental reimbursement, or Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage may provide benefits depending on your policy.
What compensation may be available after a Richmond car accident?
A Richmond car accident claim may include compensation for the financial costs of the crash, like your medical bills, but also for personal harms like pain and suffering. The available damages depend on your medical evidence, work history, recovery, and the ways the collision has affected your daily life.
You may be able to pursue compensation for:
- Emergency care, hospital treatment, and physician visits
- Surgery, medication, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
- Future medical care you will need
- Lost wages and reduced earning ability
- Pain, discomfort, and physical limitations
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Damage to your vehicle and other personal property
Future damages require more than an estimate pulled from current bills. A serious injury may affect the kind of work you can perform, the number of hours you can manage, or whether you will need additional treatment years from now.
Allen & Allen may use medical opinions, employment records, wage information, and vocational analysis to document those losses when appropriate. Friends and family may also help explain personal changes, such as difficulty caring for children, sleeping, or participating in activities that once mattered to you.
Can a Richmond car accident lawyer help if the other driver has no insurance?
A Richmond car accident lawyer can identify coverage that may still be available when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your losses. This often includes Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage through your own policy.
Virginia auto policies generally include UM/UIM protection. Policyholders may have limits equal to their liability coverage or may have selected lower limits permitted by Virginia law.
UM coverage may apply when:
- The at-fault driver had no valid liability insurance
- A hit-and-run driver cannot be identified
- Coverage is denied under the responsible driver’s policy
- The vehicle involved qualifies as uninsured under Virginia law
Your UIM coverage applies differently. It may become available when the responsible driver has liability insurance, but the applicable coverage does not fully address the value of the injuries and losses.
These claims require close attention to policy language, notice requirements, available limits, and the relationship between the liability and UM/UIM claims. More than one policy may apply in some cases, but it depends on the vehicles, insured people, policy terms, and circumstances of the crash.
Allen & Allen reviews each potential source of coverage instead of assuming the at-fault driver’s policy is the only option. We deal with your insurer and provide the evidence needed to prove fault and show the full extent of your losses.
How is fault determined after a Richmond auto accident?
Fault is determined by comparing the drivers’ accounts with physical evidence, independent witnesses, records, and available electronic data. The evidence needed depends on what the insurance company disputes.
A straightforward rear-end collision on Hull Street may be supported by photographs, the crash report, and medical records. A multi-vehicle collision on the Downtown Expressway may require a deeper investigation into speed, lane position, braking, and the sequence of impacts.
Evidence may include:
- Police crash reports
- Photographs of vehicle damage and the collision scene
- Statements from drivers, passengers, and independent witnesses
- Traffic camera or nearby business surveillance footage
- Information from the vehicles’ event data recorders
- Vehicle inspections and repair records
- Road measurements, debris patterns, and skid or tire marks
Video footage and electronic information may not remain available indefinitely. Businesses overwrite recordings, damaged vehicles are repaired or sold, and physical marks on a roadway disappear.
A Richmond car crash attorney can send preservation letters early to involved parties to help prevent relevant evidence from being destroyed through ordinary record-retention practices.
Our Richmond car accident results
Past results do not guarantee what will happen in another case, but they can show a firm’s experience investigating serious injuries, presenting damages, negotiating with insurers, and trying cases when necessary.
$1.461 million rear-end collision verdict
Attorney Christopher Toepp obtained a $1.461 million jury verdict for a woman injured at the I-64/I-95 interchange in Richmond. She underwent five surgeries and more than 100 medical appointments after the rear-end collision.
$1.2 million intersection crash settlement
Allen & Allen obtained a $1.2 million settlement for a woman struck by a corporate truck that ran a red light at an intersection. She suffered several fractures and serious arm and shoulder injuries that required multiple surgeries.
The case settled after a lawsuit was filed and the parties completed depositions.
$1.13 million Richmond rear-end collision settlement
Allen & Allen recovered a $1.13 million settlement for a man who suffered a serious neck injury when his work van was rear-ended in Richmond. An MRI later revealed cervical trauma, and he underwent a six-level spinal fusion.
FAQ for Richmond car accident lawyer
Can I still get compensation if the other driver was uninsured?
Your own UM coverage may apply when the responsible driver has no valid insurance or cannot be identified after a hit-and-run. UIM coverage may help when the driver’s coverage will not cover all of your losses. Allen & Allen can review all potentially applicable policies and explain what coverage may be available.
How much does it cost to hire Allen & Allen?
Allen & Allen handles accepted car accident cases in Richmond on a contingency fee basis, so you pay nothing to get started. We only collect a fee if we win compensation for you through a settlement or court award. Your initial consultation is free, too.
How long will my Richmond car accident case take?
Most Richmond car accident claims last between a few months and a year. The timeline depends on your recovery, the clarity of fault, the available insurance, and whether the claim settles or proceeds to trial.
While waiting can be hard, Allen & Allen keeps the case moving without rushing to a resolution that leaves important losses undocumented.
What is my Richmond car accident case worth?
The value of your Richmond car crash claim depends on the severity and duration of your injuries, your medical expenses, lost income, future needs, insurance coverage, and the strength of the fault evidence.
Do I need a car accident lawyer in Richmond if the insurance company has accepted fault?
Accepting fault does not mean the insurer will agree on the value of your injuries. Disputes can still arise over medical treatment, future care, lost income, prior conditions, or whether a particular symptom came from the collision.
A Richmond car accident attorney is especially helpful when the injury is serious, the offer does not cover your losses, or you are being asked to sign a release.
Get help with your Richmond car accident claim today
You do not need to know the value of your case or have every document in hand before asking for legal advice. Bring our team the information that you have, and we can help identify the records, insurance coverage, and evidence needed to evaluate the claim.
Call Allen & Allen at (866) 388-1307 or get your free consultation online. You pay no attorney’s fee upfront, and we collect a fee only if we obtain compensation for you.
Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen – Richmond Office
1802 Bayberry Court
Suite 400
Richmond, VA 23226
Phone: (866) 388-1307