Injury Lawyer in Norfolk

Injury Lawyer in Norfolk Virginia

Virginia Injury Attorney Representing Injured Plaintiffs in Norfolk

Injuries happen more often than you might think, and they frequently occur when another party behaves in a careless or reckless manner. At Breit Law PC, we regularly assist clients with a wide variety of injury claims and lawsuits, and we strive to provide personalized representation in which we tailor our strategies to meet the needs of your case. Injury claims can vary significantly depending upon the specific facts of any given case. If you have questions or concerns about filing a claim and seeking financial compensation, you should begin working with an injury lawyer in Norfolk Virginia as soon as possible.

Norfolk Injury LawyerLearning More About Injuries in Norfolk Virginia

How often do unintentional injuries occur? The following are some important facts and figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • Each year, nearly 40 million people visit doctor’s offices because of unintentional injuries;
  • Almost 30 million people visit emergency departments annually due to unintentional injuries;
  • Unintentional injury deaths totaled 169,936 in 2016;
  • More than 36,000 unintentional fatal injuries caused by falls occur each year;
  • More than 40,000 people sustain deadly injuries in motor vehicle crashes on an annual basis; and
  • About 65,000 unintentional poisoning deaths occur every year.

Nobody expects to be seriously injured, yet accidents and injuries do occur often in Norfolk and throughout the state of Virginia. If you sustained an injury that resulted from another party’s harmful action or negligence, you should learn more about filing an injury claim in order to seek financial compensation.

How Much is My Norfolk, VA Injury Claim Worth?

If you are considering a Norfolk injury claim, you probably want to know how much your claim is worth. It is almost impossible to give you a specific dollar figure amount without assessing the precise facts of your case. By getting in touch with a Norfolk injury attorney, you can learn more about what kind of settlement or verdict you may be able to anticipate.

What Damages Can I Seek in a Norfolk Virginia Injury Case?

In a Norfolk injury case, most injury victims seek two different types of compensatory damages. Compensatory damages provide compensation for losses an injured person has experienced. The two types of compensatory damages include the following:

  • Economic damages: When a court awards economic damages, it compensates an injured person for objective, financial losses. Examples of economic damages may include compensation for hospital bills and doctor’s visits, rehabilitative therapy costs, and lost wages.
  • Non-economic damages: When a court awards non-economic damages, it compensates an injured person for losses that are not financial, but rather subjective. Those losses often are tied to emotional or psychological injuries, such as pain and suffering or the loss of enjoyment of life. Since non-economic damages are more subjective and depend in part on how severe a court believes a person’s non-economic damages to be, this type of damages award can be more controversial than an economic damages award.

Punitive damages (Virginia Code § 8.01-38.1) are also possible in some cases. While compensatory damages are designed to compensate and have the plaintiff in mind, punitive damages are designed to be a punitive measure taken against the defendant. Different from compensatory damages, punitive damages punish a defendant for especially harmful behavior. This type of damages award is relatively rare in injury cases in Norfolk. When punitive damages are deemed appropriate, Virginia law caps any punitive damages award at $350,000.

Statute of Limitations in a Norfolk, VA Injury Case

If you are thinking about filing an injury lawsuit, it is extremely important to be aware of the statute of limitations. If you were injured and are considering a personal injury claim, Virginia law (Virginia Code § 8.01-243) requires that most injury lawsuits be filed within two years from the date of the injury. This timeline rarely varies. One exception is medical malpractice claims in which the injured patient did not realize that she was injured immediately afterward. While it might seem unlikely that a patient would not know that she had sustained a medical negligence injury, there are numerous situations in which this might occur. For example, if a surgeon leaves an object inside a patient after surgery, that object may not produce symptoms for months or even longer.

You should never assume you have more time, however. And in some cases, the statute of limitations could be even shorter.

Contributory Negligence in a Norfolk Virginia Injury Claim

If you have any concerns about your own liability in the accident that caused your injuries, or if the defendant could raise the issue of your own partial fault or negligence, you need to learn more about pure contributory negligence under Virginia law.

Numerous states in the U.S. permit injured plaintiffs to recover damages even if the plaintiff is partially at fault. In these states, the plaintiff’s damages award typically is reduced by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault. To be clear, however, Virginia is not one of these states. In Virginia, when a defendant raises the issue of contributory negligence, the defendant must prove that the plaintiff is also partially responsible. With the help of an experienced injury attorney, a plaintiff can work to prove that she or he bears no responsibility and was not negligent. However, if the court determines that there was contributory negligence—in other words, that the plaintiff was also negligent in part—that plaintiff will be barred from recovering anything.

Even in a situation where a plaintiff is determined to be only one percent or two percent at fault (as compared to the defendant’s fault), Virginia law says that the plaintiff cannot recover damages.

Contact an Experienced Injury Attorney in Norfolk Virginia

When you have been injured in an accident or because of someone else’s negligence, you should not have to be financially responsible for your losses. It is difficult enough to deal with physical and emotional recovery from a serious injury, let alone the significant financial recovery after paying hospital bills and facing the reality of lost wages. An experienced and aggressive Norfolk, VA injury lawyer can provide you with more information about the options that may be available to you. Contact Breit Law PC to learn more about how we can assist with your case.

Back To Top